Stuffed Cabbage Soup (aka Cabbage Roll Soup)

This Stuffed Cabbage Soup (aka Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Soup) gives you all the classic flavor of your Grandma’s cabbage rolls without all the work. It’s made with simple, inexpensive ingredients readily available at most grocery stores, including cabbage, ground beef, rice, tomatoes, and broth. I like to serve it with a warm loaf of my Cheddar Beer Bread with Onion and Rosemary, or with a loaf of crusty Italian bread. (And if you love a simple and delicious soup, check out my recipe for Simple Old-Fashioned Potato Soup).

One of my favorite ways to eat cabbage is in stuffed cabbage rolls (or golabki, as my Polish husband calls them.) But because a pan of real cabbage rolls takes a lot of time and effort, I usually reserve them for Sunday dinner or special occasions. For a simpler alternative on a weekday, I often make this easy, one-pot Stuffed Cabbage Soup. Just brown the meat, chop the veggies, and throw everything in a pot to simmer. If you enjoy meal-prepping, you can make it even easier by chopping the veggies the evening before. 

So let’s talk about the ingredients for this stuffed cabbage soup:

Cabbage – Use a small head of cabbage, or use 2 bags of coleslaw mix to make it easy. 

Ground Beef – I use 85/15 grass-fed ground beef. You can use any ground beef of your choice, but be sure to drain off any extra grease from the pan when you cook it. You can also use a different type of ground meat like ground turkey. 

Onion – Use any type of onion you like and have on hand. Sweet onions like Vidalia are my favorite choice for this recipe. 

Bell Pepper – I prefer a green bell pepper. If you’re not a fan of green bell peppers, use the color you prefer. 

Crushed tomatoes – I like the consistency of crushed tomatoes, so that is what I typically use. You can substitute tomato puree for the crushed tomatoes.

Tomato or Vegetable Juice (optional) – This soup tends to get very thick as it cooks, so I like to use tomato juice or v8 juice in this cabbage soup to thin it down. You can use water to thin it, but I think the v8 juice adds a lot of flavor. 

Beef Broth – Use a beef broth that tastes good to you since it is a big part of the flavor of this soup. You can use homemade or boxed broth or stock. If I don’t have homemade, I often use a powdered base or wet beef base and reconstitute it with water. 

Rice – I use plain white rice, typically jasmine or long-grain rice. You can use brown rice in cabbage soup, but you may have to simmer the soup a bit longer to soften the rice. For a low-carb stuffed cabbage soup, you can use cauliflower rice. 

Here are a few tips for making the best Stuffed Cabbage Soup:

Give it time. The secret ingredient in this recipe is time. While the prep is fairly quick, the slow and gentle simmering is where the magic happens. Allow the soup to gently bubble away until the flavors are melded and the cabbage is tender to your liking.

Wait to add the rice. If you add the rice to the soup immediately, it will dissolve into the soup by the time the cabbage is cooked. I like to simmer the cabbage in the soup for about 45 minutes and then add the rice. You can also cook the rice separately and add it at the end when the soup is finished cooking. 

Season your soup to taste before serving. I like to sprinkle in a little extra dill and freshly ground black pepper. 

Can you freeze cabbage soup?

The answer is yes! This soup freezes very well. Store it in the freezer in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Reheat it on the stove, adding a little bit of v8 juice, water, or broth to thin it down, if needed.

How to Make Stuffed Cabbage Soup in the Slow Cooker

If you’re wondering if you can make this stuffed cabbage soup in the crockpot, the answer is yes! You will need to reduce the amount of beef stock to 4 cups. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours. For best results, I cook the rice separately and add it in before I serve the soup. 

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