When I ran out of time to cook cabbage rolls despite having a need for them, I came up with this recipe. This meal is hearty and nutritious. It’s quite easy to make and you may change it to your preferences. The recipe can easily be doubled, and any leftovers can be frozen in portions. Serve hot with garlic toast or crusty bread.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 50 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 10 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups converted long-grain white rice
- 3 cups water
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 cups water
- 1 (20 ounce) jar pasta sauce (such as Ragu®)
- 1 (10 ounce) can tomato soup
- 3 ½ pounds cabbage, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 onion, chopped
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 dash hot pepper sauce
Instructions
- Bring converted rice and 3 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef in the hot pan until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; drain and discard grease.
- Stir 2 cups water, cooked rice, pasta sauce, tomato soup, cabbage, onion, salt, black pepper, and hot sauce into beef. Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover. Simmer until cabbage is soft and tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
- You can substitute broth for water. Make this soup as thick or as thin as you like by adjusting the water/broth at the end.
- You can substitute canned diced tomatoes for the pasta sauce if you like it a little chunkier, and if you like even more of a tomato taste, add some tomato paste (but remember to add more water or broth).
- This soup can be made super-quick if you cook and freeze your ground beef in large batches, then just take out what you need. All you are doing is reheating!
- Some like to add sour cream or shredded cheese on top when serving. I love it with hot sauce in my own bowl.
- This can also be made in the slow cooker. It freezes perfectly.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 502 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 75 g |
| Cholesterol | 48 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 11 g |
| Protein | 23 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Sodium | 749 mg |
| Sugars | 22 g |
| Fat | 13 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I have found that having read the reviews of the fellow members who have made these recipes BEFORE I try one is very useful and it was this time as well. I picked out a nice healthy head of cabbage (which turned out being 4 1/2 lbs.) and having read several members say that this recipe needed MORE seasoning . . . I followed that advice and added 1 heaping Tbsp. Minced garlic when I was sautéing my Guidry’s Creole Seasoning (Trinity-onion/celery/bell pepper instead of hand chopping an onion) – and I substituted 1 qt. Beef Broth for the 2 cups water (I know a qt. doesn’t equal 2 cups . . . but 4 1/2 lb. cabbage doesn’t equal 3 1/2 either) – and I used Campbells Condensed Tomato Soup – as the Recipe suggested, I substituted (2) 14 1/2 oz. Italian-style Petite-Diced tomatoes for the pasta sauce. I cut my cabbage head: Some shredded like Cole slaw and some in 3/4″x3/4″ bite-size. A Tbsp. or 2 of Brown Sugar is hardly noticeable, but a nice touch and served with a little mixed taco shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream. I am pleased with the way it turned out and I will do it again and again. Thanks for a good recipe addition.
Great concept, but I did tweak it a bit. First I sautéed the beef in the bottom of the soup pan with onion and garlic and a little bit of olive oil.? Then I added 2 cans of tomato soup, 1 can diced tomatoes, salt and pepper. Then I added one head cabbage chopped fine. I also added fresh thyme and 3 bay leaves. Then I added the cooked rice. Then I added lots of water, almost to the top of pan. I brought to a boil and then simmered for about 1 hour. It came out delicious! I did not want to use the pasta sauce because I didn’t want a jar sauce flavor.
This was hearty and very good. After reading the other reviews I added more liquid and used beef broth instead of water. Also used ground turkey and replaced the rice with kidney beans. Cut back a bit on the spaghetti sauce so it wasn’t so thick but still added nice flavor. Will definitely make this again.
I needed much more liquid. I added water and a can of French Onion Soup! It made a big pot of soup.
I made this but I used hot Italian sausage instead of beef.
This soup was really good and takes no time at all to make. Will be making it again.
My family and friends loved the cabbage roll soup as I did. It was delicious!!!!
I really wanted to love this one, but even with extra water and a 15 oz can of tomatoes and some extra spices it was very bland.
I used orzo instead of rice & added it directly into the pot. I also added a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. It was so good and I will definitely make it again!
It is a definite new favorite. It made 10 servings so 1/2 is in the freezer. Gonna be great for a rainy day.
Followed the recipe and it was easy to put together. My hubby and I really liked it. I will make this again!
The cabbage does not cook in the time shown unless you cut it in teeny pieces and the rice should be cooked prior on it’s own and then added to the pot or you risk the “soup” being a starchy gruel. It’s fixable, just not using this recipe. I do one similar with Peppers and it tastes wonderful.
A new family favorite. I used diced tomatoes instead of tomato soup and added a little can of v8. Beef boullion cubes added extra flavor too. We love cabbage rolls. This is an easier way to get that flavor without all of the work that comes with the cabbage rolls. Definitely will make this again and again.
Added a few extra spices and veggies to my taste, IE: Turmeric , Basil , Garlic , and a few mixed veggies. Crushed Hot pepper flakes.
I started with the recipe as read. However, after a while, I noticed that it was getting way too thick. I had to keep adding beef broth or water quite a few times. Too much rice. I had also added half a , diced green pepper, some green beans cut in three’s, and carrots. Having said that, I put it on high in my crockpot for 6 hrs. This was not sufficient. I transferred it to a stock pot on the stove on med.high for 3/4 hrs. It was finally cooked. After all that, it was delicious!! I will make it again but with much less rice, for soup consistency.
I added at least 1 cup more water, and I parboiled my cabbage for about 1 hour before adding it to soup mixture. It made it softer the way we like it.
With a lot of tweaking, I can give this recipe four stars. I’m glad I read some reviews first! Our family does not use much salt, but the recipe “as is” is flatter than a Dutch pancake. I also added brown sugar and A LOT more water as needed since the rice soaked it up faster than you can say Jack Robinson. Overall, tweaking this recipe was a boatload easier than making traditional cabbage rolls!
Needed more seasoning
I had to add more water & the longer it cooked the rice just absorbed it making it like a porridge. It was also very flat even after adding more salt. I would not make this again.
I should have read the other ratings, It definitly needed more liquid, It kept sticking to the bottom, not a lot of flavor. I should have made cabbage rolls
turned out great hubby loves it. def would make again