This hearty Cabbage Soup recipe is perfect for chilly nights when you want something comforting to warm you up. It’s so easy to make and a favorite for the whole family, since it’s loaded with ground beef, veggies, and cabbage in a yummy tomato broth.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Helpful Reader Review
“We love this soup! It’s pure comfort food but it just happens to be healthy.. so many veggies in there.. filling and delish! Gotta give it a try!” – Cindy ★★★★★
Easy Cabbage Soup
Inspired by my favorite Cabbage Rolls, or Lazy Cabbage Rolls, this soup recipe features all the same savory ingredients with much less hassle — just throw everything into the pot.
This cabbage soup recipe makes dinner so easy! It takes just one pot on the stovetop and pantry staples. I love doubling the recipe to freeze some for later — two meals in one! Don’t let the word “cabbage” in the name scare you–this is a savory, beefy soup with great depth of flavor.
I love serving satisfying soups, like this Cabbage Soup, Loaded Potato Soup, or Zuppa Toscana, as temperatures start to fall in Idaho, because they are easy, warming, and filling. Doesn’t everyone just seem hungrier in the winter?

Cabbage Roll Soup Ingredients
This recipe calls for basic ingredients you may already have on hand, and it comes together quickly.
- Cabbage -Use green cabbage. We like to cube the cabbage, but you can shred the cabbage.
- Broth – we used beef broth; you can substitute with vegetable (vegetarian) or chicken broth.
- Tomatoes – canned diced tomatoes and tomato sauce produce a richly flavored base.
- Ground beef – We prefer lean 80/20 ground beef for flavor. Feel free to swap with ground turkey, ground pork, Italian sausage, or a combination of ground meat. You can use tofu crumbles or omit meat for a vegetarian option.
- Veggies/Aromatics – Celery, onion, carrot, and minced garlic.
- Herbs – Bay leaf, parsley, cilantro, dill, or a combination
- Brown sugar – balances out the acidity of tomatoes

Pro Tip:
If you prefer a spicy soup, add jalapeno or red pepper flakes to the soup with the veggies in step 3.
How to Make Cabbage Soup
It’s so easy to make this cabbage soup recipe, making it perfect for a weeknight meal or easy family dinner with minimal dishes.
- Sauté beef – In a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, saute the ground beef, breaking it up as it browns.
- Add onion and garlic – Add the chopped onion to the ground beef and saute until tender. Then add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add veggies and simmer – Add the carrots, celery, cabbage, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, bay leaves, salt, pepper, brown sugar, and broth, and stir. For extra veggies, try adding green beans to the soup. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes until vegetables are tender.
- Add herbs – Remove the bay leaves, add in the fresh herbs, and season to taste.

Pro Tip:
Add rice – for a more filling soup, you can add rice, barley, or quinoa when adding the vegetables. Be sure not to simmer the soup for too long, since the rice can turn mushy.
Can I Make Cabbage Soup in the Slow Cooker?
This recipe is easy to transition to the slow cooker. Brown the ground beef and onions, and then add all the ingredients to the soup into the slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours and or high for 4-5 hours. Add herbs and allow the soup to cook for another 5 minutes.
Serve Cabbage Soup With
Serve Cabbage Soup warm, topped with sour cream, fresh herbs, or Jalapeno slices. We love the hearty soup on its own, or with crusty bread and fresh salad to complement, so try some of these recipes:
- Dutch Oven Bread
- Sourdough Bread
- Soft Dinner Rolls
- Focaccia Bread
- Garlic Bread
- Caesar Salad
- Classic Wedge Salad

Cabbage Soup is a warming and soothing soup that is hearty and so satisfying. This recipe also reheats well, so you’ll love having leftovers. Add this to your menu for a quick and filling one-pot meal in minutes!
Cabbage Soup

Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef, 80% or 85%
- 2 Tbsp oil, divided
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups green cabbage, chopped, from ½ large head
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- 1 celery rib, thinly sliced
- 28 oz canned diced tomatoes, with their juice
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- ½ tsp ground black pepper, or to taste
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs, such as dill, parsley, or cilantro
Instructions
- Sauté – In a Dutch oven, heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium/high heat. Once hot, saute the ground beef for about 4-5 minutes or until cooked through, breaking it apart with a spatula as it's cooked. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, or to taste.
- Add onion and garlic – Once the meat is browned, add 1 Tbsp oil and chopped onion, and saute for about 2-3 minutes or until onions are tender. Add in the minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add veggies and simmer – Add in the chopped cabbage, carrot, celery, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, brown sugar, 1 tsp salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Stir to combine and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.
- Add herbs – Remove the bay leaves and add in the fresh herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.
Notes
- Refrigerate – Once the soup has cooled to room temperature (no more than 2 hours), cover the leftover soup and store it in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Freezing – Add the cooled soup to an airtight container with enough room for expansion, and freeze for about 2-3 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- To Reheat – add the desired portion to a saucepan over medium heat until 165°F, or microwave portions in a microwave-safe container.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Cabbage Recipes
Cabbage is one of those staple fall and winter vegetables that is inexpensive and so versatile. We use it in this cabbage soup recipe as well as these other family favorites:
- Cabbage Casserole
- Coleslaw
- Shrimp Tacos
- Cabbage Fried Rice
- Red Cabbage and Avocado Salad
- Green Goddess Salad
- Lazy Cabbage Rolls



Hi! I’m Natasha Kravchuk, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, food photographer, and writer. Here you’ll find delicious, reliable recipes made with simple ingredients, plus easy step-by-step photos and videos to help you cook confidently at home.
6 gram serving? Is that correct? I was just curious what the correct measurement is.
Hi! I did not measure the weight of each serving exactly. This recipe makes a total of 6 servings. You can weigh the recipe total when it’s done if you’d like and then divide that by 6 for individual serving portion sizes. The nutrition facts listed are for each serving.
I’ve used sausage instead of hamburger. I think that’s gives it a more authentic taste of cabbage rolls.
Thanks for sharing, Judy. 🙂
Love the recipe.
How much rice should I add?
Could orzo be a substitute for rice?
You can add rice when adding the veggies and cook for 30 minutes, or until the rice is tender. I think Orzo would be fine as well. I have not tested the amount to add. You can add it to your preference.
Just prepared this soup and is busy cooking and my kitchen has an ultimate aroma, can’t wait to try. Hope to try more of your recipes.
I hope you love it as much as we do! 🙂
This sounds so good.
Can I substitute beef sirloin or ribeye for the ground beef?
Hi Debra, I think that will work. Please let us know how that goes if you try that.
Thinking of trying this soup as it sounds delicious. Could I make with the bagged cabbage? Would you suggest 1 or 2 bags?
I have not tried this with bagged cabbage, but it should work. You need about 4cups. I am not sure how much each bag would yield. The texture will be different because bagged cabbage is generally sliced a lot thinner whereas for this recipe we chop it up in larger chuncks.
I’ve never commented on one of these but for this one I had to. I made this soup last night and my husband, who happens to be my biggest food critic, said it was his favorite soup I have EVER made. I am a soup fan and I have to agree. If you love stuffed cabbage, without all of the work, this soup is amazing. I added a few red pepper flakes for a little kick. 10 star. Glad I found it
It sounds like you have a new family favorite, Yolanda! That’s so great!
This is one of our favorite soups! We add 1/2 cup long grain white rice at the time we add the vegies. So good!
Thank you for sharing, Joy! I’m glad you love this soup!
I just finished making the soup at 4 am( I couldn’t sleep) .the smell woke my husband out of a sound sleep.Delious !
I hope you both loved it!
Love your simple recipes that look so family-friendly. And glad you are a Christian. We can cook for banquets in heaven some day!!
Thank you for your appreciation, Linda. Enjoy and I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try!
Making this today can I use a bag of frozen vegetables instead of carrots and celery? I’m making in my crock pot
Hi Julie, I think that should be fine. If you try that, please share with us how it goes.
Making it now and threw in some portabella mushrooms I had . Smells delish.
That’s a great idea! Thank you for the wonderful review, Debbie!
I had a cabbage soup in my freezer (just cabbage, onions, carrot, broth), and I used your recipe to enhance it. I added the tomatoes and I used two Impossible burgers (vegetarian) instead of the ground beef. It was delicious! I’ll definitely make this again. Спасибо!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Jan! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Just wondering how much this makes? I see that it serves six at 6 oz servings? So this would make about 6 cups? Is this correct?
Hi Cynthia, Ther 8 oz in a cup, so slightly less.
Delicious! So simple and easy to make. I didn’t have the fresh herbs so I added a tablespoon of a dried “bavarian” herb and spice blend. Thanks!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
I used spicy sausage and a cubed potato, and it was great! Served with homemade bread.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Linda! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I would love to make this soup. My husband is diabetic. Is there something that can be used in place of the brown sugar or can it be left out? And is the higher carb count from the brown sugar or also from the cabbage? Thank you!
Hi Rana, it should be from the sugar. I think you can omit it from the recipe, it should still be fine. Please share with us how it goes if you try it.
Awesome! I forgot the sugar but it tasted great, I d rather have without sugar anyways.
This soup is sooo good! So glad I ran across your video. It’s a keeper for sure.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
So, SO delicious! Topped with cilantro and parsley. Plain Greek yogurt and shaved Parmesan.
Super easy and quick. Will definitely be making this soup again.
I’m glad that you found a new favorite!
This cabbage soup recipe is delicious! The only change I made was I added some home-made hot sausage, along with the ground beef, which added some zing! ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! Thank you Natasha! LOVE your video’s and recipes.
I am so glad you loved this recipe, JoAnn! Thanks a lot for sharing that with us.
Hi Marybeth, I bet both could work!