Ground Beef
$1.56per plate
Prep
15 min
Ground Beef · Cabbage Roll Soup
Cabbage Roll Soup
Stuffed cabbage rolls taste great but take forever, rolling each leaf by hand around a spoonful of filling. This soup gets the same beef, cabbage, rice, and tomato flavor into one pot with none of the rolling. A pound of ground beef stretches across six hearty bowls for about $1.58 each, and it tastes even better the next day.
$1.58per plate
Estimated recipe total
$9.46 · serves 6
Cook
30 min
Total
45 min
Serves
6
1 How to make it
1
Brown the beef
In a large pot or Dutch oven, brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat, until no pink remains, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain any excess fat.
2
Add the tomatoes and broth
Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, and paprika, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
3
Add the cabbage and rice
Stir in the chopped cabbage and uncooked rice. Cover and simmer 20 to 25 minutes, until the cabbage is tender and the rice is fully cooked, stirring occasionally so the rice does not stick to the bottom.
4
Taste and adjust
Taste once the rice is done and adjust the salt and pepper. The soup thickens as the rice sits, so add a splash of broth or water if it gets too thick before serving.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Ground turkey for beef. Turkey works well in this soup and can be cheaper some weeks. The flavor holds up fine against the tomato and cabbage.
- Cooked rice stirred in at the end. If you have leftover cooked rice, skip simmering raw rice in the soup and stir in about 1.5 cups of cooked rice in the last 5 minutes instead, so it does not turn mushy.
- A splash of vinegar or lemon. A tablespoon of vinegar or a squeeze of lemon at the end brightens the soup the way a good stuffed cabbage roll usually gets from a sweet-and-sour sauce.
- Sauerkraut for half the cabbage. Swapping in a cup of drained sauerkraut for some of the fresh cabbage gives the soup a tangier, more old-world flavor if that is what you grew up with.
3 Budget tips
- A whole head of cabbage is one of the cheapest vegetables in the store and this recipe only needs half of it, so save the rest for a side dish or another pot of soup.
- This soup freezes and reheats better than most rice-based soups because the rice is fully cooked into the broth rather than added at the end, so leftovers do not turn to mush.
- Double the batch. A pound of ground beef already feeds six, and the extra pot of soup covers lunches for most of the week.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The flavor deepens overnight, so leftovers often taste better than the first bowl.
Freezer
Freeze in portioned containers for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat gently, adding a splash of broth since the rice continues to absorb liquid in the freezer.
Reheating
Reheat on the stove over medium-low, stirring occasionally, or in the microwave in 1 minute bursts. Add a little broth or water if the soup has thickened in the fridge.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
250
Protein
16g
Fat
10g
Carbs
22g
Estimates per bowl, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not a substitute for medical advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between cabbage roll soup and stuffed cabbage rolls?
Same core ingredients, ground beef, cabbage, rice, and tomato, but the soup skips the time-consuming step of rolling each leaf around the filling. Everything simmers together in one pot instead.
Can I use pre-cooked rice instead of raw rice?
Yes. Stir in about 1.5 cups of cooked rice during the last 5 minutes of simmering instead of adding raw rice at the start, so it does not overcook and go mushy.
Does this soup freeze well?
Better than most rice soups, since the rice cooks fully into the broth rather than being added at the end. Reheat with a splash of extra broth since the rice keeps absorbing liquid in the freezer.
How is the price per bowl figured?
About $9.46 for the whole pot, split across six bowls, which is roughly $1.58 each. The pound of beef is the biggest line, so a sale on ground beef brings the price down the most.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
As an Amazon Associate, Budget Plates may earn from qualifying purchases.
- 12-inch nonstick skillet. A wide nonstick skillet browns ground meat, fries rice, and builds a one-pan sauce with less oil and easier cleanup. Best for everyday stovetop dinners like skillet meals, fried rice, pasta sauces, and patties.
- Cast iron skillet. Cast iron holds heat for a deep sear and moves from stovetop to oven, and it lasts for decades with basic care. Best for searing chops and chicken, and recipes that start on the stove and finish in the oven.
- Chef's knife. One sharp chef's knife handles almost all the chopping, from onions to chicken, and replaces a drawer of gadgets. Best for all-purpose prep in essentially every recipe on the site.
- Cutting board. A large, stable cutting board makes prep faster and safer, which matters when you cook most nights. Best for everyday chopping of onion, garlic, and vegetables across nearly every recipe.
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