Stuffed Cabbage Soup

It’s your favorite stuffed cabbage in soup form! Stuffed Cabbage Soup is all the comfort with none of the cutting but lots of the eating.

This past weekend, I visited my brother Andy in San Francisco. It was glorious! There was tons of noshing, wineries, hiking, and we even had time to squeeze in a Monster Truck race. (You can take the girl out of Texas…) Don’t fret, I’ll share a few photos soon! Between living in Austin, and frolicking in SF, and playing in Cancun, I maybe forgot the the rest of the country is currently living in an arctic tundra. Sorry bout that, y’all. I’m literally lying in my hammock in my Bat Mitzvah skirt, dreaming of Passover recipes for you, when I should be thinking about keeping my kindelah warm! So I bring you, soup.

But not just any soup! It’s all the ingredients of my beloved Stuffed Cabbage, with none of that tedious rolling. I make it with rice, but quinoa works just as well if you want it gluten free and Passover-friendly (if you’re eating quinoa on Passover.) You can also swap out turkey for the beef. Use what you like!

Also, it’s a one-pot meal! Don’t you love that? Easy, hearty, and super delicious. And, it’s even better the next day and it makes a ton. I seriously ate this for 8 meals in a row and I’m not sorry. Though my friends may wish I didn’t…

Anyhoo, isn’t it gorgeous?? As far as a cabbage soup can be gorgeous. Ugh I wish I had more right meow.

Will you make some and invite me over???

Please? I’ll be your best friend, and I’ll bring rugelach.

And it freezes well too. The end!

What Is Stuffed Cabbage Soup?

Stuffed cabbage soup is exactly what it sounds like. Everything you love about stuffed cabbage, tipped into one pot and simmered until it tastes like it has known itself for years. Ground beef, cabbage, rice, tomatoes and a hit of vinegar, no leaves to blanch and no rolling required.

The rolls themselves are holishkes in Yiddish, and they turn up on Jewish tables in the fall, especially around Sukkot and Simchat Torah. Some of that is seasonal, since cabbage is cheap and everywhere at harvest time. Some of it is that two plump rolls lying side by side look an awful lot like a pair of Torah scrolls, right? Nobody is going to mistake a bowl of soup for a Torah scroll, I grant you. But the flavor is identical and it’s much easier.

Why You’ll Love It

• It is genuinely one pot. Brown, dump, simmer, eat. The Dutch oven does everything.
• No rolling. If you have ever tried to wrap a floppy cabbage leaf around a fistful of raw meat, you know precisely why this recipe exists.
• It makes a ton. Eight generous cups, which either feeds crowd of about 6 or a light dinner for you, six nights running. I have done both.
• It is better the next day. The cabbage softens, the spices settle in, everything gets friendlier overnight.
• It freezes beautifully. Make a double batch in October and thank yourself in January.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Exact amounts live in the recipe card below. Here is what each piece is actually doing:

• Ground beef. I use 85/15. You want a little fat for flavor, and you will drain most of it off anyway (sometimes I am lazy and don’t do this and fat is tasty.)
• Cabbage. One medium green head, cored and chopped into roughly one inch pieces. It looks like an absurd amount of cabbage when it goes in. It cooks down. Trust the process.
• Rice. This is the stuffing, minus the stuffing. It cooks right in the broth and thickens the soup as it goes.
• Diced tomatoes and tomato paste. The paste gets browned first, which is a small step that does a lot of work. Do not skip it.
• Onion, garlic and carrots. The base. Nothing exotic, all load bearing.
• Beef or chicken broth. Either works. Keep a little extra on hand for reheating.
• Paprika, cumin and a pinch of cayenne. The cumin is what makes people ask what is in this.
• White vinegar. The sour note that makes it taste like holishkes and not like chili. You could use lemon too, and add a pinch of brown sugar if you like it sweet.

Want It Sweet and Sour?

A lot of families make their holishkes sweet and sour, and if that is the version you grew up with, this soup gets there in about thirty seconds. Stir in a tablespoon or two of brown sugar or honey along with the vinegar, taste, and adjust until it tastes like your grandmother’s. A handful of raisins is traditional too, and I will not judge you either way. Some people feel very strongly about raisins.

Start small. You can always add more sweetness, but you cannot take it back out.

Tips for the Best Stuffed Cabbage Soup

• Brown the tomato paste. A few minutes of stirring buys you an hour’s worth of flavor.
• Chop the cabbage bigger than you think. One inch pieces hold their shape. Anything smaller turns to mush.
• Season at the end. The broth reduces and the vinegar sharpens as it cooks, so wait until it is done to make final decisions.
• Use a wide, heavy pot. You need room to brown the beef properly, and a crowded pan steams instead of browns.
• Do not rush the simmer. The rice needs the full time and the cabbage needs to go soft and sweet.

How to Store and Freeze

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. The soup thickens considerably overnight as the rice keeps drinking the broth, so add a splash more broth or water when you reheat and stir it back to life over medium low heat.

To freeze, cool completely and freeze in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently with extra broth. If you know you are freezing it, undercook the rice by a few minutes so it does not go soft on the second round.

Stuffed Cabbage Soup FAQ

What is stuffed cabbage soup made of?

The same things as stuffed cabbage rolls: ground beef, cabbage, rice, onion, garlic and tomatoes, simmered in broth with paprika, cumin and vinegar. The only thing missing is the time you would have spent rolling.

What is the difference between stuffed cabbage soup and cabbage roll soup?

Nothing, really. They are two names for the same deconstructed dish. The Jewish version tends to lean sweet and sour and is often called holishkes, while Eastern European and Polish versions go by golumpki or golabki. The soup versions all land in the same place.

Can I make it gluten free or kosher for Passover?

Yes. It’s already naturally gluten free, but if you don’t eat rice on Passover swap the rice for quinoa, which is what I did the first time I made this, partly for Passover and partly because I was out of rice. Or just leave it out! It cooks in about the same time maybe 5 minutes more. Whether you eat quinoa on Passover is between you and your rabbi.

Can I use ground turkey or make it vegetarian?

Ground turkey works, though you will want a little extra olive oil and a heavier hand with the spices since turkey brings less flavor of its own. For a vegetarian version, skip the meat, use vegetable broth, and add a can of drained lentils or white beans along with the tomatoes. You can also take a look at my vegetarian stuffed cabbage if you want the rolled version.

Why is my soup so thick?

Because it is supposed to be, and because the rice keeps absorbing liquid after the pot comes off the heat. This is a thick, stew-ish soup by design. If you want it looser, add more broth when you reheat and season again, since the extra liquid will dilute what is already in there.

Can I make it in a slow cooker or Instant Pot?

You can, but brown the beef and the tomato paste on the stove first either way. That step is where the flavor lives. For a slow cooker, transfer everything over and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. For an Instant Pot, use the saute function for the browning, then pressure cook on high for about 8 minutes with a natural release.

How long does stuffed cabbage soup last?

Five days in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer. It genuinely improves on days two and three, which makes it a good candidate for cooking ahead of a holiday.

If you are on a stuffed cabbage kick, and honestly why would you not be, I also have the classic stuffed cabbage rolls, a version with white wine sauce, and if you are after another pot of Jewish soup, my matzah ball soup.

Stuffed Cabbage Soup

Amy Kritzer

It’s your favorite stuffed cabbage in soup form! Stuffed Cabbage Soup is all the comfort with none of the cutting but lots of the eating.

4.92 from 12 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine Jewish

Servings 8 cups

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
• 1/2 large white onion, diced
• 1/2 cup diced carrots (about 2 carrots)
• Salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound ground beef I used 85/15
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 medium cabbage head core removed and chopped into 1-inch pieces about 4 cups
• 1/2 cup dried basmati rice
• 1 28- oz can diced tomatoes
• 4 cups beef or chicken broth plus more for reheating
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• Pinch cayenne or more! Spic-ay!
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• Parsley for garnish

Instructions

 

• In a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots, plus 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and saute for 5-6 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent.
• Then add garlic and saute for one more minute.
• Add the other tablespoon of olive oil and add ground beef and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook while stirring until browned, and then drain most of the fat off (I left a little. Fat is tasty! Or you can be lazy and leave it in too)
• Then add tomato paste and brown for 2-3 minutes while stirring.
• Add cabbage and cook while stirring until slightly softened.
• Then add remaining ingredients except parsley and bring to a simmer. Lower to medium low heat, cover, and cook for 20-25 minutes or until rice is cooked.
• Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls, garnish with parsley and serve! It’s even better the next day. This is a thick soup, but if your soup gets too thicker overnight, add more broth as you reheat.

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