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Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Soup

All the flavor, none of the fuss! 🥣✨ This Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Soup takes the classic flavors you love—savory beef, tender cabbage, and rich tomato sauce—and transforms them into an easy, hearty bowl of comfort. It’s thick, delicious, and ready in under an hour.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

The Base
  • 1 lb Lean ground beef or 50/50 mix ground beef and pork sausage
  • 1 Yellow onion chopped
  • 3 Garlic cloves minced
  • 1 1tbsp Olive oil
The Veggies & Grain
  • 6-8 cups Large green cabbage, roughly 1/2 head chopped into bitesize chunks
  • 2 Carrots peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 cup Uncooked long-grain white rice
Broth and Seasoning
  • 4 cups Beef broth low sodium preferred
  • 15 oz Diced tomatoes 1 can
  • 8 oz Tomato sauce 1 can
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp Smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp Dried thyme or Italian seasoning
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 1 tbsp Brown sugar
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Equipment

  • Large pot or Dutch oven

Method
 

  1. Brown the Meat: Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, onion, and a pinch of salt. Cook until the meat is browned and the onion is soft (about 5–7 minutes). Drain any excess fat if necessary.
  2. Add Aromatics: Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
  3. Build the Soup: Add the chopped cabbage, carrots, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, thyme, brown sugar, and bay leaf. Stir well to combine.
  4. Simmer: Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and let simmer for about 15–20 minutes, or until the cabbage begins to soften significantly.
  5. Add the Rice: Stir in the uncooked rice. Cover again and simmer for another 15–20 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
  6. Finish: Remove the bay leaf. Taste the soup and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. If the soup is too thick, splash in a little extra broth or water.

Notes

Serving Suggestions

 
  • Garnish: Top with a dollop of chopped fresh parsley or dill.
  • Creamy: Serve with a spoonful of sour cream stirred in right before eating (highly recommended!).
  • Side: Serve with crusty bread or dinner rolls to soak up the broth.

Tips for Success

 
  • Rice Texture: Rice expands significantly as it sits in liquid. If you plan on freezing leftovers or eating this over several days, cook the rice separately and add a scoop to each bowl just before serving. This prevents the rice from absorbing all the broth and becoming mushy.
  • Low Carb / Keto: Swap the white rice for cauliflower rice. Add the cauliflower rice during the last 5 minutes of cooking so it doesn't get too soft.
  • Extra Tang: If you like your cabbage rolls with a bit of zip, add 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar right at the end of cooking.