Cabbage Roll Soup

This cabbage roll soup is a quick and easy twist on classic cabbage rolls, bringing lots of comfy-coziness in one hearty meal. Brimming with tender, shredded cabbage, lean ground beef, and rice in a rich tomato broth, this savory recipe is pure love in a bowl!

Cabbage rolls as a cozy soup

Growing up in an Eastern European household, my mom's cabbage rolls would often be on the menu whenever we craved something warming, saucy, and utterly cozy.

It's been years since I've enjoyed those delicious cabbage rolls, and just thinking about them makes my mouth water. It also makes my heart smile to think of my dear mom (sadly, we lost her in 2020), who always put so much love into her cooking, especially her cabbage rolls.

She would prepare them by rolling partially steamed and softened leaves of cabbage around a filling of ground beef and rice, then nestle those tender and delicate rolls into a light tomato sauce and simmer until cooked through.

These cabbage rolls were a comfort on chilly days, and when served freshly prepared and piping hot (and over fluffy mashed potatoes!), they were so warming and delicious.

So when I had a hankering to come up with a fresh soup recipe here on The Cozy Apron, I began reminiscing back to mom's cabbage rolls...

I thought it would be really cozy to prepare a rich and delicious cabbage roll soup, one that had all of those classic components, made easy with no rolling required, and served in a bowl with a spoon!

My recipe for cabbage roll soup

Because I like to keep things as simple as possible with soups, and because I wanted to get away from having to spend time preparing individual cabbage rolls, I simply used the ingredients one would find in cabbage rolls and "deconstructed" them to make a soup.

This version doesn't require any rolling. I simply shred a head of cabbage, use lean organic ground beef, and create a rich tomato broth to simmer it all in.

I cook up some rice and keep that separate, adding it into individual bowls to keep the main pot nice and brothy.

The result is warming spoonfuls of delicious cabbage, beef, rice and tomato broth, bringing all the flavor of classic cabbage rolls.

It's quick and easy recipe, yet brimming with that cozy, classic flavor!

Here's a glance at my cabbage roll soup recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I place a large soup pot (at least 6-quart) over medium-high heat, add in my aromatics, and sauté them until tender.
2. Next, I crumble in my lean ground beef, cook until browned, following that with some garlic and tomato paste.
3. Then, I add in my shredded cabbage along with the beef stock, and allow the soup to gently simmer, uncovered, just until the cabbage is tender and the flavors have mingled.
4. While my soup cooks, I prep my rice, and keep that in a separate container.
5. To finish and serve the cabbage roll soup, I stir in some fresh parsley, then spoon some rice into individual bowls, ladle the hot soup over the rice, and enjoy.

Recipe

Cabbage Roll Soup

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This rich cabbage roll soup is an easy take on classic cabbage rolls, filled with cabbage, ground beef and rice in a flavorful tomato broth!

Category: Soup
Cuisine: Eastern European

Yield: Serves 6

Nutrition Info: 458 calories per serving (with about ½ cup of cooked rice)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 1 large white onion, finely diced
• 1 ½ pounds ground beef (85/15 fat to lean ratio)
• Salt
• Black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon granulated onion
• ¼ teaspoon granulate garlic
• 4 large cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• 7 (heaping) tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 ¼ pounds thinly sliced/shredded green cabbage
• 6 cups warm beef broth/stock
• 1 cup uncooked white rice (basmati is great)
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. Place a large soup pot over medium-high heat, and drizzle in about 3 tablespoons of the olive oil; once hot, add in the diced onion, and sweat that for about 3-4 minutes, until tender.
3. Crumble in the ground beef, breaking it up with a spoon, and add in a pinch or two of salt and pepper, plus the granulated onion and garlic; cook the ground beef with the onions for about 4 minutes or so, or until it is almost cooked through.
4. Add in the pressed garlic cloves, and stir those in until aromatic; add in the tomato paste, and stir that in to combine and cook for about 30 seconds.
5. Next, add in the shredded/sliced cabbage in increments, stirring it into the beef mixture; once you add all of it in, add your warm beef broth/stock, and stir to combine.
6. Bring the soup up to a rapid simmer/boil, then cover, reduce the heat to medium-low so that the soup is gently simmering, and cook for 15 minutes, just until the cabbage becomes tender.
7. While the soup simmers, prepare your 1 cup of rice according to package instructions (or you can substitute 3 cups of pre-cooked rice), and keep that warm (you will keep the rice in a separate container from the soup).
8. To finish the soup, sprinkle in the white pepper along with the chopped parsley, and stir to incorporate.
9. To serve, add about ½ cup of cooked white rice to a serving bowl, ladle hot soup over top, and enjoy!

Tips & tidbits for my cabbage roll soup recipe:

• Lean ground beef, or some other options: Ground beef was always the pick for cabbage rolls in our house, so I'm sticking to that for this soup. I like to use lean, organic ground beef. Other options are ground pork, ground chicken, ground turkey, or even spicy sausage.
• Head of cabbage or pre-shredded: If you can find pre-shredded cabbage in the prepared produce section of your market, it's a great way to save time. I typically use a small head of cabbage, shredding it myself. It may seem like a lot of cabbage to begin with, but it does shrink way down when cooked.
• Cooking and keeping the rice separate: The reason I cook and store the rice separately is so that it doesn't absorb all of my tasty broth! Especially when it comes to leftovers, or when the soup sits in the fridge overnight (or over a couple of nights), it can become very thick. Feel free to add the rice directly in if you prefer, but I like this recipe with more broth.
• Make this cabbage roll soup ahead for convenience: You can prep the soup a day or two ahead of when you'd like to serve it (keeping the rice separate). The flavors will deepen and intensify even more.

Craving more hot, cozy soup recipes? Check out my recipe for Easy Vegetable Beef Soup, Cabbage Soup with Pork Shoulder, Sausage Soup, Lentil Soup, or even my recipe for Chicken and Dumpling Soup!

Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2019, and has been updated with even more love!