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All the flavors of Stuffed Cabbage Rolls without all the rolling! The Best Stuffed Cabbage Soup is like the lazy girl’s stuffed cabbage recipe….all the ingredients thrown into a pot and simmered to perfection. Freezer friendly, too!
We’re one day closer to winter and the wind last night made me very aware that it’s time to put away the shorts even though I haven’t worn them in weeks. The bus stop is, once again, dreadful in the morning with the wind whipping up the hill and hitting us all square in the face like a left hook instead of a kind “good morning” greeting.
AND we’re going through our first round of colds here, it’s going to be a long winter. So, I’ve been stocking the freezer with my favorite filling soup recipes and sharing them all here because I don’t know what the heck I was doing the past several years but GUYS, I have soooo many recipes still to share with you and this Stuffed Cabbage Roll Soup is one of them.
Simple Ingredients You Will Need
- Ground Beef – I use a lean ground beef to keep this recipe on the healthier side. You can use your favorite ground beef, ground turkey or ground chicken with great results.
- Onion – Yellow Onions add a sweetness to the sauce. I like to use a sweet onion for extra caramelization.
- Butter – Salted butter adds richness to the soup. If you prefer, you can substitute with olive oil.
- Cabbage – Cabbage cooks down a ton so we use a whole head of cabbage with the core removed. You should have about 5 cups of chopped cabbage. If you don’t feel like chopping a cabbage, you can use coleslaw mix.
- Tomatoes – A combination of diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes add tanginess and heartiness.
- Brown Sugar – Light brown sugar balances the tartness of the tomatoes and adds a hint of sweetness. You can increase the depth of flavor with dark brown sugar as a substitute.
- Apple – My secret weapon, grated apple is always a win with my Stuffed Cabbage Rolls so I included it in this recipe, as well.
- Rice – Uncooked white rice soaks up the soup and increases the heartiness. You can substitute with brown rice, if you prefer.
- Worcestershire Sauce – Add extra meaty flavor with a splash of Worcestershire sauce. You can substitute with soy sauce or coconut aminos if that’s what you have in your pantry.
- Beef Stock – Rich beef stock makes this soup extra hearty. You can substitute with beef broth or lighten things up with chicken stock or chicken broth.
- seasonings – Simply season with kosher salt and black pepper.
For the full ingredient list and instructions, see the recipe card below.
What is Stuffed Cabbage Soup?
Just like my grandfather’s Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, this Stuffed Cabbage Soup is filled with classic flavors like tangy, sweet, savory and hearty. All the things you want in a winter comfort food but without all the prepping, rolling and wrapping that’s required when making traditional stuffed cabbage. This hearty soup recipe is a “toss everything into the pot and go” kinda meal. The easy way to enjoy stuffed cabbage rolls.
Also known as Unstuffed Cabbage Soup, this easy Cabbage Soup recipe is a blend of everything you’d find in a stuffed cabbage roll but unassembled and stewed in a pot for a bit until the cabbage is tender. The longer the soup simmers the more flavorful it will be but you can have this on the table in less than 45 minutes from start to finish.
How To Make Stuffed Cabbage Soup
If you’ve ever labored over rolling Stuffed Cabbage Rolls you are going to LOVE this recipe! Easy Stuffed Cabbage Soup couldn’t be simpler to make:
- In a large pot or large dutch oven, brown ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink.
- Transfer the beef mixture to a bowl and drain all but 2 tablespoons fat.
- Add the onion to the pot and cook until softened.
- Stir in the garlic. (Garlic is not traditional in Cabbage Rolls but I like the added umph it adds to the soup.)
- Add the butter to the onions and then stir in the shredded cabbage.
- Cook the cabbage for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked down.
- Return the beef to the pot.
- Stir in the rest of the ingredients; rice, tomatoes, tomato sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, apple, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock.
- Cook for 20 minutes over low heat until the rice is tender.
- Add additional stock if needed because the rice will absorb a lot of the liquid.
- Season with salt and pepper….serve with crusty bread.
The secret is really in the sauce, for a bit of tartness I like to add apple cider vinegar and for sweetness I stir in grated apple. It’s a such a great way to boost the flavor profile in the sauce without it being overly sugary.
How to Store Leftovers
This recipe for makes a lot of soup so I like to serve half for dinner to feed the family and freeze the rest in individual containers for quick lunches on the fly. You could also freezer it in a larger container for a busy weeknight dinner months down the road. It’s a great way to meal prep. This is already in my freezer for winter after making a double batch of this soup.
Leftover Stuffed Cabbage Soup is a great lunch option, as well. Just transfer leftover soup to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
And you could easily make this unstuffed Stuffed Cabbage roll Soup in the Crock Pot or Slow Cooker, too. Simply brown the beef ahead of time. Saute the onions and cabbage, then toss everything into the crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours. Easy peasy!
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For batch freezing soups, stews, stocks and broths, we love using silicone Souper Cubes for mess free meal prep.
What To Serve It With
- Cheddar Pear Grilled Cheese for an epic twist on the soup and sandwich
- An unfussy salad like this Wedge Salad is quick and easy
- Sometimes we like this warm loaf of bread for dipping
- Homemade Garlic Bread
- Everything Sourdough Crackers
More Easy Soup Recipes
- Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Our favorite Creamy Tuscan Chicken Tortellini Soup
- The BEST Vegetable Soup recipe ever….no kidding
- THIS Creamy Chicken Soup with artichokes is amazeballs
- Ready in 20 minutes….Italian Sausage Soup. Sooo good!
Looking for MORE easy dinner recipes, follow us on Instagram!
The Best Stuffed Cabbage Soup Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 lbs lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 tbsp butter
- 5 cups chopped cabbage, approximately one head of cabbage, core removed
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup grated apple
- 1 cup uncooked rice
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 32 ounces beef stock
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium high heat.
- Add the ground beef to the pot. Cook the beef until browned, breaking up into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon, and no longer pink, approximately 5-7 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a bowl. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat and return the pot to the heat.
- Add the onion to the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes or until softened. Stir in the garlic cooking for 1 minute longer.
- Stir in the butter and add the cabbage to the pot tossing to combine. Cook the cabbage until softened, approximately 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return the beef to the pot.
- Stir in the tomatoes, vinegar, brown sugar, apple, rice, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock. Bring the soup to a boil then turn the heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes until the rice is tender.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve immediately with sour cream, if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just answered my own question I swear I re read the recipe 4x and never saw that one line!!!RETURN BEEF TO POT….sorry!
No worries! I hope you enjoy!
When do you put the beef back into the pot?
You got it. 🙂
So so good, everyone was going back for 2nds and 3rds. And to keep the carbs a bit down, I did not add rice. It was perfect without it. This is definitely a keeper!
We do not use rice every time. So glad you liked it!
Delicious and hearty soup everyone loves it
Thank you so much for your comment! I’m happy you loved it!
A friend raved about this recipe. Can’t wait to try it!
Have you made it with brown rice? Maybe just let it simmer longer or add brown rice that’s cooked separately? Thanks!
I have made it with brown rice and you can substitute it as the recipe is written just with brown rice.
In the YT video, I did not see you put the 1/4 cup of grated Apple. Did I miss it? or is this optional? What does Apple do for the recipe? Thank you
You didn’t miss it…you can just stir it in with the tomatoes.
Excellent cabbage soup! I love stuffed cabbage, but who has time to roll individual rolls! ? All the taste, with 1/2 the work.
My only comment is in #6 of recipe directions you left out “add cooked ground beef with all of the other ingredients.”
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for your comment and have a great day!
This soup is delish! I cut in half and proportions worked well. Definitely going on soup rotation. Next time will serve with dollop of sour cream and really good rye.
Love the addition of rye with lots of butter for dipping!!!
Of this soup is as good as your recipe for cabbage rolls, it’s gotta be awesome!!!!
This was very good. I’ve never had stuffed cabbage before – and this was my first attempt in making it. My husband, who normally won’t eat cabbage liked it. I didn’t see the 1/3 c meat mix measurement until I read it thru – so glad that was included. And I found the calculator so I could make 1/2 of recipe – just the two of us. My cabbage did not have any veins to trim so I could stuff them right away. The decreased recipe instruction said to use 15 oz of crushed tomatoes – which is all I had left from another recipe. But it didn’t seem it would be enough so I added a can of Rotel tomatoes. I used 3 loose T of brown sugar. The sauces was delicious!!! I have another 1 1/2 meals left – will freeze.
I love that leftovers freeze so well. Thank you for your tips!