Cabbage Roll Soup has all the cozy, savory flavor of classic cabbage rolls without any rolling! Beef and pork, tender cabbage, and rice simmer together in a rich tomato broth for an easy, hearty one-pot meal.

Serve with crusty no-knead bread or homemade fluffy dinner rolls to soak up every drop.

pot of Cabbage Roll Soup.

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Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Cabbage Roll Soup

  • What Is It: It’s a cozy, deconstructed version of classic stuffed cabbage rolls, with ground meat, cabbage, rice, and tomatoes simmered together in one easy pot.
  • Shortcut: Chopped cabbage skips the boiling, separating, stuffing, and rolling required for traditional cabbage rolls.
  • Consistency: This soup is thick and hearty, with an almost stew-like texture. Add extra broth if you prefer a thinner consistency.

Total Time: 50 Mins Servings: 8 Cooking Method: Stovetop

Holly preparing an onion
Total Time:
50 mins
Serves:
8 servings
Rating:
4.9/5
Holly
Cabbage roll soup in a pot with a ladle.

Ingredient Notes

  • Meat: Lean ground beef adds plenty of savory flavor without making the broth greasy. Ground pork adds richness and classic cabbage roll flavor, but you can use additional beef or ground turkey if preferred.
  • Long Grain White Rice: Add the rice uncooked so it absorbs the seasoned broth as it simmers. Brown rice takes longer to cook and requires additional liquid.
  • Green Cabbage: A firm head of green cabbage holds its texture well as the soup simmers. Chop it into bite-sized pieces, or use bagged chopped cabbage as a shortcut. Savoy cabbage also works but softens more quickly.
  • Diced Tomatoes: Keep the juices because they become part of the tomato broth.
  • Beef Broth: Beef broth adds rich, savory flavor and complements the ground meat. Chicken or vegetable broth can be used instead.

How to Make Cabbage Roll Soup

  1. Cook the beef, pork, onion, and garlic. Drain excess fat.
  2. Add the cabbage and continue cooking (full recipe below).
  3. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer.
  4. Remove the bay leaf, adjust the consistency, and season before serving.

Cozy Soup, Done Right

  • Brown the Meat Well: Don’t rush browning the meat and onions. Getting a deep, golden sear on the bottom of the pot creates fond (browned bits) that melts into the tomato broth for a much deeper flavor.
  • Watch the Rice (Or Swap It): Stop simmering as soon as the rice is tender to prevent it from getting mushy. If substituting brown rice, keep in mind it requires extra broth and significantly more simmer time
  • Thicken as It Sits: The rice will continue to absorb liquid as the soup rests or sits in the fridge. Keep extra beef broth on hand to thin out leftovers when reheating.
cabbage roll soup in a white bowl.

Save Some for Later

  • Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  • Freeze in airtight freezer containers for up to 3 months. Leave a little room for expansion. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
  • Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding beef broth or water until it reaches the preferred consistency.

Hearty One-Pot Comfort Soups

Did you enjoy this Cabbage Roll Soup Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.

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close up of Cabbage Roll Soup.
4.91 from 253 votes
Author Holly Nilsson

Cabbage Roll Soup

Author Holly Nilsson
Servings 8 servings
Cabbage roll soup has tender cabbage, beef, pork, and rice simmered in a savory tomato broth. It has all the cozy flavor of cabbage rolls in an easy one-pot meal.
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Servings 8 servings
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
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Equipment

Ingredients  

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • ½ pound lean ground pork or additional ground beef
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 medium head cabbage chopped, core removed, about 8 cups
  • 1 (28 ounce) can canned diced tomatoes with juices
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 1½ cups vegetable juice such as V8
  • ¾ cup long grain white rice uncooked
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 bay leaf
  • salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • In a large pot, brown the ground beef, ground pork, diced onion, and garlic over medium-high heat. Drain excess fat.
  • Stir in the chopped cabbage and let cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes.
  • Add in the diced tomatoes, beef broth, V8 or vegetable juice, uncooked rice, tomato paste, paprika, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well to combine.
  • Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot and let simmer until the rice is fully cooked, approximately 25 to 30 minutes.
  • Remove bay leaf and serve.

Video

Notes

  • This soup is thick and hearty; if you prefer a thinner soup, add more beef broth or water to reach the desired consistency once the rice is cooked.
    • If you don’t have beef broth on hand, you can substitute chicken broth or vegetable broth instead.
  • Stretch it even further by adding in some chopped carrots, celery, or potatoes.
  • Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 
  • Freeze any leftovers in airtight containers for up to 3 months.
4.91 from 253 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 291 | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 794mg | Potassium: 917mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 795IU | Vitamin C: 67.3mg | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 3.9mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Soup
Cuisine American

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. She is also the author of the best selling cookbook “Everyday Comfort,” which delivers hearty, home-cooked meals designed for real life.
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4.91 from 253 votes (148 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. Made this for supper tonight, sooooo good!
    After the cold, wet spring we’re having, this was a great dinner! Since the name said soup, I expected it much thinner, was pleasantly surprised!5 stars

    Reply

  2. I made this per the recipe the first time; however, today I decided to use the pressure cooker. I cooked the meat, onions and garlic then added the cabbage as indicated in original recipe. I then put all ingredients into my pressure cooker and cooked on the Soup/Stew setting for 15 minutes. Absolutely delicious.

    Reply

  6. How’s this work in pressure cooker?any tips ? And what kind of pork cause pork and Hamburg doesn’t sound good together

    Reply

    1. I have not tried this in a pressure cooker, however it should cook fine, just faster. You can use other options for pork. Some people have had success using only hamburger. I have used ground turkey and I usually use enough to sub for both the beef and pork. Hope this helps.

      Reply

  7. Delicious. For calorie counting purposes, any idea how many cups 1 serving is? It’s kind of hard to divide soup.

    Reply

  11. I just made this recipe this evening. It was delicious, however, I like my cabbage rolls with sauerkraut. I was missing that flavor when I was tasting the soup. The family enjoyed it, however the children did not enjoy it. I will freeze some of the leftovers and see how it reheats. Thank you for sharing this recipe it was very simple and straight forward.

    Reply

  15. I added sauerkraut, since my family uses it when making regular cabbage rolls, and I added a can of rotel tomatoes for a little kick. I LOVE this. It’s delicious!!!

    Reply

  17. I have made this soup MANY times and only use 23 oz of sauce. I’ve never used tomato juice or any juice.I’ve also never used flour or any thicking agent of any kind. You can use chicken broth, vegetable broth or beef, whatever you like. Also pork, chicken, beef, Turkey, ground…again, what you like. Use more broth if you want it soupier. Make it pretty much how it suits you.
    Thanks Holly, we are really enjoying this one.

    Reply

  18. I make a variation of this recipe. 1 1/2 lbs of beef, 4- 5 cups beef broth, 1 jar of sauce 23 oz. (or my own sauce if I have some left over), 5-6 cups par boiled cut up cabbage. ( 1 whole med. Cabbage ), 2 onions, 2 bay leaf, and 2or 3 cloves garlic, chopped. Saute’ beef, drain fat, add chopped onions, cook till flavors meld. Add cabbage, (boiled for 6-7 minutes) 4 cups beef broth, and sauce. Add desired spices, bay leaves, stir. Add 1/2 cup rice and cook for 25 minutes. Turn off…done !! Add bit more broth or water if you want soupier. Add 1 1/2 tsp. Lemon. Enjoy !! Freezes well….

    Reply