This cabbage roll soup has all the same flavors as classic baked cabbage rolls, but with way less work! This unstuffed cabbage soup is hearty, filling and the perfect choice for an easy dinner option.
If you love cabbage rolls, but don’t love all the work involved, this quick cooking cabbage soup is for you!
Baked cabbage rolls are one of those nostalgic dishes that my grandma used to make. While I love the flavors, I don’t love all the work involved. Between boiling the cabbage, making the filling, wrapping everything up and then the bake time, it can turn into an all day affair! This cabbage roll soup has all the same flavors as the classic dish, but with a fraction of the prep time.
How to make cabbage roll soup
To make your unstuffed cabbage soup, you’ll need to start with some ground beef. I use 90% lean beef, it’s got great flavor but doesn’t make the soup overly greased. The beef is browned along with some onion before the rest of the ingredients get added to the pot.
After your beef is ready to go, everything else goes into the pot, including rice, carrots, tomato, spices and of course, cabbage. Bring the whole thing to a simmer and in about 25 minutes dinner is done!
What you end up with is a rich and hearty soup that has complex flavors. I know in many cases simmering a soup for longer helps to develop the flavors, but in this case you don’t want to over-cook the soup or else the rice will get mushy.
There is so much going on here, between the meat, veggies and rice, that it’s really a complete meal in one pot. I do often serve this cabbage roll soup with a side of crusty bread or a green salad, just to round out the meal. Even my kids love this one, they didn’t even mind the cabbage pieces which normally they might not eat.
I often make a double batch of this soup just so we have leftovers to eat for a few days, that’s how good it is! It’s absolutely perfect for a cold night, and the quick prep time makes it ideal for a busy weeknight.
More soup recipes
- Chicken Taco Soup
- Hamburger Soup
- Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Ham Bone Soup
- Tortellini Soup with Sausage
Cabbage Roll Soup Video
Cabbage Roll Soup
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound ground beef I use 90% lean
- 1 onion finely diced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 4 cups coarsely chopped green cabbage
- 2 carrots peeled, quartered and sliced
- 4 cups beef broth
- 3 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons parsley
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook, breaking up the meat with a spatula, until beef is browned, approximately 4-5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cabbage, carrots, beef broth, tomato sauce, rice, bay leaf and brown sugar to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove bay leaf and discard.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Notes
- Recipe adapted from The Wholesome Dish.
- Not a fan of ground beef? Try ground turkey instead!
- You can substitute brown rice for white rice, but that will require about 20 more minutes of cook time.
I also added 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp thyme and 1 1/2 Tlb Worcestershire sauce
I used ground lamb instead of beef and it turned out fantastic!!
CAN YOU COOK THIS IN A INSTAPOT (PRESSURE COOKER) AND IF SO WHAT SETTING AND FOR HOW LONG
I have never tested this recipe in an Instant Pot so this is an approximation. I would cook on manual high pressure for 10 minutes, let the pressure release naturally for another 10 minutes, then manually release the pressure.
This recipe was great! Instead of hamburger I used Italian sausage and added a little bit of chili powder for the spice!!
What about using spaghetti sauce instead of tomato paste??
that should be fine!
Yummy! I accidentally used 1 C of rice instead of 1/2 C and it turned out more like a stew, which is what my husband prefers anyway. A happy accident, as Bob Ross would say 🙂
A real crowd pleaser!
Any of y’all know if it freezes alright?
Some other commenters have said it freezes well.
This is a great recipe. I don’t leave anything out. I use combo of meat. Turkey, ground chuck and ground pork. Add in red wine vinegar and when serving add a dollup of plain greek yogurt or sour cream.
What could I substitute for the tomato sauce? My husband has kidney failure and can’t have tomato products due to the potassium.
I’d be hesitant to suggest a substitution since I’m not a medical expert, your best bet is to just omit the tomato products!
This isn’t the recipe to try to omit tomato – that is a key ingredient. Safe bet is to serve a different soup! You can look up Chicken Cabbage Soup recipesfo alternatives.
response to post from 10-17-21
Christie, could you replace the tomato products with beet juice? I have the same problem. I was thinking of cooking the garlic and onion in olive oil, then put it in a crock pot with and all other ingredients.
I have made this recipe slot of times love it love it the only thing I change once in a while is the brown sugar either way it is the best by far thankyou I really love this
Why do most recipes l see use brown sugar
Brown sugar cuts down the acid fr the tomatoes/sauce…
Yes, I made it and shared with my sisters. We all liked it very much.
I made it today and was totally out of rice but it was delicious.
Would this work in a crockpor?
Yes that should work!
I made mine in a crock pot
My mom really likes this soup, which is great because she’s a picky eater when it comes to vegetables. The only thing I would change is the garlic – I found I needed quite a bit more for the flavor I wanted.
We love this soup. It’s a full meal deal. We add hot Italian sausage meat to slice it up a bit. We’ve also found that you can sprinkle with Parmesan cheese or even add some cheese whiz to your bowl. 🍜 😊
Great wholesome soup. The only change I made was using Quinoa instead of rice to up the healthy benefits
Hi Bonnie!
Did you change anything about the recipe (cooking time) when using quinoa instead of rice? I was specifically looking through the comments for an idea of what to use instead as I don’t have the type of rice the recipe is calling for but we love quinoa!
what brand of tomato sauce do you recommend?
I typically use Hunt’s or Contadina.
AWESOME…..You can add to this …but don’t take anything away !
I love this recipe and make it all of the time! Would this work as a freezer meal?
Yes that’s fine!
I would think barley would make a good substitute for the rice.
Loved this but omitted carrots. Never heard of carrots in cabbage rolls. Tasted amazing without