Hearty and extremely delicious, this one pot hamburger cabbage soup recipe 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 this soup? So good.
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 soup's texture fantastic - not too thick, not too thin.
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A lot of people rely on additional cooking information to feel more comfortable in the kitchen - so we placed the button in the corner for those who'd prefer to just get to the cooking.
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!
This soup can also be made in the slow cooker for an easy soup you can place in the crockpot and come home to after a long day - or can be made in big batches to be frozen as individual serving meals.
This is an incredibly versatile soup too - you can swap out the beans or vegetables if you don't love them and try out other flavors you love to make your own delicious hamburger soup recipe that you'll cherish for years and years.
I hope you love this hearty soup as much as I do!
Tips to Perfect Hamburger Cabbage Soup
Let vegetables brown
Cooking the meat, celery, and cabbage before adding stock helps give the cabbage a buttery, rich flavor and take away bitterness.
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!
How To Freeze Hamburger Cabbage Soup
If you'd like to make a big batch of this soup and save some for later - or you can't finish all of this recipe, this soup can easily be frozen for later using some simple and easy tips and tricks:
-Place soup in ziploc bags that hold roughly the serving you'd like to reheat. If you can only eat about 1-2 cups of soup at a time, don't put all of your soup in a huge gallon bag, since you'll have to thaw and re-freeze some soup.
-Portioning out soup in smaller bags isn't just convenient for managing your portion, it also helps prevent freezer burn and helps to thaw evenly.
-Freeze soup by laying plastic bags flat in your refrigerator so it doesn't bunch up into a big "ball" shape - the soup will thaw more evenly if first frozen to lay flat, making it a longer and thinner shape.
-Let soup thaw naturally in the refrigerator overnight.
-Reheat soup by placing in a pot on the stove and bringing to a quick boil, remove and serve when piping hot.
Slow Cooker Hamburger Cabbage Soup
To make this deliciously easy cabbage soup in the slow cooker, I suggest browning all of the vegetables and the meat, and then tossing it in the slow cooker to cook. This will give your soup SO much more flavor and a better texture.
While it is an extra step to pre-brown vegetables and meat when tossing this soup in the slow cooker, it is totally worth the flavor that you get.
This can also be made in an Instant Pot, by browning everything then sealing and cooking about 5 minutes with a natural release.
Other One Pot Recipes You'll Love:
The following easy, delicious one pot recipes are comfort food classics your family is sure to love!
Click to follow the links to the printable recipes for each easy one pot dinner!
Spicy Sausage Vegetable Soup Recipe
Easy One Pot Cheeseburger Soup Recipe
Recipe FAQ's
This recipe was designed to taste great with or without the beans - we often skip them when trying for lower carb meals, and it still tastes fantastic.
Of course! This recipe doesn't call for fresh garlic because it's an old family recipe and powder was often easier. For fresh, add 2-4 cloves garlic, minced, then cooked and softened to fragrant when cooking cabbage for soup.
Yes! This soup is super adaptable - you can add other vegetables or meat to this soup.
One Pot Hamburger and Cabbage Soup Recipe
If you love this One Pot Hamburger and Cabbage Soup Recipe as much as I do, please write a five star review, and be sure to help me share on facebook and Pinterest!
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One Pot Hamburger Cabbage Soup
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!
Ingredients
- 1 lb beef, ground
- 2 Celery, rinsed well and diced
- ½ cabbage, diced
- 1 8 oz tomatoes, Can and diced, do not drain
- 1 8 oz kidney beans
- 8 oz beef stock or beer
- 4 cups water
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- 2 tsp celtic sea salt
- 2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- 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!
Nutrition Information
Amount Per Serving Calories 219Saturated Fat 4gCholesterol 40mgSodium 122mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 4gSugar 3gProtein 14g
Renee
I followed your recipe but found that I could probably cut back on the amount of water added by 1 1/4 cup or simply stick with the beef stock. It was good though! And soo simple to make! Thank you!
Courtney ODell
That is a good note to make - I am at high altitude and tend to have a lot of boil off. I'll add it to the notes, thanks!
Michael Eric Berube
I made this, but changed it a bit...I used different measurements as we don't have 8oz cans of stuff, we have 14oz (or larger) cans. I used two lbs of meat, used Fennel instead of Celery (which I always do when a recipe called for Celery), I used fresh Chicken of the Woods instead of beans (I'm eat Low Carb) and two cloves of fresh garlic instead of powdered and finally added 6oz of cream cheese in the last 15 min of cooking for a creamy slightly thicker base. It is AWESOME. Thanks for the basic start!
Wood
I put lots of other vegetables in mine! Delicious!
ALEXIS W. Layland
My family loved it! I have several recipes for Cabbage soup but I believe that this may be their favorite. I added fresh garlic and onions,did saute everything and really liked the flavor of them.
CJ
I used spicy pork sausage instead of ground beef. Yum !!
Sarah Sanders
I found your recipe for cabbage hamburger soup. It is simmering now. I have doubled everything. I took the extra time needed to brown all the veggies. Hoping to share with family and neighbors. It smells amazing! I did add just a teaspoon of ketchup to cut the acidic taste of the tomatoes. Wow, I can't wait to eat it. Thanks for sharing.
Kristen
I found your recipe and told my husband what I was going to cook. He said he didn't like the way it sounded. So I made it anyway, while he was napping. He woke up and said "Smells like Cooking and it smells amazing".... He ended up eating two bowls and loved it. Thank you!!!
Tammy
In your soup can i use a different bean i really dont care for kidney beans
Courtney ODell
Of course! I’ve also made this without the beans and it was just as tasty!
Elaine
I made it. I left out the beans and added fresh garlic. It is very tasty!
Mari
Seriously THE BEST. My husband hated stuffed cabbage as a kid and was none too thrilled that I made this until he ate a bite. HE ARE TWO BOWLS! I added some carrots and used smoked paprika and Better than Beef Bouillon paste. Keeping this one in the files for making again and have shared to my friends and family!
Rita Matthews
I was excited about making this soup because I love cabbage and my husband doesn't. He's not home right now, and I can make what I like. I was terribly disappointed. It lacks something, not quite sure what it is, but I will end up throwing out the rest, and will not ever make it again.
Anita
I added a tablespoon of worchester sauce make a nice difference
Alisa
I thought the soup was very good. Hearty and delicious. I did prepare the cabbage as you suggested and yes I thought that made a difference in the flavor. I will probably add fresh garlic next time in addition to the garlic powder. I also used beef bone broth (to up the health of it) and did not add water as I think that would dilute the flavor too much. Everything taste better the next day and I can't wait to try it today... thank you for your recipe!
Loretta
Hi I would like to make this in the crock pot , looks very yummy !!,I love onion in soups ,How much onion do you think i would need to add to this ?Could i use minced garlic instead of the powder, if so how much fresh minced garlic would i need to replace the powder?
Thanks
Ottie
I have made this soup before. I used to eat this soup at Shoneys restaurant s here years ago before they left town. I asked a person in the kitchen for the recipe and all she said was we use beef buillion. The rest I figured out. Same as this one!!
Robin
I used to eat the Cabbage Soup at Shoney's also, I really liked it, I have not tried this recipe yet but I am looking forward to trying it since I miss the Cabbage Soup from Shoney's
RecipeFinder
I can't stand recipe websites these days. Recipes don't need a novel length preface. It's gotten so out of hand. Why not start with the recipe first and then write a book? If we're interested, we'll read. FFS, enough with this "story and a recipe" trend!
Courtney ODell
There is a button at the top where you can click "skip to recipe" and it will auto scroll for you. When I don't put lots of info in posts, I get tons of questions. If I do put it in, I get lovely people like you yelling at me. Happy holidays, indeed!
Don
Boy aren't we snooty....MERRY CHRISTMAS
Elu
Just scroll down to recipes . No need to be nasty.
Elizabeth
Just scroll down to recipes . No need to be nasty.
Doreen McCaw
Dear Recipe Finder, I think that you're a I'm not going 2 go there as I don't know what u r but a Mean person!! U should apoligize 2 Courtney,she is helping people w/her experience + if u were intelligent u could've scrolled down like I did as I had 2 cook + print the recipe. I doubled the recipe Courtney + it's delish. also after I did read it all + next time will try your tips,Thank-U,better then a meat-loaf tonite LoL PS I didn't c a button 2 get down faster but now I know lol
Karen
Agree!!!
Tracey
Well, a lot of us like the story and recipe. if you don't....just scroll on down.
Kathy Leigh Gizzi
WHich is why, at the very beginning, it was said that if you don't wanna read a whole story, click on the link to go right to the recipe. So, there's that-instead of complaining about it, just use some basic reading comprehension.
Courtneyfan
keep your negativity to yourself. No one else wants to read your rudeness. if you don't like it then stay off the page!
I hope you ignore immature and stupid Courtney! Thank you for sharing.
Gwen
If you don't like it, go to a recipe site that's not a blog, but it's completely unnecessary and so utterly rude to leave a nasty comment like this.
Sherry
It was good but thought it lacked some depth. So I added onion and butter and real garlic. Then it was quite tasty!
Joyce Nelsen
I loved the soup. I thought it tasted even better the next day. I did add a little bit more beef broth and water as I liked more broth. Easy to make and tastes great.
Paul VanValin
I used ground bison and smoked paprika. Very tasty but the aroma was a little odd
Stephanie
YEP...HUGE HIT!! Made it to bring to work but had my mother try some (she loves cabbage), she loved it! That's saying something! She wanted to make sure I left her a bowl.
My coworkers all agree it was delicious, as well! Too bad we didn't have some cornbread today.
Really good, hearty soup! The only thing I would change is not simmering it for an hour. The cabbage was a bit mushy but that is it! We will definitely be making it again.
Lemmonee
Really great recipe, you can tweak accordingly to your pantry. I only added 1 tablespoon of garlic, used a little bacon grease to sautee the vegetables. I replaced can beans with a hefty 1/2 cup dry blackeyed peas (quick soak) method then added to simmer for couple hours with soup. My crock pot too small so I cooked stove top. Great with some corn bread. Thanks for sharing.
Cindy Harvill
I have been making this recipe for years! Sometimes I will use ground turkey instead of beef. I also blanch my cabbage before adding to soup and makes it much more tender and cuts cooking time. I usually throw in a few extra spices I may have in hand like Mrs Dash or Italian season. And for those who don’t like kidney beans you can try black beans!
Julie
I will definitely make this again, super good. I substituted diced sweet potatoes for the beans and Ground turkey instead of beef and added shallots and ghee To make it more whole 30!!