Hearty and extremely delicious, this one pot hamburger cabbage soup is easy to make and always a huge hit! Simple ingredients for a family favorite soup everyone loves!
I’m going to start out this recipe with an admission – I don’t love cabbage soup – which is sort of a funny thing to say at the start of a recipe for cabbage soup.
I like sautéed cabbage, and I LOVE fresh shredded cabbage on tacos and in salads – but the cabbage soups I’ve had (excluding some I’ve had in Ireland and Poland which were amazing) didn’t really leave me with warm and fuzzy feelings.
If I’m honest, most of the cabbage soups I’ve had are overly bitter and a bit thin – not something I crave on the regular.
But guys.
This soup.
It is so incredibly good – it’s made me a believer! Rich, full of flavor, and not the least bit bitter. And while I don’t usually put beans in non-chili soups, the addition of kidney beans make this soupd texture fantastic – not too thick, not too thin.
This cabbage soup has tons of meaty flavor, and the cabbage cooks down with the meat for a rich buttery taste, without the bitterness cabbage can sometimes have.
It is so easy and simple – seriously anybody can make this soup!
Pro tip: cooking the meat, celery, and cabbage before adding stock helps give the cabbage a buttery, rich flavor and take away bitterness. While the rest of the soup can be made in a slow cooker, I strongly suggest pre-browning the meat and cooking the celery and cabbage in the same pan as the meat, until lightly browned and very soft.
This is an extra step, sure, but the difference it makes on the flavor is what makes this soup so special and crave-able. Take a few extra minutes to pre-brown your cabbage and don’t rush it – it really is worth the payoff!
One Pot Hamburger and Cabbage Soup
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 stalks celery, rinsed well and diced
- ½ large head of cabbage, diced
- 1 8 oz can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
- 1 8 oz can kidney beans
- 8 oz beer or beef stock
- 4 cups water
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- 2 tsp celtic sea salt
- 2 tsp pepper
- In a large dutch oven, brown ground beef and cook into crumbles (about 8 minutes).
- Add diced celery and cabbage, cook until soft (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- Add salt and pepper.
- Add diced tomatoes (with the liquid from the can- don't drain it off!) and kidney beans (go ahead and drain these off).
- Stir to incorporate.
- Add garlic and paprika, mix.
- Add beer or stock and water, stir.
- Let simmer on low until soup has thickened and turned a darker red, 1 hour (or 4 hours on low in a slow cooker).
- Serve immediately, soup tastes even better the next day!
Getting ready to make this. Is the 2 Tbsp of garlic powder the right amount? Seems like alot.
I like things very garlic-y – you can always adjust if you like less!
This is amazing soup!!! I make when I have guests and they always want the recipe. My husband gets all excited when I say I’m making this soup. And it extremely simple. ??
I do add onions and green peppers, because I add onions to everything, and in my opinion it makes the soup just that much better.
I am so glad you love it Julie! It is one of my favorites. And the additions sound AMAZING!!!
Wow This Is great recipe.I love Your Way of making Recipe.I am going to make this recipe for my family now.
This is simmering on the stove right now. Thanks for the recipe.
Love it ! Great spoon eating, warm, healthy dinner ! Thank you !