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Cabbage roll soup has all the comfort of stuffed cabbage rolls in soup form with loads of cabbage, lean ground beef, and rice in a rich tomato and beef broth.
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There’s a reason stuffed cabbage soup is so popular. It has the delicious flavors, textures, and comfort of traditional cabbage rolls, yet there's no time spent rolling. There's plenty of beef and lots of cabbage. It's perfectly balanced!
It’s game-changing, actually. Like, easy peasy dinner for the whole family! It could win awards on comfort alone, just like stuffed pepper soup, lasagna soup, zuppa toscana soup, or white chicken chili.
Cabbage roll soup ingredients
Recipe amounts are included in the printable recipe below.
- olive oil - or preferred oil
- lean ground beef - or preferred fat percentage. Feel free to substitute sausage too!
- garlic cloves - fresh garlic is recommended but a smaller amount of garlic powder would work too.
- onion - white or yellow onion
- carrots - or other vegetables as desired
- canned crushed tomatoes - canned diced tomatoes or tomato sauce could be used in equal amounts
- tomato paste - not a requirement, but adds tomato richness to the soup flavor
- uncooked long grain white rice - or cooked brown rice can be added after this recipe cooks. I don't recommend instant white rice for the Instant Pot version of this recipe because it will overcook in said cooking time.
- brown sugar - or white sugar
- Worcestershire sauce - or soy sauce
- smoked paprika - for a spicy kick, use cayenne or chili powder
- chopped cabbage - use fresh green cabbage or frozen
- beef broth or beef stock - chicken or vegetable broth would work too!
- salt and pepper - add to taste
- fresh parsley - for garnish
How to make cabbage roll soup
Full recipe instructions for Instant Pot or stove are in the printable recipe below.
- Once you have ingredients chopped and ready to cook, you’ll brown the ground beef in the Instant Pot or soup pot, along with the garlic and onions.
2. Next, add carrots, white rice, tomato sauce ingredients, seasonings, cabbage, and beef broth.
3. Give everything a good stir before cooking whether you're stove cooking or pressure cooking.
4. Once it's cooked, grab some French bread and feed your army this delicious stuffed cabbage soup!
Why we love stuffed cabbage roll soup
- budget friendly - It feeds an army and uses mostly pantry staples.
- easy to scale - this recipe can easily be halved to make a 2 quart yield for
- family friendly flavors - Beef cabbage soup is seasoned mildly to make it family friendly, which makes it super customizable.
- made for Instant Pot or stove - Recipe includes the classic soup pot version AND Instant Pot method. Grab these other Instant Pot soup recipes while you're here!
Recipe tips and variations
- Use sausage in place of ground beef for even more meaty flavor. Or use ground turkey for a lighter version.
- Don't want sugar? Leave it out or substitute your favorite sugar alternative.
- Add other vegetables to stuffed cabbage soup, such as cauliflower, broccoli, and zucchini.
- Substitute white rice by adding 2 cups cooked cauliflower rice or cooked brown rice after the soup has cooked.
- Add a spicy kick to your cabbage roll soup by using some cayenne pepper, red chili flakes, or chili powder in place of, or in addition to the paprika.
- Feel free to season this soup any way you like. To make it family-friendly, I used mild seasonings. I'm also leaving the salt and pepper up to you because sodium in canned good varies so widely.
Can you freeze cabbage roll soup?
You sure can! In fact, and this recipe yields 4 quarts, so there’s plenty to freeze if you’re a small family. To freeze this soup, allow it to cool completely, then package into freezer safe storage containers or zip top bags. Freeze up to 90 days, or longer if vacuum sealed.
📖 Recipe
Cabbage Roll Soup Recipe
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Note about scaling
When scaling, the light gray ingredient notes after the comma don’t change. Adjust as needed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil, or preferred oil
- 1 pound Lean Ground Beef (uncooked)
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 medium Onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 large Carrot, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 (28-ounce can) Crushed Tomatoes, or tomato sauce
- ⅓ cup Tomato Paste, about half of a 6-ounce can
- 1 cup uncooked Long Grain White Rice, rinsed until water runs clear
- 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar, optional
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 ½ pounds Green Cabbage, chopped (1 small head or 8 cups)
- 6 cups Beef Broth
- 1 teaspoon Salt, or more as needed
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- Fresh Parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat OLIVE OIL over medium high heat in 6 quart pot. (See footnotes for Instant Pot Method).
- Saute GROUND BEEF and GARLIC until beef is cooked through. Add the ONION and saute a few minutes until tender.
- If needed, drain excess grease and add a splash of broth and scrape loose any brown bits from the inside of the pot to deglaze.
- Add CARROTS, CRUSHED TOMATOES, TOMATO PASTE, RICE, BROWN SUGAR, WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE, PAPRIKA, CABBAGE, BROTH, SALT, and PEPPER. Stir to combine.
- Bring just to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, or until rice is fully cooked.
- Serve warm garnished with CHOPPED PARSLEY.
- To store, allow soup to cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days, or freeze up to 90 days (or longer if vaccuum sealed).
Recipe Notes
- Press 'Saute' on the cooker and add OLIVE OIL.
- When display reads "Hot", add GROUND BEEF and GARLIC. Saute until beef is cooked through. Add ONIONS and saute a few minutes until tender.
- Press 'Cancel' and drain excess grease, if needed. Add a splash of broth and scrape the bottom, if needed.
- Add remaining ingredients (except salt and pepper) and stir to combine.
- Secure the lid. Turn pressure valve to "Sealing" and pressure cook on HIGH for 3 minutes followed by a 15-minute natural pressure release (NPR). Safely turn pressure valve to "Venting" and release any remaining steam. Press 'Cancel'.
- Open lid, stir the soup, and season with SALT and PEPPER to taste.
- Serve warm garnished with CHOPPED PARSLEY.
Equipment
- 6-quart stockpot or 6-quart pressure cooker
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are estimates and may vary based on brands, ingredients, and portions.
Rose Grimm says
Delicious, easy to make. I made it the day before so all the flavors could join together. Delicious!!
Traci says
Awww super smart! Soup always tastes better the next day 🙂 Thank you for trying recipe and for taking the time to leave feedback. Enjoy!!
Barbara says
Tasty, hearty, flavorful nice appearance!! I'm deciding if I like it instead of my moms with cinnamon tiny bit of lemon juice and no carrots. We ate this dish leftovers and all. Just 2 of us.
Traci says
So glad you enjoyed it, even down to the leftovers! I love hearing how different family versions compare. Yours sounds so unique and comforting. Thanks for giving this one a try!
Jenna says
Is it half of a 6 oz can of tomato paste or the entire can?
Traci says
It is half of a 6-ounce can. Enjoy the recipe!
Susan says
Loved it!
Traci says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for the feedback. xoxo
Jodi Diemel says
This was delicious! I have never had a cabbage roll so can’t compare but we really enjoyed this soup. Great way to use ground beef!
Traci says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cabbage roll soup! It’s great to hear it was a hit, even without having tried cabbage rolls before. Thanks for sharing your experience! xoxo
Lorene Gordon says
I cooked this yesterday and it is delicious. I love cabbage rolls and this hit spot. Only goof I made used whole can tomato paste and it calls for 1/2 It was still good
Do you have a cookbook if so I want one
Traci says
I’m so glad you loved the recipe, even with the extra—sounds like it still turned out great! I’m thrilled this soup hit the spot for you. I don’t have a cookbook (yet!), but I truly appreciate your interest—it means so much! xoxo
Sharon Gruszka says
I made the cabbage roll soup exactly as written and it was delicious. Have had other people ask for the recipe because they loved it when I served it to them. Thanks for sharing such an awesome recipe.
Traci says
Yay!! I’m so glad you loved the cabbage roll soup and that it was a hit with your guests! Thank you for sharing the recipe with others—it means so much to hear that. Happy cooking! xoxo
Jan says
Hi Traci,
Any suggestions for how to make this vegan? Would it work with beef substitute and vegetable broth?
Traci says
Yes, you can do that! A beef substitute and veg broth should work, but you'll need to adapt the cooking instructions to your product. Hope you enjoy it! xoxo
Lana says
I made it with ground chicken! deeeeelish! perfect amount of everything! I added some Adobo
Traci says
Oh yum!! I love your customizations! Thank you for trying my recipe and for taking the time to write this feedback. xoxo
Patricia A Cottiers says
Really good soup added can of beans and at the end sour cream and chop dill. Made on top stove,
Traci says
Yay!! Love those additions! So glad you gave this recipe a try. Thank you for taking the time to leave this feedback! xoxo
Cindy Armstrong says
I made this tonight and it was delicious!! I always make new recipes exactly as written and see what I might want to change . I think half sausage half hamburger would be delicious and add corn (I love corn in soups) I confess I did add oregano. I give this 4 out of 5. When I add the sausage I'm sure it will be a 5 out of 5! A very hardy, filling soup! Thanks for the recipe!!
Traci says
You're so welcome! Yes, I kept the flavor somewhat basic so that you can season it to your liking. My recipe notes also suggest to substitute the beef for sausage (for the pork lovers). Thanks for bringing my recipe into your kitchen! Enjoy!
Sheila Renee Wilson says
I've made cabbage and potatoes and other various versions using cabbage. I must say, this was delicious. I made it exactly as the recipe called with the exception of the tomato paste. I did not have any on hand and it was fine without it. Everyone loved it. This is a keeper!
Traci says
Yay! I'm so glad my recipe made its way into your kitchen and that everyone enjoyed it. Thanks so much for sharing your experience! I appreciate it!
Toni says
Made this tonight. So very good! Didn't use tomato paste, next time I'll use less rice. Half Italian sausage, half hamburger.
Traci says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed 🙂 I love the idea of using sausage. YUM! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Llove says
Super easy to make in my Instapot and inexpensive! I made the full recipe and am freezing the leftovers. I love how quick this was to make too!
The Kitchen Girl says
Awesome! So glad you gave it a go and love it as much as we do 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!
James says
This recipe was very easy for a beginner to follow. I enjoyed it very much. Thanks for sharing it
The Kitchen Girl says
I'm really glad to hear that, James. Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback 🙂
D Thomas says
So much flavor and so easy. Stuffed cabbage roll soup is going on the dinner rotation. Thank you for making my life easier 🙂
The Kitchen Girl says
Hi D! I'm so glad to hear you have a new favorite 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to let me know. Enjoy!
JB says
Stuffed cabbage rolls without the work. Brilliant! Great way to sneak good-for-you cabbage into the family dinner too because it's just so good. Thanks KG!
The Kitchen Girl says
Yes! It really is a great way to eat ALL the cabbage 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to let me know. Enjoy!