This Cabbage Roll Soup has all the classic cabbage roll flavors packed into a hearty and flavorful soup. Cozy up with a bowl on a chilly day!

Y’all! We have finally had a real cold front blow through Texas! While we have had a few cooler days the past month or so, this is the first time this fall that it has actually gotten cool enough that I needed a light jacket on my evening and morning walks.

Even though the weather man says it will still get up into the upper 70’s low 80’s this is huge for us here in Texas! It makes me giddy with delight and has me overly excited for some weekend outdoor activities and will have me finally pulling out my fall (and Texas style winter) wardrobe of sweaters and boots.

It also means I am finally in the mood for soup, chili and stick to your ribs casseroles and hearty slow cooker suppers. Yup, believe it or not, I finally made my first pot of soup this season and will be putting chili and cornbread on the dinner menu next week.

Ah… autumn. Glorious, gorgeous, my absolute favorite time of year… autumn!!

I first made this Cabbage Roll Soup late last spring when the temperatures were just warm enough that soup was probably not an acceptable dinner option, but I made it anyway because I had an overabundance of cabbage and for the life of me couldn’t think up any tasty dinner options that wowed me.

Of course trusty Pinterest came through and I found this recipe. I whipped up a big pot and served it to some dinner guests with my fingers crossed since not everyone is a cabbage fan. But guess what? Everyone LOVED it and we finished off the whole pot that night. I then made it again over the summer, when it was SO not soup weather but when again I had an abundance of cabbage given to me from a local farm and all I could think about was this soup.

So of course when a real cold front finally blew through, I ran to the store to grab everything to make this soup to enjoy during real soup weather. And again, this soup didn’t disappoint!

This Cabbage Roll Soup has all the classic cabbage rolls flavors and indigents (cabbage, ground beef, rice and a tomato base) but is way easier to make and eat. Every time I have made it, I chop whole heads of cabbage, but you could definitely buy packaged shredded cabbage to save time.

Now that I finally have soup weather in my neck of the woods, I will be on an unofficial soup diet!  What are your favorite fall soup or chili recipes? Please share in the comments below!

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Cabbage Roll Soup

Yield: 6 -8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

This Cabbage Roll Soup has all the classic cabbage roll flavors packed into a hearty and flavorful soup. Cozy up with a bowl on a chilly day!

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 cups packed chopped cabbage, about 1 small head of cabbage
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (32-ounce) box low-sodium beef broth
• 1 (29-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (28-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes or fire roasted tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2/3 cup dry long-grain white rice
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving, optional

Instructions

1. Heat ½ tablespoon olive oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add beef, ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, stirring and breaking up beef occasionally, until browned and cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beef to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
2. Leave 1-2 tablespoons rendered beef fat in pot and add remaining olive oil. Add onion and sauté for 5-6 minutes or until translucent. Add diced carrots and celery and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes. Stir in cabbage and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
3. Return browned ground beef to pot and stir in beef broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, brown sugar, Worcestershire, paprika, oregano, thyme, bay leaves and remaining salt and pepper.
4. Bring soup to a boil and stir in rice. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes, or until rice is cooked through. Right before serving remove bay leaves. Serve topped with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Notes

Recipe Notes: Add 1-2 additional cups of broth or water, if needed, to reheat thickened leftovers.
Serving Suggestions: Serve with crackers and a Pear and Pomegranate Salad or Kale Salad with Creamy Anchovy Dressing.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy

Other soup recipes you might enjoy:

Vegetarian Red Pozole with Black Beans and Summer Squash 
Zuppa Toscana {Creamy Sausage, Kale and Potato Soup}
Buffalo Chicken Soup 
Vegetable Barley Soup with Chicken Sausage Meatballs