Cabbage Patch Stew is a humble, hearty one-pot meal made with cabbage, potatoes, beans, and ground beef. This cabbage stew is just the kind of cozy, no-waste supper that generations of home cooks relied on to stretch a dollar and warm bellies. {And if you love a cabbage soup recipe, check out my recipe for Easy Stuffed Cabbage Soup, too!}

There are some recipes that don’t just come from cookbooks. They get tweaked and passed along so many times that eventually they live more in memory than they ever did on a page. Cabbage Patch Stew — sometimes known in kitchens and community cookbooks as Cabbage Patch Soup — is one of those meals. Versions of this humble cabbage-and-potato stew showed up in church cookbooks, neighborhood recipe collections, and family binders all through the 1960s and 1970s, when home cooks were stretching groceries, cooking from scratch, and relying on simple, filling meals to feed a family well. Over time, it became less about a printed recipe and more about the way people remembered making it.

Cozy Note

Also Known As Cabbage Patch Soup

You may have seen this recipe called Cabbage Patch Soup in old church cookbooks, community recipe collections, or family binders, especially from the 1960s and 1970s. Over the years, many home cooks made their own versions, some with ground beef or other meat, and others completely meatless. Whether you call it a soup or a stew, it’s the same humble, hearty dish made with cabbage and other simple ingredients, simmered slowly into something comforting and nourishing.

It’s the kind of stew your grandma might have made when there was a head of cabbage in the crisper, a few potatoes in the pantry, and not much else — and somehow it still turned into something deeply comforting. This is thrift-kitchen cooking at its finest: simple ingredients, slow simmering, and flavors that grow richer the longer it sits on the stove.

And I think Cabbage Patch Stew is a perfect name because it feels like something that could have been made straight from the garden with cabbage pulled from the patch, potatoes from the cellar, onions from the braid hanging in the kitchen. Whether you knew it as stew or soup, it’s hearty without being heavy, nourishing without being fussy, and exactly the kind of old-fashioned supper that fills both your bowl and your soul.

This is the stew I make when the days are cold, the house is quiet, and I just want something honest on the table.

Chopping cabbage and bell pepper for cabbage stew.

Why You’ll Love This Old-Fashioned Cabbage Patch Stew

A hearty, old-fashioned one-pot meal made with simple, pantry-friendly ingredients
Budget-friendly and flexible, with plenty of room for family variations
Comforting, filling, and even better the next day

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ground meat (beef is traditional or you can make it meatless)
Onion
Celery
Green bell pepper
Garlic
Stewed tomatoes
V8 juice or tomato juice
Kidney beans
Beef broth
Potatoes
Green cabbage
Salt and black pepper
Seasoned salt
Paprika
Dried thyme

Easy Walkthrough

How to Make Cabbage Patch Stew

Note: You’ll find the full, printable recipe with exact measurements in the recipe card below.

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, brown the ground meat over medium heat until fully cooked. Drain excess fat if needed.
Add the onion, celery, and green bell pepper. Cook until softened.
Stir in the garlic and cook just until fragrant.
Add the stewed tomatoes, V8 juice, kidney beans, and beef broth. Stir to combine.
Add the potatoes and cabbage, then season with salt, pepper, seasoned salt, paprika, and dried thyme.
Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer (uncovered) until the potatoes and cabbage are tender, about 30–40 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot, with crusty bread or crackers if you like.

Tips, Variations & Meatless Options

This is a very forgiving stew. Exact amounts aren’t critical, and it’s easy to adjust based on what you have on hand.
Many old versions included beans to help stretch the pot. Kidney beans are traditional, but other beans work just as well.
For a meatless version, simply skip the ground meat and use vegetable broth. Add an extra can of beans or a few more potatoes for heartiness.
If you like a thicker stew, let it simmer a little longer uncovered. For a more soup-like consistency, add a splash more broth.
This stew tastes even better the next day, once the flavors have had time to settle.
I like to pair it with my Cheddar Beer Bread or Maple Corn Muffins.

Storage, Leftovers & Reheating

Store leftover Cabbage Patch Stew in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I like these one-cup silicone Souper Cubes [Amazon affiliate link] for freezing soup in individual portions.
This stew tastes even better the next day, after the flavors have had time to meld.
Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, stirring occasionally, or warm individual portions in the microwave.
If the stew thickens as it sits, simply add a splash of broth or water when reheating.

Whether you grew up with a version of this stew or if this is your first time making it, I hope it brings a little comfort to your table. Cabbage Patch Stew is the kind of recipe that welcomes small changes and personal touches, and I love knowing it will look a little different in every kitchen. However you make it, I hope it warms you well.

If you try this recipe for Old-Fashioned Cabbage Patch Stew, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you! Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to rate the recipe. It helps others discover it too! Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for more homemade recipes!

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