Cabbage Roll Soup is a one pot dinner with ground meat, tender cabbage, rice, and a tomato broth that tastes like stuffed cabbage rolls without any rolling. It takes 15 minutes of prep and about 45 minutes on the stove.
For more hearty soups, try Beef Cabbage Soup and Creamy Marry Me Chicken Soup.
Stuffed cabbage rolls are one of those dishes I love in theory and avoid in practice. Blanching the leaves, trimming the core, rolling each one, and fitting them all in a pan is a Sunday project, and I rarely have a Sunday to give it.
So I make the unstuffed version. You get the browned meat, sweet cabbage, and rice that soaks up the tomato broth, and the only things to wash are a cutting board and one pot.
I made my cabbage roll soup with ground pork because I like how mellow it is next to the tomato. Ground beef is just as good, and I give you the exact swap below.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love Cabbage Roll Soup
- One pot: Brown the meat, add everything, simmer, and eat. The rice cooks right in the soup.
- Feeds a crowd: It makes 6 to 8 servings, and it's even better the next day.
- Flexible: Pork, beef, or turkey all work. Use whatever is in your fridge.
- Balanced sweet and sour: A spoonful of sugar and a splash of balsamic at the end give you the sweet-and-sour balance that good cabbage rolls have.
Ingredients
Here's what goes into the pot. The full measurements are on the recipe card below.
- Ground pork - Browns quickly and keeps the broth mellow.
- Green cabbage - About half a medium head. It softens into the broth but still holds its shape.
- Carrots - Diced small. They cook alongside the meat and add a little sweetness.
- Diced tomatoes - Use the whole can with the juices.
- Marinara sauce - I used Mutti marinara for this soup, and I'd choose it again. It gives the broth body and a tomato base that tastes like it simmered longer than it did. If you use a different jar, pick one you'd happily eat on pasta, because you'll taste it in every spoonful. No marinara? Use tomato sauce or canned crushed tomatoes, and add a little extra Italian seasoning to make up for the herbs.
- Beef broth - It makes the broth taste meatier and more savory.
- Granulated sugar - I know, a tablespoon of sugar in a savory soup sounds odd. I promise it doesn't make the soup sweet. Tomatoes, marinara, and balsamic vinegar bring a lot of acid, and the sugar rounds it off so the broth tastes balanced instead of sharp. Stuffed cabbage rolls have always had a sweet-and-sour edge, and this is how the soup gets there.
- Worcestershire sauce - A small amount adds savory depth.
- Italian seasoning and thyme - Both are dried here, which suits a soup that simmers for 30 minutes or more, since dried herbs hold up to the heat and release their flavor into the broth. If you only have fresh thyme, use about 1½ teaspoons of leaves, but add them with the other seasonings, not at the end.
- Long-grain white rice - The rice goes in uncooked, and it cooks right in the soup. That's the trick that keeps this a true one pot recipe, and the rice soaks up the tomato broth as it softens, so every grain tastes like the soup.
- Balsamic vinegar - I always stir it in after the rice is tender, then taste.
- Fresh parsley - Optional, for color.
How to Make It
You can find the full ingredient list and measurements in the recipe card below.
1. Brown the meat and carrots
In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the ground pork and diced carrots for 6 to 8 minutes. You want the meat fully browned and the carrots just starting to soften. Drain the excess fat.
2. Build the soup
Add the cabbage, diced tomatoes with their juices, marinara, beef broth, sugar, Worcestershire, Italian seasoning, salt, and thyme. Stir well and bring it to a boil.
3. Simmer the base
Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Add the rice
Stir in the uncooked rice, cover again, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the rice and cabbage are tender.
5. Finish
Stir in the balsamic vinegar, then taste and adjust the salt. Garnish with parsley and serve hot.
Cabbage Roll Soup with Ground Pork
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot with lid
- Wooden spoon or meat chopper
- measuring cups and spoons
- Chef's knife and cutting board
Ingredients
Soup Base
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 medium carrots diced (about 1 cup)
- 4 cups roughly chopped green cabbage about ½ of a medium head
Tomato Broth and Seasoning
- 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 ½ cups marinara sauce
- 5 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon thyme
Rice and Finish
- ¾ cup long grain white rice uncooked
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- Chopped fresh parsley optional garnish
Instructions
Brown the Meat and Carrots
- In a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat, cook the ground pork and diced carrots for 6 to 8 minutes until the meat is fully browned and the carrots have started to soften, then drain excess fat. The carrots will continue to soften during the cooking process.
Simmer the Soup Base
- Add the chopped green cabbage, diced tomatoes, marinara sauce, beef broth, granulated sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, and thyme to the pot.
- Stir well to combine and bring the soup to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Cook the Rice and Finish
- Stir in the uncooked long grain white rice, cover again, and simmer for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until the rice and cabbage are tender.
- Stir in the balsamic vinegar, taste, and adjust seasonings. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.
Tips
- Stir right after adding the rice. This keeps the grains from clumping or sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Add the balsamic last. The acid cuts through the rich meat and tomato and brings out the sweetness of the cooked cabbage. If you add it earlier, you lose some of that brightness.
- Cut the cabbage into 1 to 2 inch squares. Uniform pieces mean every spoonful has some meat, rice, and cabbage in it.
- Use plain long-grain white rice. Instant rice turns mushy, and brown rice takes longer and soaks up much more broth. If you do use brown rice, plan on about 20 extra minutes of simmering.
- Rice still hard at 20 minutes? Pot size and how full it is change the timing. Put the lid back on and give it another 5 minutes before checking again.
- Keep the rice at ¾ cup. More rice than that and the soup turns into a stew before it even hits the fridge.
- Cook the rice in the pot, not separately. Pre-cooked rice added early gets mushy. The one exception is leftover rice stirred in at the end
- Using leftover cooked rice? Stir it in during the last 5 minutes, just long enough to heat through. Any longer and it turns mushy.
Variations
- Ground beef: Use 1 pound of ground beef in place of the pork. Cook it the same way. A 50/50 mix of beef and pork is also good.
- Ground turkey: Use the same amount. Add a teaspoon of olive oil if the pot looks dry.
- Different greens: Savoy cabbage or chopped kale can replace the green cabbage.
- Broth swap: Chicken or vegetable broth works if that's what you have.
- Rice swap: Brown rice or cauliflower rice can replace the white rice. Brown rice needs more simmering time, so check the package.
What to Serve With It
This soup is hearty on its own, so I keep the sides simple. Crusty bread, garlic bread, or buttered rye are all good for dragging through the last of the broth. Avocado Tomato & Cucumber Salad with a sharp vinaigrette makes a nice contrast.
Storage & Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: The rice keeps absorbing liquid as the soup sits, so it will thicken into a stew-like consistency. Add a splash of beef broth or water when you reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Freezer: For meal prep, freeze the soup base without the rice for up to 3 months. Thaw it, bring it to a simmer, and cook a fresh batch of rice to stir in. Cooked rice gets grainy when frozen in soup.
FAQs
Can I make cabbage roll soup with ground beef?
Yes. Swap the pork for 1 pound of ground beef and cook it exactly the same way. Drain the fat well, since beef can release more of it.
If it tastes too sharp, add a pinch more sugar or a bit of salt. If it tastes too sweet, stir in a small splash more balsamic or a squeeze of lemon. Make changes in small amounts and taste between each one, because the balance shifts as the soup cools.
Flat soup usually needs salt or acid. Taste it after the rice has cooked, since the rice soaks up seasoning as it simmers. Add a pinch of salt first, then a small splash more balsamic. Broth and marinara brands vary a lot in saltiness, so there's no single right amount.
Yes. You'll have a tomato cabbage and pork soup that's lighter and more brothy. Skip the rice and simmer until the cabbage is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes after the first simmer, and add a little extra broth if you want more liquid. It won't taste quite like stuffed cabbage rolls, because the rice is half of what makes it taste that way.
Comments
No Comments