Yesterday may have technically been the first day of Spring, but when I took my dog out last night before we went to bed, I looked up to see that it was SNOWING. Yeah, so I’m still over here making hot soup because I’ve got a chill that I can’t seem to shake. I decided to make a Beef and Cabbage Soup this week because I’m taking advantage of post-St. Patrick’s Day cabbage sales and I’ve kind of been craving red meat lately. I love combining beef and cabbage because it has this awesome ability to fill you up without weighing you down. This soup is filling, but still surprisingly light, similar to my Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry.
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Use Up Leftover Vegetables
Another reason I love this recipe is that it’s the perfect catch all for leftover vegetables that you may need to use up. I kept this base recipe super simple (and it’s still delish), but there are a number of other vegetables that I think would go really great in this soup, like celery, potato (small cubes), green bell pepper, or carrots. BUT, I would limit it to adding just 2 or 3 to avoid the pot getting too full.
What Type of Tomatoes Can I Use?
I took advantage of canned “stewed” tomatoes for this recipe because I love their subtle sweetness and herb-infused flavor. These are quite common in grocery stores in the U.S., but I’m not sure if there is something similar in other countries. If not, I would substitute a large can of whole peeled tomatoes with juices, and perhaps double the herbs and add a small dose of brown sugar to the soup.
Looking for a vegetarian cabbage soup? Try my classic Cabbage Soup recipe.
Beef and Cabbage Soup
Servings 6 about 2 cups eachIngredients
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.26)
- 1 lb. ground beef ($5.99)
- 5 cups cabbage, shredded (about 1 lb.) ($0.29)
- 2 15oz. cans stewed tomatoes ($0.98)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp dried basil ($0.05)
- freshly cracked black pepper ($0.07)
- 6 cups beef broth* ($0.78)
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce ($0.06)
- 1 lemon ($0.32)
- 1 handful fresh parsley ($0.25)
Instructions
- Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add both to a large soup pot with the olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft (about 5 minutes). Add the ground beef and continue to sauté until browned. If using a higher fat content beef, drain the fat once the beef has browned.
- Add the shredded cabbage, stewed tomatoes (with juices), oregano, basil, some freshly cracked pepper (I like it peppery, so about 20 cranks of a pepper mill), the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Stir everything to combine.
- Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to high, and let it come to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and allow it to simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the cabbage is very soft.
- Taste the soup and add salt if needed (I did not add salt, but you may need to depending on the type of broth you use). Use a spoon to break any larger pieces of tomato into smaller pieces. Squeeze about 1 Tbsp of lemon juice into the soup and add a handful of chopped fresh parsley. Stir to combine, taste once more and make adjustments if needed, then serve.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Beef and Cabbage Soup – Step by Step Photos
Finely dice a yellow onion and mince two cloves of garlic. Add them to a large soup pot with 2 Tbsp olive oil and then sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft (about 5 minutes).
Add one pound of ground beef and continue to sauté until it is fully browned. If you’re using a higher fat content beef (15% or higher), you may want to drain the fat off after browning. I used 90% lean, so there wasn’t really anything to drain off.
Add two 15oz. cans of stewed tomatoes (with their juices) and about 5 cups of shredded cabbage. This was half of a small cabbage that weighed about 2 lbs. total (so about one pound was used for the soup). Also add 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp dried basil, and a healthy does of freshly cracked pepper.
Add 6 cups beef broth and a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. Stir everything to combine. Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat up to high. Let the soup come to a boil, then once boiling, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the cabbage is very soft.
Once it’s done simmering, use a spoon to break up the larger pieces of tomatoes into smaller bits (they should be quite soft and easy to break apart). Give the soup a taste and add salt if needed.
Squeeze about a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice into the soup and add a handful of chopped fresh parsley. Stir to combine, give it one last taste to check to needed adjustments, and then serve. :)
Eat up!
I made this cabbage soup and I ate so much of it I’m surprised I didn’t have diarrhea I just loved it
I want more recipes
This. Was. So. Good. 10/10. Very easy, too. Thank you Budget Bytes!
Instead of lemon juice, could you substitute something else acidic like a Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar?
Yes, though I would go for a sharper vinegar, like distilled white. But any vinegar will do the trick! xoxo
Absolutely love this soup! It is a staple on cold wintery days. I switched out the ground beef with ground Italian sausage and it turned out amazing. The sausage gives it more rich flavor and delicious.
In the process of making this right now! Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
A quick question–the stewed tomatoes I found already had ‘italian spices’ added which included Oregano and Basil. Would you cut back on how much you add because of this?
I’d taste the sauce with the addition of the pre-spiced stewed tomatoes and go from there. It’s a good catch on your part. You def don’t want to over-spice. XOXO -Monti
How should I modify this recipe to be made in an Instant Pot?
Hi Georgette! We have not made it in an Instant Pot and can’t offer guidance. XOXO -Monti
Soup looks good.?I’m going to make it with ground turkey. I’ve been eating it without any meat that looks really good.
This came together so quickly and was absolutely delicious! My soup hating husband ate 2 bowls and said he would definitely eat it again.
I made this soup for the first time and it was seriously good – comforting and satisfying without be too heavy . The only changes I made were adding frozen green beans and, since I am a carb addict, some macaroni that I cooked separately. This was the perfect dinner when combined with a sourdough roll and glass of milk. I can already tell that this is a recipe I will be making on a regular basis. Thanks so much for all of the good recipes!
This soup is seriously one of my favourite things to eat. We make it all the time, and it’s so darn good. Thank you!
Very tasty and simple! I added some frozen peas and green beans because they’d been languishing in my freezer. Additionally, I used extra garlic because garlic is life. I also haven’t seen stewed tomatoes in the grocery store for a while – pandemic supply issue, maybe? – so used a can of diced tomatoes and a can of diced tomatoes with chiles. It turned out delicious. Thank you, Beth, for such a tasty and versatile recipe!
I really loved the simplicity of this. Very pleased I have so much left over to enjoy the rest of the week.
I’m a bit tired these days, pandemic life is wearing indeed, and looking for good, but VERY easy peasy and budgety meals. This is one of those. Pretty home spun, but very delicious and healthy, too. I will make this again, thank you to Beth and co for all you do.
This was great. Did not miss the noodles at all. The cabbage made up for that. This perfect.
Curious question? Is this freezer friendly.
Yes :)
Delicious as is but so easy to add black beans and whatever other veggies you have on hand.
Super yummy and easy to make! I added one habanero and made 9 servings instead of 6. Perfect spicy level for us! Unfortunately I didn’t have 3 15oz cans stewed tomatoes so I subbed in 1 28oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes and about 3oz of tomato paste. Thank you for the recipe!
Loved this recipe. I made it pretty much as written. I used half a very large cabbage and ground beef/pork mix. One large can of Italian diced tomatoes and a small can of Rotel as another commenter recommended which gave it a really subtle kick. I had some carrots and a turnip to use up so added those in small cubes. It was so good!! I had to use 8 cups of broth as I think I had more veggies and meat than the recipe called for. My family loved it.
This looks delicious. I can’t wait to make it but without the beef.
Made this for dinner tonight. Everyone loved it. I added a can of Rotel tomatoes with green chili’s to punch it up a bit. One small can is enough to add just the right amount of spice.
Hi Beth,
My wife makes an awesome wild rice soup (authentic, Mil Lacs lake in MN) and it is great, but we both love cabbage, too. What do you think? Would wild rice be a hit in this recipe?
Hmm, personally I’m having a hard time imagining rice in this soup, but sometimes with unexpected combos like that you never really know until you try it. :)
I’d love to try this in the slow cooker since I don’t have a large soup pot, if you feel comfortable recommending cooking times? Thank you :)
I made this this afternoon as written and it is delicious! It came together really quickly and easily. Most of the ingredients were already in my pantry and fridge, except the fresh parsley, so I did without that, but it was still great. The lemon juice at the end really punches it up. I sent the recipe to my mom and she said she’ll be making it tomorrow.
This soup is so delicious!! I was a little skeptical about a cabbage soup. I just had this idea in my head that boiled cabbage is smelly and gross. However, I had a huge head of cabbage that I had to figure out how to use up. I remembered seeing this recipe on the blog so I thought I’d give it a go. I’m so glad I did!
I never leave reviews, but I had to for this recipe. I’m not a good cook nor am I comfortable in the kitchen, but this recipe was very easy to follow! I didn’t have beef stock and used chicken stock instead with the ground beef and it still turned out great! I like sour, so I added more lemon juice than stated in the recipe and it was amazing. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers and try making it again!
Thanks for the great recipe!
Could I use a can of crushed tomatoes and a bag of coleslaw? Trying to use what I have in the house so I don’t have to go to the grocery store amidst the panic/insanity that is going on in the world right now.
Yes you can certainly give it a try!
this was easy, delicious, and felt both hearty and healthy at the same time! loved and will be making again!
This was a wonderful winter night meal with a loaf of crusty bread. I cooked mine in the Instant Pot. After browning the beef and onions, I added all of the other ingredients (subbed diced and crushed tomatoes, vinegar for the lemon, some gourmet Italian blend for seasoning, 4 cups beef broth/2 cups water) and set the cook time for 5 minutes with a natural pressure release of 15 minutes. Absolutely perfect. Leftovers even better!
Stephanie – thanks for the Instant Pot instructions! This info was exactly what I was reading through the comments for. Much appreciated, as I’m off to make this in the Instant Pot now!
Going to try this next week! Usually for cabbage recipes like this I just use a bag of coleslaw to make it quicker. For the meat, do you think ground chicken would work well?
I think our stewed tomatoes were a little low in flavor so the soup came out missing some power. We added a tbsp of gochujang to add some spice and umami. Turned out amazing!
Sorry to hear that Brittany, but it sounds like you turned it right around. I love gochujang!
I made with pork. It came out really nice. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome!
This was so good! Thank you! I have not had Hamburger cabbage soup since our school lunch served it in grade school. Pretty much followed the recipe step by step, I love your comment on pepper, I always add way more ground pepper also. We did have green beans from the garden and we added a few of those, just another vegetable for taste. LOL I did not add lemon juice :) I’m not on the Food Network (smile)
OOH green beans would be a great addition!
Waoooo….. BEEF AND CABBAGE SOUP is super doper and delicious recipe. Its a winter recipe as per my opinion . we enjoy a lot in winter bcoz summer is very hot in our reign. MY whole like this soup. Yous step by step methods is awesome. please keep writing people wants to learn. thanks
Superb recipe! Have made it with ground chicken / chicken broth instead of beef too, and it turned out just as good! :-)
2nd time making it.
Great base (everyone has different tastes). Freezes well and perfect for adding leftovers to.
The Beef and Cabbage soup is absolutely delicious!!! My sister and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The soup is light and filling, and adding the fresh lemon juice at the last minute gave it a burst of freshness. I will be making this soup again. Thank you so much Beth for sharing this very amazing recipe. 😁😁
I used purple cabbage— what I needed to use up— and added carrots and celery to the onion and garlic. I also had 3 radishes i thinly sliced and threw in with the cabbage. I used Italian-spiced diced tomatoes and 2 extra cups of beef broth to accommodate the extra veg. Honestly I didn’t really know what I was doing, but it turned out delicious and nutritious! Thanks for a new recipe!
This was my second soup and once again, soooo delicious. Next time I think I will use sweet italian sausage for some deeper flavor.
Your a bald faced liar, I cannot get my cabbage to be cooked in 30 minutes. What kind of cabbage are you getting soft in 30 minutes? Other then that its a good recipe.
Ricky, achieving different results from a recipe as someone else does not make them a “bald faced liar.” There are thousands of variables in the process of cooking, any of which could have altered your results. Without having been there to watch your process, I’m not sure why your cabbage took so long to cook. A quick google of “boiled cabbage” shows that most recipes recommend only about 15 minutes to cook cabbage, so a 30 minute simmer should have been plenty to soften your cabbage. For better results next time, I suggest cutting your cabbage into smaller pieces, or increasing your heat slightly to provide a slightly stronger simmer. Best of luck.
I followed the recipe and my cabbage had no problem cooking in time. It came out delicious and tender!
I decided to use lean stew meat instead of ground beef and it turned out great! I left the meat, tomatoes, onions, and broth to cook for about 90 minutes before adding the cabbage so the meat could get tender and the cabbage wouldn’t turn to mush. Even my 1 year old and 4 year old loved this dish! This is only 228 calories per serving and it still filled us all up!! Hearty and delicious!
This soup was wonderful and even worked for the diet in on. Thank you so much for this recipe. It really hit the spot after a hard day working!
I love this soup (and so does my husband – BIG win!), but it makes so much! Can leftovers be frozen?
Could this recipe be adapted to the crock pot?
Yes, this would probably work nicely in a slow cooker. I’d do the onions and beef in a skillet, then once the beef is browned, toss that and everything else into the slow cooker. I’m not sure how long it would take, though. I’d need to experiment with that to find out. :)
We ended up doing this completely by accident. I’m sometimes a bit skeptical of your serving sizes, so we planned to double the recipe. Problem was, it just wasn’t going to fit in our pot. So we finished cooking the meat (we substituted ground turkey) and the onions in the skillet, then moved everything to the crock pot. We actually had to remove a little bit of the liquid for it all to fit, even then. We put it on low overnight, so somewhere around 8-10 hours. It turned out so irresistible we actually had it for breakfast!
This soup is so delicious! Thanks for the recipe! It’s so simple and easy to make yet the flavor is really multidimensional. I cooked a cup of barley on the side and put a heaping scoop in each bowl before ladling in the soup. Yum!
This plus a baked potato (repeat daily) made my Passover meals something to enjoy!
I made this on Sunday and rationed it so it fed me thorough the week. All I can say is DELICIOUS and NUTRITIOUS at the same time – one of the best cabbage recipes I have ever tried! Thanks, Beth :-)
Made this for the second time today., so obviously a keeper. Easily adapted to keto by using either fresh tomatoes or a lower carb product such as Raos marinara, and a little less onion. The entire pot contains only about 10 carbs.
My family recipe book has a beef vegetable soup made with beef bones; cabbage, tomato and onion are essential parts.
This soup is a quickie version that warms the soul on this chilly APRIL day.
This soup is Awesome!! Made it over the weekend and it was a hit!!!! This was one of the best soups I have found in a long time!!! Was Perfect for the snowy, cold Saturday!!! Thank you so much Beth!!!!
I made this and my husband loved it. He ate the whole batch in two days
Another winner, Beth, and much more than the sum of its parts. This is a great use of leftover cabbage, and all of the other ingredients are pantry staples. Thank you!
I made this yesterday and it came out amazing. This is one of the best cabbage recipes yet. The only one I think I like better is your Egg Roll Stir Fry (I think that’s the name.
This recipe is great!
Do the stewed tomatoes break up a bit as it cooks?
A little bit, but you’ll need to use your spoon to split them up into smaller pieces.
Thanks, I’m sorry I missed your note about that in the recipe
Made this at the weekend and totally loved it. Made exactly as stated. The cabbage adds so much flavour to this dish.
Wonderful soup, makes a lot, only change I did was to add a can of black beans (with liquid), and one chopped red bell pepper because I had them on hand. Definitely a keeper, thank you!
Made this for dinner tonight. Everyone enjoyed it. I used ground pork. Will make again. Thank you!
This was awesome – I added a bit of white rice to the soup as well and it basically became a lazy cabbage roll soup. Delicious!
It looks very appetizing soup. Thanks for the recipe. 💋
These days its so cold, I am always craving for soup but only know how to make the usual chicken and vegetable soup. This recipe of yours will make a great new addition to my kitchen table. I’m sure everybody will love it!
I made this last night, made a few tiny changes to suit my preferences/ supplies on hand.
Used petite diced tomatoes with garlic, and a bag of coleslaw “mix” I had to use or loose.
The recipe didn’t say when to add the extra veggies so I guessed and tossed it in when I tossed in everything else. Turned out pretty good, even if I should have simmered it longer.
Just made it with ground turkey (I got a bunch on sale recently)- yet another winner🙌👍🏼
I made a couple of (small, I promise) changes that turned out awesome! One, thin-cut chuck steak was on sale, so I chopped it coarsely and subbed for the ground beef. Two, I made it in the Instant Pot — manual setting, high pressure, nine minutes, perfect.
Chuck steak substitution sounds good! I generally don’t like ground meat so I was wondering if I could put some other kind of beef in there. Since it worked so well for you I might try it too!
Thanks for the instant pot times and settings. I was thinking this would be quick and tasty in the instant pot!!
Did you saute the meat with the Saute function first? or just put all the ingredients in at once?
Do you think you could add ground beef substitute in this to replace the meat? Husband accidentally picked up a head of cabbage instead of lettuce so I’m looking for ways to use it (but we’re vegetarian). Thanks!
Yes, I think that would work great. :)
Made this in the instant pot, 30 minutes with quick release. Subbed leeks for the onion, since that was what needed to use up. Super tasty!
It is snowing today in Atlantic Canada, so I made this soup for lunch today. I will definitely make this again.
Hasn’t it snowed pretty much EVERY day in Atlantic Canada recently?
Beth,
This soup sounds delicious. Is it one can of stewed tomatoes or two? Directions say two and recipe says one. I look forward to making this… it’s still soup weather in central Iowa too!!
Thanks for catching that! It’s two cans. :)
While this recipe is almost perfect as written, I just made a batch for lunch and added a can of drained chickpeas. I had a delicious beef soup/stew recipe that I used in the late 60s or early 70s that I lost years ago–it contained both corn and chickpeas, 2 items I have frequently added to beef soup recipes ever since. I left out the corn this time, but the chickpeas are perfect in this delicious soup. Of course I used your favorite bullion! Hamburger is so convenient for fast soups, and this is a terrific addition to my repertoire.
This looks great! Always looking for more cabbage recipes :) For folks who don’t eat beef, what other meats would you recommend subbing in? Thanks as always! Use your recipes for everything.
I think ground turkey would work pretty well for this. :)