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I love cabbage rolls – from sarmale to golbaki to lahanodolmades, there is nothing like the comforting, rich, and sour flavors from ground beef, rice, tomatoes, and tons of cabbage – and this cabbage roll soup is my cheat code to that comforting flavor I love without all the blanching and rolling!
I love to travel around Eastern Europe, especially to Christmas Markets – and cabbage rolls are always my first must-order meal. They are technically easy to make at home, even beginners can make them, but they are kind of fussy. This soup is one I make when I am craving a hearty, easy dinner – but don’t want to go through all the fuss of rolling a cabbage roll.
I designed this recipe to be really adaptable – pulling inspiration from my favorite European cabbage roll recipes, with lots of options to swap ingredients according to what is on hand. One note – I am calling for ground beef in this recipe because it is the more popular pick – but I actually prefer this soup with ground pork. Pick the meat you love the most!
My Pro Tip
What is Cabbage Roll Soup
Cabbage roll soup is an “unstuffed” version of classic cabbage rolls. Brown ground beef with onion and garlic, add chopped cabbage, tomatoes, broth, and rice, then simmer about 25-30 minutes until the rice and cabbage are tender. A touch of brown sugar and lemon juice gives it the classic sweet-sour flavor.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- All the cabbage roll flavor, zero rolling. Same ingredients, none of the fuss.
- One pot. Brown, simmer, done – fewer dishes.
- Budget-friendly. A head of cabbage and a pound of ground beef feed 8.
- Freezer-friendly. Make a double batch and stash half for a busy night.
- Flexible. Works on the stovetop, in the slow cooker, or in the Instant Pot.
Don’t want all the extras in a recipe post? We provide a skip to recipe button in the top left corner, as well as a clickable table of contents, just below, to help make this page easier to navigate.
At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
Table of Contents
- What is Cabbage Roll Soup
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cabbage Roll Soup Step-by-Step Instructions
- Tips for the Best Cabbage Roll Soup
- Cabbage Rolls Around the World
- Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Directions
- Easy Cabbage Roll Soup Variations
- Cabbage Roll Soup Make-Ahead and Meal Prep
- What to Serve With Cabbage Roll Soup
- How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat Cabbage Roll Soup
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Cabbage Roll Soup Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ground beef – 85/15 or 90/10. You can also do ground pork for a more traditional cabbage roll flavor (my favorite).
- Onion and garlic – the savory base.
- Carrots – a little sweetness and color.
- Green cabbage – about half a medium head, chopped into bite-size pieces.
- Crushed or diced tomatoes and tomato sauce – for that classic cabbage roll tomato broth.
- Beef broth – low-sodium, so you control the salt.
- Long-grain white rice – uncooked. It cooks right in the soup.
- Smoked or sweet paprika – warmth and color.
- Worcestershire sauce – a savory, umami backbone.
- Brown sugar and lemon juice – the sweet-and-sour balance that makes it taste like cabbage rolls.
- Bay leaf, dried thyme, salt, and pepper
- Fresh dill or parsley – for finishing.
Cabbage Roll Soup Step-by-Step Instructions
Brown & Soften
In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef, breaking it up, until browned, about 6-8 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot.
Add the onion and carrots and cook 4-5 minutes until the onion is soft. Stir in the garlic, paprika, and thyme and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add Cabbage
Stir in the chopped cabbage and cook 3-4 minutes until it just starts to wilt. goes here
Add Liquids
Pour in the broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire, and brown sugar. Add the bay leaf and stir well, scraping up any browned bits.
Simmer
Bring to a boil, then stir in the rice. Reduce to a low simmer, cover with the lid slightly cracked, and cook 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice and cabbage are tender.
Season & Serve
Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the lemon juice, then taste and adjust with salt, pepper, and more brown sugar or lemon until it has the sweet-tangy balance you like.
Ladle into bowls and top with fresh dill or parsley and a dollop of sour cream.
Tips for the Best Cabbage Roll Soup
- Chop the cabbage small. Bite-size pieces (about 1 inch) fit on a spoon and cook evenly.
- Brown the beef well. Those browned bits are flavor – don’t rush this step.
- Rinse the rice. It removes surface starch so the soup stays brothy, not gluey.
- Add the lemon at the end. Acid added early can keep the rice from softening fully.
- Taste before serving. The sweet-sour balance is personal – adjust brown sugar and lemon a little at a time.
Common Cabbage Roll Soup Mistakes and How to Fix Them
| Problem | Why it happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Soup is thick and stew-like | Rice keeps absorbing broth as it sits | Add rice for the last 20 minutes only, or cook it separately; thin leftovers with broth |
| Mushy rice | Overcooked or reheated many times | Cook rice separately and add to each bowl if planning leftovers |
| Bland broth | Not enough salt, acid, or browning | Brown the beef well; add salt, lemon, and a splash of Worcestershire at the end |
| Too sour | Acidic canned tomatoes | Stir in brown sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time |
| Greasy surface | Fatty beef not drained | Drain after browning, or skim with a spoon before serving |
| Rice still crunchy | Acid added too early, or simmer too low | Hold the lemon until the end; keep a steady gentle simmer |
Cabbage Rolls Around the World
Cabbage rolls show up in kitchens from the Balkans to Scandinavia, and every version has its own personality. A few of my favorites include:
- Go??bki (Poland) – beef and pork with rice, baked in a tomato sauce.
- Lahanodolmades (Greece) – cabbage-leaf cousins of grape-leaf dolmades, filled with rice, herbs, and ground meat and finished with a silky lemon avgolemono sauce.
- Sarmale (Romania) – pork-heavy filling, often in sour cabbage, with smoked meat tucked in the pot.
- Töltött káposzta (Hungary) – layered with sauerkraut, paprika, and sour cream.
- Holubtsi (Ukraine) – rice-forward filling in a tomato or sour cream sauce.
- Kåldolmar (Sweden) – glazed with syrup and served with lingonberries.
- Sarma (Turkey and the Balkans) – often made with pickled cabbage leaves.
Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Directions
Slow cooker: Brown the beef with the onion, carrots, and garlic on the stove first. Add everything except the rice and lemon to the slow cooker. Cook on LOW 6-7 hours or HIGH 3-4 hours. Stir in rinsed rice for the last 30-45 minutes on HIGH (or add 2 cups cooked rice at the end). Stir in lemon and season.
Instant Pot: Use Sauté to brown the beef and soften the aromatics. Add the cabbage, broth, tomatoes, Worcestershire, brown sugar, bay leaf, and rinsed rice; stir and scrape the bottom well to avoid a burn notice. Pressure cook on HIGH 8 minutes, natural release 10 minutes, then quick release. Stir in lemon and season.
Easy Cabbage Roll Soup Variations
- Low-carb / keto: Skip the rice and stir in riced cauliflower for the last 5 minutes.
- Brown rice: Add 15-20 extra minutes of simmering and an extra cup of broth.
- Turkey or chicken: Swap in ground turkey and add an extra teaspoon of Worcestershire for depth.
- Sausage: Use half ground beef, half Italian sausage or kielbasa.
- Vegetarian: Use lentils and vegetable broth, and add mushrooms for meatiness.
- Cheesy: Stir in a handful of shredded cheddar or top with crusty bread croutons.
Cabbage Roll Soup Make-Ahead and Meal Prep
This soup is a meal-prep hero. Make it on Sunday and portion into containers for lunches all week.
If you’re planning leftovers, cook the rice separately and add it to each bowl – that way, the soup stays brothy, and the rice stays fluffy! If you keep them together, the rice will soak up all the liquid and be mushy.
What to Serve With Cabbage Roll Soup
Crusty bread, rye bread, or garlic bread for dunking
Buttery dinner rolls or cornbread
A dollop of sour cream and fresh dill on top
A simple green salad or cucumber salad
Pierogi on the side for a full Eastern European spread
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat Cabbage Roll Soup
- Fridge: Cool, then store in an airtight container up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze up to 3 months. For the best texture, freeze without the rice and add freshly cooked rice when reheating.
- Reheat: Warm on the stovetop over medium heat, adding broth or water to loosen – the rice keeps soaking up liquid. Microwave individual bowls in 1-minute bursts, stirring between.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Skip the uncooked rice and stir in about 2 cups cooked rice during the last 5 minutes, just to heat through.
Green cabbage is classic and holds its shape. Savoy is more tender and cooks faster. Napa works in a pinch but gets very soft.
Yes – it’s a great shortcut. Use about one 14-ounce bag and reduce the cabbage cooking time.
Rice keeps drinking liquid as the soup sits. Add more broth when reheating, or cook the rice separately for leftovers.
It’s packed with vegetables and protein. Use lean beef or turkey and low-sodium broth to keep it lighter.
The tomato broth is what makes it taste like cabbage rolls, but you can swap in extra broth with a spoonful of tomato paste for a lighter version.
The soup itself is naturally gluten-free if your Worcestershire and broth are labeled gluten-free. Always check labels.
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Cabbage Roll Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs ground beef, 85/15, or half beef and half ground pork
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons smoked or sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ medium head green cabbage, chopped (about 6 cups)
- 6 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 can, 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 can, 15 oz tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar, plus more to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- ¾ cup long-grain white rice, rinsed
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Fresh dill or parsley and sour cream, for serving
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef 6-8 minutes, breaking it up. Drain all but about 1 tablespoon of fat.
- Add onion and carrots; cook 4-5 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic, paprika, and thyme; cook 30 seconds.
- Add cabbage and cook 3-4 minutes until it begins to wilt.
- Add broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire, brown sugar, and bay leaf. Stir, scraping up browned bits.
- Bring to a boil, stir in the rice, then reduce to a low simmer. Cover with lid slightly cracked and cook 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice and cabbage are tender.
- Remove bay leaf. Stir in lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust sweet-sour balance with more brown sugar or lemon.
- Serve topped with fresh dill or parsley and a dollop of sour cream.
Notes
- Leftovers: For the brothiest leftovers, cook the rice separately and add it to each bowl.
- Shortcut: Use a 14-oz bag of coleslaw mix in place of chopped cabbage.
- Thinning: The soup thickens as it sits. Add broth when reheating.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
