Cozy Cabbage Roll Soup with all the flavor and heartiness of classic cabbage rolls in an easy, unstuffed cabbage soup form. One pot, simple ingredients, and perfect for leftovers!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
We love my grandma’s unstuffed cabbage rolls and borscht, so I made this cabbage roll soup as a comforting nod to the Ukrainian recipes I grew up with.
Fun fact: in Ukraine, we never actually made this soup, just traditional cabbage rolls. I truly just adapted the casserole into a soup and it turned out amazing!
It’s thick and hearty, and tastes even better the next day as the rice softens and the flavors deepen. You can cook it a little less for firmer cabbage and rice, or let it simmer longer for a more hearty soup. This recipe is very versatile.
I think of this stuffed cabbage soup as an Eastern European style dish with a Polish inspired sweet and sour twist. I am Ukrainian, but I love this!
Ingredients for Cabbage Roll Soup
- Ground beef: I used extra lean ground beef, but you can also use ground pork, turkey, or a mix.
- Veggies: Diced carrots and cabbage make the soup colorful and cozy. You can use green, red, napa, or savoy cabbage.
- Onion and garlic: Chopped onion and minced garlic give the broth a ton of flavor and depth.
- Rice: Uncooked white or brown rice adds heartiness and soaks up all the flavors.
- Liquids: A little oil, a can of diced tomatoes, low sodium tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes, low sodium beef broth, and vinegar. Simple, but full of flavor.
- Tomato paste: Adds rich, deep flavor and helps thicken the soup.
- Sweetener: Sugar, honey, or maple syrup to balance the acidic ingredients. I went with white sugar.
- Seasonings: Dried oregano and thyme, salt and pepper, and a few bay leaves.
- Garnish and serving: Mix in some fresh dill or fresh parsley at the end, then serve with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream.
How to Make Cabbage Roll Soup
- Saute the aromatics: Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and swirl in some oil. Toss in the onion, garlic, and carrots, and cook a few minutes until they start to soften.
- Brown the beef: Sprinkle in the oregano and thyme for a quick stir, then add the ground beef. Break it up and let it brown for about 10 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste: Stir it in so it coats the beef and veggies.
- Simmer the soup: Dump in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, cabbage, rice, vinegar, sugar, seasonings, and bay leaves. Stir, cover, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer 20 minutes for white rice or 35-40 for brown. Stir occasionally so the rice doesn’t stick.
- Let it rest: Turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes so the flavors meld. Stir in dill or parsley and taste for seasoning.
- Serve and enjoy: Ladle into bowls, top with sour cream or Greek yogurt, and grab a slice of bread to soak it all up.
Tips for Best Results
These tips and tricks make this cabbage roll soup recipe extra tasty.
- Brown the beef well: Not just no longer pink, get some color for depth of flavor.
- Simmer gently: Low and slow helps the cabbage soften and the flavors meld without breaking down the rice too much.
- Season generously: Cabbage needs salt and acid to shine. You can adjust if needed after.
- To thin it out: Whether it’s needed the same day or next day as it sits, use beef broth to thin it out so you don’t dilute the flavor.
Variations
- Combination of meats: A half and half mix of beef and pork is the traditional choice.
- Lightened up: Swap in ground chicken or ground turkey for a leaner version.
- Vegetarian: Skip the meat and load it up with extra veggies. You can also add beans, lentils, or mushrooms for protein and a bit of extra texture.
- Smoky twist: Add chopped kielbasa or bacon.
- With sauerkraut: I love replacing a few cups of cabbage with sauerkraut in any cabbage soup. I even add some of the brine.
- To make in crock pot: Brown the meat and saute the veggies first, then dump everything in and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours. Stir in fresh herbs and adjust to taste.
- To cook in Instant Pot: Saute the veggies and meat, then pressure cook for 5 minutes. Keep in mind it will be more mushy.
Bread for Dipping
Pair your soup with any of these high protein breads. They’re soft and perfect for soaking up the delicious broth.
Greek Yogurt Dinner Rolls
Greek Yogurt Biscuits
Greek Yogurt Bread
Cottage Cheese Biscuits
How to Store and Reheat
Store: This soup actually tastes even better the next day and it will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freeze: Let the soup cool, then store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheat: You might have to add broth to thin it out. Heat on the stove or in the microwave, stirring until warm.
More Cabbage Recipes to Try
- Cabbage roll casserole
- Instant Pot cabbage rolls
- Russian cabbage soup
- Instant Pot cabbage soup
- Instant Pot borscht
Cabbage Roll Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 5 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 tablespoon oregano, dried
- 1 teaspoon thyme, dried
- 1 pound ground beef, extra lean
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 28 ounces can diced tomatoes, low sodium
- 14 ounces can tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes, low sodium
- 7 cups beef broth, low sodium
- 7 cups cabbage, coarsely chopped
- 3/4 cup white rice or brown rice, uncooked
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar, honey or maple syrup
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons dill or parsley, finely chopped
- Fresh dill and yogurt or sour cream, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat large heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven on medium-high heat and swirl oil to coat. Add onion, garlic and carrots; cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add oregano and thyme and cook for 30 seconds, stirring often. Add ground beef, cook for 10 minutes, breaking into small pieces and stirring but allowing it to brown.
- Add tomato paste and stir to incorporate.
- Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, cabbage, rice, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and bay leaves. Stir well, cover and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes for white rice or 35-40 minutes for brown rice. I recommend to stir a few times to prevent rice from sticking to the bottom.
- Turn off heat and let soup stand for 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Add dill or parsley, stir and adjust any seasonings to taste, if necessary.
- Serve hot topped with sour cream or Greek yogurt and a slice of bread.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Fully cook, cool completely, and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in a refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat: Reheat in a microwave or desired amount in a small pot on a stovetop until heated through, stirring a few times.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
very tasty, nutritious soup: family liked it
So happy your family enjoyed it! Nutritious and tasty is the best combo!
I just had a great supper with Cabbage Roll soup and Olena’s Cottage Cheese bread! Both very yummy! My Husband loves both recipes too! I made the soup with ground Turkey. Thank you for your excellent recipes!
That sounds like such a cozy meal! So glad you both enjoyed it — and great idea using ground turkey!