Satisfy your craving for something cozy, comforting, and delicious with cabbage roll soup.
Cabbage, beef, pork and rice are simmered in a flavorful tomato broth for the ultimate bowl of comfort food.
This easy cabbage roll soup recipe is reminiscent of my grandmother’s cabbage rolls and is the perfect meal for chilly days or cozy nights.
Growing up with a Polish grandmother, dishes like cabbage rolls, rouladen, and haluski (cabbage and noodles) were staples in our family! Good easy simple comfort food!
- This cabbage roll soup recipe has the same great flavors found in my grandma’s cabbage rolls made into a cozy delicious soup.
- Easy prep, no rolling required!
- This dish uses simple ingredients, most of which you likely have on hand.
- It reheats and freezes well.
This Cabbage Roll Soup recipe was adapted from my favorite cabbage rolls to create a quick and easy meal without all of the work! We just simply add it to the pot and walk away; no rolling required!
How to Make Cabbage Roll Soup
Meat – My grandmother always made cabbage rolls with a mixture of pork ground pork and ground beef, which is what I use in this recipe. You can use just one or the other or substitute ground turkey.
If you’d like, add a few slices of bacon, it adds a delicious smoky flavor.
- Brown the meat.
- Add the cabbage and cook for a few minutes. Add the uncooked rice, broth, tomatoes, and seasonings.
- Simmer until tender.
This makes a nice rich and hearty soup loaded with cabbage, meat & rice which is very thick, almost stew-like. If you’d prefer a more soupy consistency, you can add more broth.
Bread for Dipping and Dunking!
This soup pairs well with any type of bread or dinner rolls for dipping and dunking.
Leftovers
Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. The rice may soak up some of the broth so add a bit of water or broth if needed.
You can freeze leftover cabbage roll soup. Place individual servings in freezer bags or in an air-tight container. Freeze bags on a baking sheet and once frozen we stack them in the freezer upright to save space!
More Cabbage Favorites
Cabbage Roll Soup Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ pound lean ground pork or additional ground beef
- ¾ cup uncooked long grain rice
- 1 medium head cabbage chopped, core removed, about 8 cups
- 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 ½ cups vegetable juice such as V8
- 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 onion, garlic, pork, and beef 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, tomato paste, beef broth, V8 or vegetable juice, uncooked rice, 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 25-30 minutes.
- Remove bay leaf and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Soup
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8elicious soup loaded with fresh vegetables, potatoes and lean beef. It’s all simmered in a tomato broth for the perfect family meal!
I made this for the first time tonight and it was delicious!! My husband had seconds and told me numerous times how good it was!! Will definitely be adding this to my regular recipes!! Thank you!
Can I sub something for the veg or v8 juice?
Yes, you can replace it with tomato juice. Many readers have also substituted bloody mary mix. While I haven’t tried it, I think if you added about 1 cup of tomato sauce in place with some extra seasonings, it should work just fine!
I have made this many times. It’s like a warm hug
Hi Marsha, nothing is better than a hug. I am glad you found this soup so comforting!
Can red cabbage be used?
It can but the red cabbage bleeds into the rest of the salad, giving it a pinkish tinge.
I followed the recipe pretty close. Added about a tsp and a half of cayenne. My husband ate three bowls and asked me to please save the recipe and make it again.
I’m 61 & my family eating pig in the blankets for more year than my age .. I only put in the soup what I use to make pigs in the blankets .. it tastes awesome ..
and I added bitter with it .. it’s hunky food many of my generations ate with out the other stuff .
Thanks for sharing Britten!
Could I do this cabbage roll soup in the slow cooker
For the slow cooker, I use this cabbage roll soup recipe! Enjoy.
This was perfect – hit the spot perfectly! I had cabbage to use and didn’t want to make actual stuffed cabbage rolls…so this was the next best thing! Amazing and I will keep this one to make again and again!
This Cabbage roll soup recipe is really good. Doesn’t take long to make. I cook my Cabbage put all ingredients together but the rice. when Cabbage is cooked enough then I add rice. When adding the rice I just turn off kettle and leave the lid on it will cook in 25 minutes soup is done. Stir well Best suop!
So glad you enjoyed it, Kim!
Love, love, love this soup!
Easy, economical delicious recipe. I make it at least once a month.
Decided to try something still traditional for New Year’s day but with less work since there’s just me and my husband. Found your recipe for the Cabbage Roll soup and we love it We used ground turkey and brown rice. My husband decided that he wanted more vegetables in it, so he diced 3 carrots, 3 ribs of celery, and ½ lb sliced crimini mushrooms. This is such a great soup that it will definitely be made again in our home! Thanks for sharing this recipe
Can this be fixed in a slow cooker ?
I use this slow cooker cabbage roll soup recipe.
Hello- Can I substitute the beef broth with beef bone broth? If so, would it still be 4 cups?
You sure can, and yes, you will still need 4 cups.
Very easy and makes a lot great flavor
Great soup!! Reminds me of my grandmothers cabbage rolls. I added spicy sausage for an extra kick…. So good!!
I really enjoyed this recipe. I have made it twice now. I had to make half batches because I don’t have a large enough pot. I also used ketchup instead of tomato paste. Great comfort food for fall/winter.
Really good recipe! I grew up with cabbage rolls and cabbage patch soup and this is definitely reminiscent of those meals. Will be making this again, thanks for the recipe!!!
One of the BEST I’ve every had!
Sounds delicious….can anyone tell me if you can use frozen cabbage in this recipe…I have cut up cabbage and I don’t really know if it will work….anyone know?
We haven’t tried this recipe with frozen cabbage before. But I believe it would work just fine. We would love to hear how it turns out for you!
I LOVE all the recipes on this website that we have tried. The cabbage roll soup is my son’s favorite. He loves it so much I asked what he wanted for Christmas dinner he said cabbage soup! I was happy to oblige! Every recipes sounds amazing it hard to pick one but I am never disappointed!