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Cabbage roll soup with beef, tender cabbage and rice in tomato broth.

Cabbage Roll Soup

Cabbage roll soup with ground beef, chopped green cabbage, long-grain white rice, and a savory tomato broth. Everything cooks in one roomy pot for a hearty dinner that serves six.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Soup
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil if needed for lean beef
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 medium head green cabbage core removed; cut into roughly 1-inch pieces
  • 1 can diced tomatoes 14.5 ounces
  • 1 can tomato sauce 15 ounces
  • 6 cups beef broth lower-sodium preferred; extra as needed for consistency
  • 3/4 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder optional
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley optional, for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Heat a roomy 6- to 8-quart soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil only if needed for lean beef. Cook the ground beef until browned and cooked through, breaking it into small crumbles. Drain excess fat if needed.
    Browned ground beef crumbles in a Dutch oven.
  • Add the diced onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until softened. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
    Softened onion and minced garlic mixed with the browned beef.
  • Stir in the cored cabbage, cut into roughly 1-inch pieces. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until it begins to soften and settle. Add it in two batches if the pot is crowded.
    Chopped cabbage beginning to soften with beef and onion in the pot.
  • Add the diced tomatoes with their juices, tomato sauce, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
    Tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and broth added to the cabbage and beef.
  • Stir in the uncooked long-grain white rice, Italian seasoning, paprika, black pepper, and optional garlic powder. Add salt to taste, starting with less of the listed amount if your broth is already salty.
    Uncooked long-grain white rice and seasonings stirred into the soup.
  • Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Stir occasionally across the bottom of the pot to keep the rice from sticking.
    Finished cabbage roll soup with soft cabbage and cooked rice in the Dutch oven.
  • Check that the rice is tender with no hard center and that the cabbage is soft. If needed, simmer for a few more minutes and check again. Add extra broth a little at a time if the soup is thicker than you prefer.
    A ladleful of soup showing tender cabbage, beef and cooked rice.
  • Let any added broth heat through, then taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve hot. Fresh parsley is an optional garnish.
    A bowl of finished cabbage roll soup viewed from above.

Notes

Use ordinary uncooked long-grain white rice for the stated simmering time. A roomy 6- to 8-quart pot helps with the cabbage before it softens. Cut the cabbage into spoon-sized pieces and discard the hard core. Check the rice before serving, adding a little extra broth if needed. The total time is an estimate; the rice and cabbage may need a few extra minutes. Fresh parsley is an optional garnish.