Cabbage Roll Soup Recipe
Cabbage Roll Soup is hearty and comforting! This delicious and easy slow cooker soup recipe is loaded with tender cabbage, ground beef, oregano, garlic, and tomatoes. Everything you love about a cabbage roll, but 100 times easier to make. Yum!
Crockpot cabbage roll soup is perfect for people who love cabbage rolls but don’t have the time (or patience) to make them. Because, let’s face it, they aren’t easy!
It’s been a while since I’ve used cabbage in our meals. It’s not that I don’t like cabbage; I do enjoy it. It’s just that my favorite recipes don’t use it as a main ingredient.
I’ve made cabbage rolls, which were the first thing I thought of making this week. The recipe I like is for unrolled cabbage rolls made with ground turkey. My aunt makes the best cabbage rolls, and hers are perfectly rolled. When I tried her recipe, they did not turn out as pretty!
It’s also made in the slow cooker, which saves me from slaving over the stove all day. It’s slow cooker weather right now, anyway, and this soup is perfect for a frosty day.
Ingredients
The full printable recipe card with measurements and instructions is found at the bottom of the post.
- Cabbage
- Ground beef
- Worcestershire sauce
- Salt
- Paprika
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- Water
- Dried oregano
- Dried basil
- Tomato sauce
- Diced tomatoes
- Rice
How to Make Cabbage Roll Soup
Follow along to learn how to make cabbage roll soup. Your house is going to smell so good!
- Step One: Add onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, ground beef, and salt to a skillet on medium heat. Cook until the ground beef is browned (about 7 to 10 minutes).
- Step Two: In a 6-quart slow cooker, add cabbage, oregano, basil, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, water, and the ground beef mixture and stir to combine.
- Step Three: Cover and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours.
- Step Four: In the last half hour of cooking, cook the rice according to the package directions. Add the cooked rice to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
How to Make on the Stovetop
- Use all the same ingredients and measurements. Start by cooking the ground beef, onions, and garlic in a large pot over medium heat.
- Once the ground beef is cooked, add the rest of the ingredients except the rice. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer for 1 hour.
- Add in the cooked rice before serving.
What to Serve with It
Though Cabbage Roll Soup is filling on its own, it’s always nice to have something a little extra to enjoy it with. Try a buttered dinner roll to sop up all that delicious savory broth. It’s also yummy with a grilled cheese sandwich for a satisfying lunch.
Try these recipes:
Toppings
- Sour cream – Makes the soup creamy if you swirl it around!
- Fresh herbs – Chopped parsley, dill, or cilantro for a fresh, bright flavor.
- Shredded cheese – Parmesan or mozzarella for a cheesy touch.
- Croutons – Adds a crunchy texture.
- Sliced green onions – A mild oniony kick.
- Red pepper flakes – For a bit of heat.
- Bacon crumbles – Adds a savory and crispy element.
- Dollop of plain yogurt – A lighter alternative to sour cream.
- Lemon wedges – A squeeze of lemon can brighten up the soup.
- Pickled jalapeños – For a tangy, spicy punch.
Variations and Substitutions
- Swap out the ground beef for ground turkey, pork, or chicken.
- Use fresh herbs instead of dried oregano and basil.
- Try crushed tomatoes instead of a can of diced tomatoes.
- Use brown rice or leave the rice out altogether.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover soup in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Can You Freeze?
Cabbage roll soup is freezer-friendly. Stock up your deep freezer to enjoy this easy soup recipe all winter. It also makes a great lunch to bring to work.
How to Make Low Carb
Easy peasy! To make Cabbage Roll Soup a low-carb meal, just omit the rice. It’s not that big of a deal, and you’ll still have the same delicious flavors. Rice will not make or break this soup recipe.
Soup Recipes
Craving more soup recipes? I’ve got you covered. Check out these yummy soups:
- Busy Day Soup
- Cream of Carrot Soup
- Cream of Celery Soup
- Sausage & Cabbage Soup
- Hamburger Soup
- Bean with Bacon Soup
- Beef and Barley Soup
Also, try these comforting cabbage roll recipes and my Sweet and Sour Cabbage, Cabbage Roll Casserole or Cabbage Roll Rice.
Follow me on Instagram @simplystacieblog, Facebook at Simply Stacie, TikTok @simplystacierecipes or Pinterest at @simplystacie and let me know how you liked this recipe and my other recipes.
Cabbage Roll Soup Recipe
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Ingredients
- 4 cups cabbage roughly chopped
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup water
- 1 tsp oregano
- ½ tsp basil
- 3 cups tomato sauce
- 1 can diced tomatoes 28oz can
- 1 cup white rice uncooked
Instructions
- Add onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, ground beef and salt to a skillet on medium heat. Cook until the ground beef is browned (about 7 to 10 minutes).
- In a 6 quart slow cooker, add cabbage, oregano, basil, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, water and ground beef mixture and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours.
- In last half hour of cooking, cook the rice according to package directions. Add the cooked rice to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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You don’t mention draining the grease off of the hamburger before combining with other ingredients. Just wanted to confirm whether to leave it in or not.
If the ground beef is overly greasy, then I would drain the beef first.
I’m making this on the stove which I’m hoping will taste the same. But because I’m basically lazy, I’m wondering if it’s possible to buy the already shredded cabbage instead of cutting the cabbage myself.
That is lazy lol.
Why does this soup have to cook for 8 to 10 hours???? Any particular reason? I made it ..it was delicious but I didn’t cook it that long … I couldn’t wait that long to have some.
I think the reason was originally to compensate for a longer work day. You can do it in for less time for sure!
Can I put this on high in the slow cooker? If so, for how long?
I would do four hours on high heat.
DO U HAVE RECIPES FOR DIABETES..
I don’t, sorry!
MY MOM MADE STUFFED CABBAGE WHICH WAS SWEET AND SOUR…HOW WOULD I DO THIS FOR THIS RECIPE….
I have a sweet and sour cabbage recipe here: https://www.simplystacie.net/sweet-sour-cabbage/
Made this yesterday, following recipe given here. Turned out excellent- wouldn’t change a thing! Packaged & froze some for work lunch meals and will be having it again tonight. Thank you!
This soup is so good, and instead of the rice, I added riced cauliflower. Very delicious and low carb too!
Can I use minute rice? Also plan to cut recipe in half. Will cooking time be the same?
Yes, you can definitely use minute rice. You can reduce the cooking time if you halve the recipe. I would let it go for 6 hours and then check to see if it needs more time.
No, it gets too mushy
I made this according to recipe. My question is where do you get the juice from? Was good tasting but real thick ♂️
Hi Joe, I use water, the can of diced tomatoes (undrained) and the tomato sauce for the liquid. You can add some beef broth or more water if you need to.
Yes, I made it according to the recipe too. But I could tell it was a little thick so I added water amd seasoning and it came out great! Only thing I would suggest is saving some fresh cabbage to top it with when you serve it for some crunch. Tortilla chips work though too.
What kind of paprika? Sweet or hot?
I use the sweet paprika. If you like spice, you could use the hot.
Sounds good. I don;’t have a slow cooker. Can I make on top of the stove. Thx.
Yes, you can cook on the stove top. I’m going to update this post shortly. Here’s what to do:
Cook the ground beef, onions and garlic in a large pot. Once the ground beef is cooked, add in the rest of the ingredients except the rice. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for 1 hour. Add the cooked rice in before serving.
This is similar to the recipe my late mother used. However, I’m not a rice and pasta fan (just filler to me and wasted calories). I add a couple of tablespoons of the paprika and a few dashes of texas pete hot sauce. Really adds to the flavor without overpowering the beef and cabbage. And of course your can never have too many tomatoes, do I add more. Delish though.
Making for the first time today. Your recipe specifically calls for 1 cup rice (uncooked). This should be corrected. I follow instructions as they are written. Cooking the rice prior to putting with other ingredients was the last paragraph. Please fix this. Many thanks
What exactly should it be “corrected” to? If you really do follow instructions as they are written, you would have seen that the rice isn’t mentioned until the last paragraph, where it says to cook the rice and then add it. What needs to be fixed?
To the person who is allergic to tomatoes and tomato sauce. Could they used spiral zucchini and beef broth instead?
Yes, give it a try!
Is there something I can substitute for the the tomatoes & tomato sauce? I am allergic to tomatoes & the other nightshade plants. Tomato seems to be a large part of the recipe.
I’m not sure! Sorry!
This is delicious! I made this on the stove instead of crockpot, because I had a late start and didn’t have the 8 hours available to cook it. I only used two pans: one to saute the meat/onion and one to boil the cabbage. Once the meat/onion was finished, I added the garlic, spices, Worcestershire, and tomatoes/sauce to the meat mixture. Once cabbage was cooked I used a slotted spoon to scoop it into the soup mixture. I used 2 cups of the remaining cabbage water to cook the rice in the pan I used to boil the cabbage. Once that was almost done (rice was tender but still a bit firm), I added it to the soup mixture. I also added a squeezed lemon wedge and approx. 1tsp of sugar to the soup and let it simmer on low for about 30 minutes to let the rice finish cooking. This just might become a regular in our home!
What a tremendous huge batch, not a problem even though I’m the only one who likes it—what I thought I wouldn’t finish in 3 days I froze. The turkey sausage I added was fine addition to the ground beef.
This makes a HUGE amount of soup. I had to change crockpots before I got all the ingredients in. I don’t think it would cook in 8 hours on low. I have I had it on High for six hours and it is nowhere near done. The rice is still crunchy and the cabbage crispy. If I make it again, I will certainly cut down on the ingredients and cook it on High for the entire time. There are only two of us and half a recipe would be more than plenty for more than one meal.
It clearly says to cook the rice first and add at the end.
I added two cups of low sodium beef broth instead of the water