Ground Beef Cabbage Soup is an easy and comforting one-pot recipe with tender beef, rich tomato, and other veggies. Ready in just a half-hour!
This simple Soup Recipe is similar to Cabbage and Weight Loss Cabbage Soup. The main difference is that this Cabbage Recipe has the addition of delicious ground beef to make it even more flavorful and hearty.
Sabrina’s Ground Beef Cabbage Soup
Ground Beef and Cabbage Soup is a tried and true weeknight meal, especially in the fall and winter when you’re craving something comforting and warming. On top of keeping you warm, it’s budget-friendly and easy to make. Once you’ve browned the beef and onion, you just have to let the ingredients simmer together on the stovetop for about 20 minutes. I’ve also included Slow Cooker and Instant Pot versions so you can pick the most convenient option!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef , (85/15)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 yellow onion , chopped
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 4 cups beef broth
- 4 cups cabbage , cut into 1 inch chunks
- 2 carrots , sliced
- 2 stalks celery , sliced
- 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes , do not drain
Instructions
- Add the oil to a large pot or Dutch oven on high heat.
- Add ground beef, onion, salt, and pepper, breaking it apart as you cook it until browned, about 6-8 minutes.
- Add in the tomato sauce, beef broth, cabbage, carrots, celery, and diced tomatoes then stir well.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes until cabbage and carrots are tender.
Nutrition
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Table of Contents
More about this recipe
I love that Beef and Cabbage Soup is both wonderfully comforting and pretty healthy, full of nutritious veggies, plus protein from the beef. It is similar to my Stuffed Cabbage Roll Soup with a few swaps. Instead of the rice normally in cabbage roll soup, I bulked it up with more veggies, adding carrots and celery. This keeps the soup gluten-free and low-carb while still being filling and hearty. It’s a reliable recipe in my fall menu rotation because it is cozy and warm, fuels us for our busy schedule, but is still light and healthy to balance all the rest of our more indulgent holiday meals.
Can This Be Made Ahead?
Absolutely, this soup’s even better the next day! Make it ahead, let it cool, and store it in the fridge. The flavors meld in the fridge overnight, making leftovers fantastic. Just reheat gently on the stove or microwave until hot.
How to Store
- Store: Once the soup is cooked, enjoy it hot. Don’t leave it sitting at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Once the recipe cools, seal it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge. If properly stored, the leftovers will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: This is also a great recipe to make a double batch and freeze some for a few months later. You can keep the soup in the freezer for 2-3 months, stored in a freezer bag or other airtight container. When you’re ready to eat it, let the recipe thaw in the fridge overnight. Then reheat it in a Dutch oven or other large pot on the stovetop over medium-high heat.
Alternative Cooking Methods
Slow Cooker
- Add oil to a large skillet over high heat. Then, toss in the ground beef, salt, pepper, and chopped onion.
- Brown the beef on all sides while breaking it apart.
- Once browned, add the beef and onion to the crock pot.
- Chop the cabbage, carrots, and celery.
- Pour the beef broth, tomato sauce, cabbage, carrots, celery, and diced tomatoes into the crock pot.
- Stir all the ingredients together in the slow cooker.
- Cook the soup on high for 4 hours until the carrots are cooked through and tender.
Instant Pot
- Set your instant pot to sauté mode and add some olive oil to the bottom of the pot.
- Add the ground beef, salt, pepper, and chopped onion to the instant pot and sauté on all sides until browned.
- Pour the beef broth, tomato sauce, cabbage, carrots, celery, and diced tomatoes into the instant pot with the beef.
- Seal the instant pot and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
- Quickly release the pressure from the instant pot and serve.
Frequent Questions
Vegetable broth or chicken broth will do in a pinch, though the flavor will be less beefy. Add a splash of soy sauce for depth if using vegetable broth.
I only drain if using higher-fat ground beef to avoid greasy broth, but lean beef doesn’t usually need it.
Substitute with V8, leftover pasta sauce, or even crushed tomatoes. Each will give a slightly different flavor!
Variations
- Ground Meat: If you don’t want to use beef you can swap it out for ground turkey or ground chicken. I would use 2 tablespoons of oil if you are using leaner ground meat to add more flavor.
- Chuck Roast: Instead of ground beef, try adding chuck roast. Cut the beef into bite-sized pieces and brown them well on all sides for 2-3 minutes. You may need to increase the cooking time by about 10 minutes to fully cook the beef and make it more tender.
- Corned Beef: Make Leftover Corned beef and Cabbage soup for St. Patrick’s Day! Instead of the ground beef use shredded, cooked Corned Beef. Cook the onions in 2 tablespoons of oil until softened, then add the cooked beef shreds and follow the rest of the recipe as usual.
- Rice: Stir in 2-3 cups of cooked rice, either white rice or brown rice, during the last few minutes of cooking.
- Seasonings: This simple cabbage soup is great for experimenting with different flavors and seasonings. Add herbs and spices like bay leaf, oregano, thyme, curry powder, cumin, or Italian seasoning. Use fire-roasted tomatoes for a smoky flavor. Add minced garlic to your aromatics, stirring it in after the onions are softened and cooking for 30 seconds before finishing the recipe as usual.
More Healthy and Delicious Soups
Photos used in previous versions of this post.
GREAT RECIPE! Glad I found it! Harvested my 1st cabbage out of the garden & this is where it went! Just added some garlic & Italian Seasoning & cooked it in the instant pot (thanks for adding that option!) Oh, and used elk meat too! THANK YOU!
Sounds delicious Suzanne! So glad you enjoyed it, especially with cabbage grown from your garden. Thank you for the kind review!