Ok, listen. Between my cookbooks and my website I have created over 100 different soup recipes. I love soup. I KNOW soup. This cabbage roll soup is one of my best soup recipes! (Bonus!) It also captures the hearty, briny flavors of cabbage rolls without the tedious prep!

You are sure to love this recipe for Cabbage Roll Soup

Making Cabbage rolls is such a tedious task… So I started making this simple, unassuming Instant Pot Cabbage Roll soup, which ended up being one of my family’s favorites. It tastes just like cabbage rolls and can be cooked in just 40 minutes.

What is Cabbage Roll Soup?

Have you ever had cabbage rolls? They’re bundles of rolled up blanched cabbage leaves stuffed with a seasoned ground beef & rice mixture and the whole thing is cooked in a tangy tomato sauce.

They’re delicious. I love cabbage rolls. They’re also a lot of work.

Taking the components of cabbage rolls and reworking it into a soup allows you to have all of the delicious flavors of stuffed cabbage rolls without all the work! It’s also sometimes called Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Soup.

Ingredients for the soup

I love this recipe because all of the ingredients are pretty simple and unassuming, but together….. *chef’s kiss*.

And don’t balk at the amount of vinegar used. It’s a key ingredient to make that broth extra delicious!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• ground beef
• onions
• crushed tomatoes
• garlic
• red pepper flakes
• honey
• tomato paste
• Worcestershire
• cabbage
• white rice
• beef broth
• red wine vinegar

How to make cabbage roll soup

1. In a large 6-7 quart pot, heat the oil to high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring to break it into small bits, until it becomes toasty brown and begins to stick to the bottom of the pan a little.
2. Meanwhile, prep the onions and cabbage. When the beef has cooked, add the diced onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. If things start to get too browned and stuck on the bottom, add a splash of broth to loosen it up.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes, honey, tomato paste, Worcestershire, garlic, rice cabbage, broth, salt, and 2 cups of water. Stir everything well.
4. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes until the rice is tender.
5. Stir in the vinegar and let it cook for another minute. Taste, and add more salt if you think it needs it.

Easy Cabbage Roll Soup Recipe substitutions

Substitutions for white rice

Luckily this cabbage roll soup recipe is naturally gluten free! If you’re concerned about grains or are wanting a lower carb soup, you can leave it out (just omit the 2 cups of water, too.) The original recipe in my cookbook didn’t have rice.

If you’d rather use brown rice or wild rice, add 1-2 cups COOKED rice at the very end of the recipe.

You can also substitute uncooked quinoa or barley for the rice, too. (Keep the 2 cups of water if you do this.)

Can I use a different type of meat?

Sure! I love the rich flavor of ground beef and beef broth, but you can use any ground meat you like — chicken, beef, turkey, or pork.

If you use a meat other than beef, I’d recommend using chicken broth instead of beef broth.

Don’t have crushed tomatoes?

One hack that I use if I don’t have crushed tomatoes is to take an equal amount of canned diced tomatoes and pulse them a little in the blender. 

Replacement for Worcestershire sauce

If you don’t use Worcestershire, you can use an equal amount of coconut aminos or omit it from the recipe.

Can you freeze cabbage roll soup?

Yep! Just let the soup cool to room temperature, then transfer it to a freezer safe container.

I like to use these freezer-safe deli containers for soups.

Dietary adaptations

Make it LOW CARB and GRAIN-FREE by omitting the rice (see above)

Make it WHOLE30 friendly by omitting the rice (see above) and honey. You can use a bit of date paste or fruit juice in place of the honey if you like. And the Worcestershire sauce can be omitted completely or replaced with an equal amount of coconut aminos.

Want more easy Instant Pot Soup recipes that your family will love?

How to store Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Soup

Store leftover soup in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.

More Easy Instant Pot Soup Recipes on Perry’s Plate

Instant Pot Buffalo Ranch Chicken Soup

Paleo Instant Pot Cheeseburger Soup

Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana

Creamy Southwest Chicken Soup

If you make one of my recipes, be sure to post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Continue to Content

Recipe for Cabbage Roll Soup

Yield: Serves 10

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

This easy & delicious Instant Pot Cabbage Roll Soup has all of the flavors of traditional cabbage rolls without all of the tedious work! Toasted ground beef, tender pieces of cabbage, and a tangy tomato broth combine for an easy weeknight meal that all my kids love.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon avocado or coconut oil
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/3 cup short or long-grain white rice
• 1 medium head cabbage (2-2 1/2 lbs), cored and chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 4 cups beef broth
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• Fresh chopped Italian parsley, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large 6-7 quart pot, heat the oil to high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring to break it into small bits, until it becomes toasty brown and begins to stick to the bottom of the pan a little.
2. Meanwhile, prep the onions and cabbage. When the beef has cooked, add the diced onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. If things start to get too browned and stuck on the bottom, add a splash of broth to loosen it up.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes, honey, tomato paste, Worcestershire, garlic, rice cabbage, broth, salt, and 2 cups of water. Stir everything well.
4. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes until the rice is tender.
5. Stir in the vinegar and let it cook for another minute. Taste, and add more salt if you think it needs it.
6. Ladle into bowls and add a sprinkle of fresh parsley if you like.

INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS: Use the Saute mode of a 6 or 8 quart cooker to do step 1 & 2. Turn the cooker off, and add the ingredients listed in step 3. Put the lid on, seal, and set the cooker to high pressure for 8 minutes. Let it naturally release for 10 minutes before manually releasing the rest of the steam. Stir in the vinegar and let it sit for a minute or two before serving.

Notes

1. If you'd rather not include rice, omit it along with the 2 cups of water. If you'd rather use brown or wild rice, omit the water and add 1-2 cups of cooked rice at the end when you add the vinegar.
2. Substitute the Worcestershire sauce for coconut aminos if you like.
3. To make this Whole30 friendly, omit the rice, 2 cups water & honey. Also replace the Worcestershire with coconut aminos or omit it completely.

Recommended Products

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  Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Saute, Yogurt Maker, and Warmer, 6 Quart

Nutrition Information

Yield 10 Serving Size 2 cups
Amount Per Serving Calories 206Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 40mgSodium 1008mgCarbohydrates 19gFiber 2gSugar 10gProtein 16g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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