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This quick and easy Cabbage Soup with rice is sure to win your heart and charm your taste buds. A wonderfully savory tomato broth is loaded with chunks of fresh cabbage, tender rice, and lots of vegetables. Serve this hearty soup with crusty bread for the perfect weeknight dinner.
If you love to cook with cabbage, I highly recommend making my cabbage rolls. For something super quick, you have to try this recipe for fried cabbage – it’s so, so good!
Whenever I’m in the mood for a steaming bowl of soup, this easy soup recipe always hits the spot. It’s loaded with simple ingredients, including veggies that you probably already have in your kitchen, and only requires 15 minutes of prep time. The combination of tender cabbage, vegetables, and rice in a flavorful tomato-based broth is supremely satisfying. Perfect for cozy weeknight dinners!
As a family, we really like this soup. It’s one of those dishes that everyone looks forward to on chilly evenings. I remember the first time I made it; my (at the time) 6-year-old daughter couldn’t stop raving about how delicious it was. Now, it’s become a staple in our home, and we often enjoy it together around the dinner table, slurping away!
Why We Love This Cabbage Soup Recipe
Budget-friendly. This great recipe won’t break the bank, so it’s great for those looking to cut down on spending without sacrificing flavor.
Filling. This cabbage soup, made with a rich tomato broth, plenty of rice, and fiber-filled veggies, is sure to keep you fueled throughout the day.
One pot wonder. I love that you only need one pot to make this soup. It’s a no-mess, no-fuss recipe, and clean up is such a breeze.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make the best cabbage soup! You might already have a lot of these ingredients in your kitchen. The recipe card further down the page provides precise measurements.
- Green Cabbage – You won’t need a whole head of cabbage for this recipe, but I recommend using fresh cabbage. Simply chop up about 4 cups to add to the soup.
- Long grain rice – I used white rice, but you could opt for brown rice instead. Just note that it will take a bit longer to cook. You could also use leftover rice here if you have some on hand.
- Olive oil – Used for sauteing the vegetables. Avocado oil or vegetable oil are good substitutes.
- Veggies – Yellow onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and bell pepper. You could also use a white onion and whatever colored bell pepper you may have.
- Seasonings – Salt, black pepper, dried oregano, chili powder, and bay leaf.
- Tomato paste – I am a big fan of tomato paste. It adds body to this comforting meal and a delicious tomato flavor.
- Canned Diced Tomatoes – Feel free to use fresh diced tomatoes too.
- Low sodium vegetable broth – Chicken broth would be just fine. I like to grab a low-sodium product because it gives me more control over the final flavor of the soup.
How To Make Cabbage Soup
If you have been looking for an easy soup recipe, this cabbage soup is a good option. It is a hearty, nutritious meal that is simple to prepare.
Prep the rice. Cook the rice according to the package instructions and set aside.
Saute the veggies. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large soup pot. Add the onions, season with salt, and saute for 1 minute. Stir in the remaining veggies, oil, and seasonings.
Deepen the flavor. Stir in the bay leaf and tomato paste and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Make the soup. Stir in diced tomatoes, cook for 2 minutes, and then stir in the veggie broth. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Put it all together. Remove the soup from the heat, remove the bay leaf, and stir in the rice.
Recipe Tips
- Cook the rice separately. Cooking the rice separately and adding it at the very end ensures that it doesn’t absorb the liquid, making the soup more of a stew. So stir the rice in just before serving, no sooner.
- Keep things moving. To keep the veggies from burning and to ensure that they cook evenly, be sure to give them a stir every once in a while.
- Be patient. As the soup simmers, the flavors will deepen. Don’t try to turn up the heat to cook things faster. Give the soup a full 10 minute over medium heat after adding the broth.
- Don’t forget the bay leaf. Before stirring in the rice and serving the soup, make sure to remove the bay leaf.
Variations
- Add some protein. To bulk this cabbage soup recipe, consider stirring in cooked, shredded chicken or turkey a few minutes before adding the rice. For a heartier version, add ground beef. Brown the beef in the pot before adding the vegetables for an extra layer of flavor.
- Consider other veggies. You could easily add some sliced zucchini, chopped broccoli, mushrooms, chickpeas, and cannellini beans. Kidney beans would be a great choice. This soup is a nice way to use up any leftover veggies you might have hanging out in your fridge.
- Try a different starch. Not a rice person? You could add cooked pasta to the soup instead (orzo would be fun). Cooked barley or quinoa would also be great options. Alternatively, saute some peeled, diced potatoes along with the other vegetables.
Serving Suggestions
If nothing else, I highly suggest you serve this cabbage soup with a hunk of crusty bread. I have been obsessed with this Skillet Bread, but my Focaccia Bread would be pretty amazing, too. Looking for a little more substance? Whip up a grilled cheese sandwich or a classic Reuben. There’s nothing like dipping a cheesy, melty sandwich in a steaming bowl of soup.
This one-pot wonder already has plenty of veggies in it but you are welcome to serve it with your favorite salad if you’d like. Try my La Scala Chopped Salad or a classic Cobb Salad.
How To Store & Reheat Leftovers
To store. Once the soup has cooled to room temperature, seal it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days, or store it in freezer-safe containers and freeze the soup for up to 3 months. Allow the soup to thaw in the fridge before reheating.
To reheat. Reheat leftover cabbage soup in a pot on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until warm. You can also microwave individual servings in 30-second intervals, stirring between eat, until heated through.
More Easy Cabbage Recipes To Try
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Cabbage Soup with Rice
Ingredients
- ½ cup long grain rice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- pinch of salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 large carrots, sliced into rounds
- 3 stalks celery, sliced
- 2 bell peppers, diced
- 4 cups chopped fresh cabbage
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes, undrained
- 6 cups vegetable broth
Instructions
- Cook the rice. Prepare rice according to the directions on the package and then set aside.
- Saute the vegetables. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Add onions and salt; cook for 1 minute. Stir in the garlic, carrots, celery, peppers, cabbage, and remaining olive oil; cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Seasoning. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, and chili powder. Add bay leaf and stir in the tomato paste.
- Cook the veggies. Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in the diced tomatoes; continue to cook for 2 more minutes.
- Make the soup. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil; reduce to medium heat and continue to cook for 10 minutes.
- Finish. Remove from heat, take out the bay leaf, and stir in the prepared rice.*
- Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Love this recipe – especially addition of chili powder and bay leaf.
We have not been going grocery shopping these days due to Covid SOOooo I have been getting creative with my cooking
I recently made cabbage rolls and I used the cabbage leaves (.broken bits and leaves with holes – the ones that line my pot) and chopped them up to make this soup.
Added onion and garlic and carrots.
I had leftover tabouleh so added that as well.
I used veg broth – could have used water – as sodium makes me cringe.
It is a cold Spring day in Ontario During Covid and this hits the spot.
I will freeze some for later as well.
Mmm mmm
Thank you.
Loved your story about taking soup to school.
The soup recipe is wonderful I made it with little changes….. ONE BIG CHANGE. The amount of sodium per one cup is 1054!!! absolutely too much per once cup.. Just cut off the vegetable broth use water only. Or maybe was a miss-print.?
Why not use fresh tomatoes instead of canned. It isn’t a chore chopping tomatoes. And make your own puree. Again it’s simple and really does not take much time. I don’t use anything canned in my cooking and it’s just a bit disappointing to find even good recipes like these with canned ingredients.
Making your own cabbage soup seems so intimidating sometimes! I feel like I’m just getting the hang of it!…
I made this last night but used 1 cup rice, swapped the bay leaf for some dried basil, and added a can of kidney beans to add some more cheap protein. Holy cow; delicious and perfect for this snowy spring weather! Definite make again 🙂
This came out so amazing! It really tastes like a cheat meal! Yum!!
I’m so happy I found this recipe. I made a ‘unstuffed cabbage roll’ from a forum I’m on, but it came out as a heavy stew (I used turkey). I can’t wait to try this!
Can you do this in a slow cooker? Thanks for the recipe.
A recipe very similar to this was passed down to me many years ago by my mother minus the rice. Delicious with barley added.
I’ve never had cabbage soup! Your photos look so appetizing.