Cabbage Roll Soup

Cabbage Roll Soup is a hearty, nutritious soup that is just as delicious as classic cabbage roll ups, without all the work! Plus, this soup is easy to make and can be on the dinner table in 30 minutes!

If you love soup season as much as me, try my favorite Tomato Soup and Stuffed Pepper Soup!

Homemade Cabbage Roll Soup

This homemade Cabbage Roll Soup features all of the heartwarming, nostalgic flavors of classic cabbage rolls. Instead of going through all the work of wrapping the filling in cabbage, you can put everything into one pot and it will turn out as delicious!

The ingredients used in this recipe are generally going to be in your pantry. So this is a great option for when you aren’t sure what to make for dinner, but you don’t want to go to the grocery store either! It is packed with veggies and the ground beef makes it full of protein and more filling. Kids and adults alike will love this homemade cabbage roll soup!

What’s in Cabbage Roll Soup?

• Ground Beef: Classic cabbage rolls are made with ground beef and ground pork. Ground beef has the proper amount of fat for this soup, but you can also try it with ground turkey!
• Veggies: Diced cabbage, onion, carrot and garlic are added to the soup. Feel free to add whatever vegetables you have on hand. Celery, peas or corn would also be good in this soup!
• Rice: Adding rice to the soup adds some heartiness to the soup. No need to boil the rice ahead of time it cooks in the soup and helps to thicken up the soup as well.
• Worcestershire Sauce: Adds an umami flavor to the soup.
• Beef Broth: Since we use ground beef, beef broth goes well here. If you don’t have beef broth, chicken or vegetable broth will substitute well.
• Tomatoes: I do a combination of crushed tomatoes and fire roasted tomatoes. The fire roasted tomatoes add texture to the soup and add a subtle smokey flavor which compliments the paprika.
• Red Wine Vinegar: Vinegar added at the end rounds out the flavors and adds a touch of acid.
• Sugar: Due to the tomatoes being pretty acidic, sugar also rounds out the flavors of the soup.
• Seasonings: Bay Leaves, Paprika, Italian Seasoning, Salt & Pepper, Parsley to garnish.

How to Make Cabbage Roll Soup

• Brown the Ground Beef: First, add a little bit of olive oil and ground beef to a large pot. Brown the ground beef until no pink remains. remove the beef and set it aside. Discard any extra grease in the pot.

• Sauté the Veggies: Add more olive oil to the pot, and add your onion, carrot and cabbage. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the veggies are tender. Then add the garlic, paprika and Italian seasoning and cook for another minute.

• Make it a Soup: Next, add the bay leaves, white rice, Worcestershire sauce, broth, fire roasted tomatoes and crushed tomatoes. Let this simmer for about 15 minutes until the vegetables and rice are tender.

• Finish it Off: Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and rice wine vinegar. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Top off with some freshly chopped parsley and enjoy!

Best way to store Cabbage Roll Soup

• Store: Store your soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freeze: If you plan to freeze this soup I would recommend cooking the rice separately and freezing the rice in a separate container. Freezing rice in soups can cause the rice to soak up a lot of the liquid and become mushy. Freeze soup (without rice) in an airtight container for up to 3 months. I
• Reheat: Allow soup to thaw overnight in the fridge if frozen and then heat up the soup on the stove or in the microwave until warmed through.

Tips & Tricks

• Don’t overcook the soup: Most soups will get better the longer you let them simmer, but since this cabbage roll soup has rice, you want to avoid overcooking it. The rice and veggies will get mushy if you cook for too long.
• Serve with crusty bread: This soup is a pretty hearty meal on its own, but it also goes great with some crusty bread like a french baguette to soak up those extra juices.
• For a creamy soup: Add a dollop of sour cream to the top of your bowl of soup for a nice creamy texture!

More Soup Recipes to Enjoy

• Lasagna Soup
• Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
• Chicken Tortellini Soup
• Creamy Broccoli Spinach Soup
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Italian Gnocchi Soup
• Shrimp Pho