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.
Easy to make and has excellent flavor!
This was delicious and easy to make
Used 2 pounds of beef and 1 liter each beef and chicken stock
Will make again
I preferred stew tomatoes it brings it up another level
Love this soup! I have made it twice now taste like cabbage rolls without the fuss
This is by far my favorite soup that I make now. It’s so comforting and filling and perfect with some warm crusty bread and a glass of wine on a cold night. Super easy and delicious the next day too. You have to try this recipe!!!
I may never hassle with making cabbage rolls again….easy,quick and delicious 😋
Just finished my first bowl and am gruntled. I substituted veggie broth, meatless ground, and riced cauliflower for a hearty, yummy, lower-calorie vegan meal. Added dill weed instead of parsley… reminds me of my mom’s cabbage rolls!
Sara–how do you cut your cabbage for your cabbage soup? i can tell it’s not
thinly sliced–is it just more thickly sliced or what? thx, wendy
I cut it into thick slices then cut those slices crosswise to make chunks!
This was so good! I reduced the sugar by 1tbs and added one can of fire roasted tomatoes in place of some of the sauce. Also added red pepper flakes. Turned out perfect! And so fast and easy to make!
Just finished,it went on the favorites list the soup was delicious
well definitely make again
Excellent soup I used a can of Rotel in place of one of the tomato sauce. For a little kick.
Oils this be made in a crockpot ?
It could work but you’d need to be careful not to overcook it, otherwise the rice can absorb too much of the broth.
absolutely marvelous. Only needs a little more pepper for MY tastes but dont let that sway you, its fantastic as it is.
Delicious soup. I added a can of petite diced tomatoes, some ginger and a tsp of turmeric and some Texas Pete for a little kick. So many ways to add what you want to this recipe…maybe next time I will add some blackened corn!
I added extra onion and garlic and it turned out perfectly! Such a great recipe!
This was amazing! My husband is not always on board me trying new recipes but he even loves this one! Thank you!
This soup could not be anymore delicious! I used 80/20 ground beef which was the only change. My family absolutely love it!
I’ve made this recipe numerous times, always doubling. It’s really delicious and leftovers are even better.
I’m making this the first time today. I love cabbage rolls, but they are a pain to cook. So, I thought I’d give this recipe a roll. And I tasted the broth and it taste delicious. Thank you.
I added sauerkraut to the soup for that sour cabbage flavour! Delicious.