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Get It NowThis easy beef cabbage soup recipe (sometimes called hamburger cabbage soup) tastes so rich and hearty, you’d never guess it was healthy. It’s a lot like my hamburger soup, but with the added comfort factor of cabbage instead of some of the other veggies. Let me show you how to make cabbage soup with ground beef, tender veggies, and only 15 minutes of hands-on prep — including Crock Pot or Instant Pot options.
If you like this cabbage soup recipe, you’ll probably also enjoy my detox soup.
Why You’ll Love This Cabbage Soup Recipe
- Rich, beefy flavor
- Tender meat with soft vegetables
- Simple ingredients with minimal chopping
- 15 minutes of prep time
- Make this easy cabbage soup recipe in the slow cooker, pressure cooker, or on the stove top
- Naturally paleo, whole30, keto, and low carb
- The perfect light meal that keeps you full and satisfied!
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for cabbage and ground beef soup, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options (see more in the Variations section below). For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Avocado Oil – You can also use olive oil, or whatever neutral cooking oil you prefer.
- Onion – A white or yellow onion is best, but red onion can work as well.
- Ground Beef – I typically use 85/15 grass-fed beef, which is flavorful without being too greasy, but use any variety you like. While this is a recipe for cabbage soup with hamburger, you can also make it using other ground meats (see ideas in the Variations section below).
- Shredded Coleslaw Mix – Makes for minimal chopping in this simple cabbage soup recipe! If you want to avoid the added carrot, you can also use plain shredded cabbage.
- Beef Broth – I use homemade bone broth, but a store-bought variety beef broth works too. Chicken broth and vegetable broth also make fine substitutions.
- Diced Tomatoes – These are the kind that come in a can. Include them with the liquid for extra flavor and for the right amount of liquid in the soup.
- Herbs & Spices – Including Italian seasoning (make homemade Italian seasoning for best flavor!), garlic powder, bay leaves, sea salt, and black pepper. If you like a little kick, add some cayenne pepper to taste.
How To Make Cabbage Soup With Hamburger
This section shows how to make cabbage soup with ground beef, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Saute onions. Heat oil in the Instant Pot (or saute pan, if using a slow cooker). Cook onions until softened.
- Cook beef. Increase temperature to medium-high heat and add ground beef, cooking until browned.
- Add remaining ingredients. Transfer the beef and onions to a slow cooker (or leave in the Instant Pot if using that method.) Stir in the coleslaw mix, diced tomatoes (with liquid), broth, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and whole bay leaves.
- Cook. Cook hamburger cabbage soup in the Crock Pot or Instant Pot, until ingredients are softened and cooked through. (Times will vary depending on cooking vessel of choice — see recipe card below.) I like to garnish with fresh parsley, but this is optional.
VARIATION: Cook ground beef cabbage soup on the stove top instead.
Follow the same steps, but use a large pot and cook on the stove. After adding ingredients to the pot in step 3, bring to a boil and simmer for 30-60 minutes, or until the flavors develop to your liking.
Variations Of Beef Cabbage Soup
- Skip the meat – Make it vegetarian by omitting the beef and use vegetable broth instead of beef bone broth.
- Use different ground meats – Instead of hamburger soup with cabbage, trade beef for ground turkey, ground pork, ground chicken, or Italian sausage with casings removed.
- Add beans – If your lifestyle allows beans, they would make a perfect addition to this soup. Simply rinse and drain beans before adding to the pot. Try it with cannellini beans or kidney beans!
- Try other added veggies – This soup would taste delicious with cauliflower, bell peppers, or celery added!
- Include potatoes – If you wish to have potatoes in your soup, saute them to brown after the onions, then cook as usual. They’ll soften while the soup cooks.
- Use whole cabbage – I typically use coleslaw mix as a time-saving shortcut whenever I make cabbage soup recipes, but you can simply chop it yourself instead of using a mix.
- Add a squeeze of lemon juice – It brightens up the flavor and adds a boost of vitamin C! Add it at the end of cooking, to taste.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Cool cabbage beef soup leftovers to room temperature, then cover and store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Meal prep: Shred cabbage (if not using a pre-shredded mix), and cook onions and beef ahead of time and store until ready to complete the recipe. You can also make the entire soup ahead of time, since it stores very well. It’s easy to make a double batch!
- Freeze: Cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 months, and thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Reheat: Warm up the soup on the stovetop, in the slow cooker, or in the microwave.
More Healthy Soup Recipes
If you like this hearty Crock Pot cabbage soup with hamburger, you’ll love these other cozy soups too!
Tools To Make Cabbage Soup Recipes
- Saute Pan – Only needed if using the stovetop or slow cooker version of this recipe.
- Instant Pot – Makes the best cabbage soup recipe in the least time!
- Crock Pot – My favorite for low and slow cooking.
Cabbage Soup With Hamburger (Crock Pot or Instant Pot)
Make this easy beef cabbage soup recipe in the Crock Pot or Instant Pot! Cabbage soup with hamburger is cozy, healthy, and easy.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
Crock Pot Instructions:
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Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onions. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions start to brown.
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Add ground beef to the pan. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Increase heat to medium-high. Cook, breaking apart with a spatula, for about 7-10 minutes, until the beef is browned.
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Meanwhile, place the remaining ingredients into the Crock Pot.
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When the beef is browned, add the beef and onion mixture to the Crock Pot. Stir to combine. Season with more salt and/or pepper to taste.
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Cook for 5-6 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
Instant Pot Instructions:
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Press the Saute button on the Instant Pot. Add the oil and chopped onions. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions start to brown.
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Add ground beef to the Instant Pot. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Increase saute temperature to "High". Cook, breaking apart with a spatula, for about 7-10 minutes, until the beef is cooked through.
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When the beef is done, turn off heat and add the remaining ingredients into the Instant Pot. Stir to combine. Season with more salt and/or pepper to taste.
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Cover and seal the Instant Pot. Press the Manual button and adjust the time to 20 minutes. When cooking is complete, let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then use quick release. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
Did You Like It?
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cup
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂
314 Comments
Chandra
1Made this with Ground Hot Sausage, added cumin and extra crushed red peppers! Amazing! Super easy to make, so I very much appreciate that! Thank you!
Kendahl
0I love cabbage so I just had to try it! It was really easy to make and turned out delicious! I used ground turkey instead of beef, and fresh tomatoes. Again, it turned out amazing and can’t wait to make it again!
Maria Preston
0Just baked a bone-in ham and could not find an actual ham bone cabbage keto soup to use it. So I made ham bone broth by cooking the ham bone in just water with 2 bay leaves, until the joints fell apart. Strained it and saved all the ham meat to add to the soup. Added to the broth- 1 bag of coleslaw mix, chopped onion, a chopped whole small head of cabbage, 2 tsp celery seed, the ham and extra water. Cooked until cabbage is tender. It tastes like the navy bean soup Mom used to make, without the beans. Makes a lot so I always freeze some.
I shall try the beef next, as we only get ham a few times a year.
Michelle
0This recipe is amazing and perfect for the instapot!!!!
Geoff McMillan
0Beautiful soup, filling and wholesome.
Gayle W.
0Really good! I used what I had in the house, so used the ham bone broth I had in the freezer and Rotel for the tomatoes. Then I messed up and put in poultry seasoning rather then Italian seasoning, but it was really good! I also added 2 tbsp of coconut aminos.
Really versital recipe that is good no matter what exchanges you make.
Hubby loved it!
Jen
0Sounds yum. I’m going to use ground turkey. How long would I cook this if on the stovetop?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Jen, Follow the same steps, but use a large pot and cook on the stove. After adding ingredients to the pot in step 3, bring to a boil and simmer for 30-60 minutes, or until the flavors develop to your liking. You can find the full stovetop directions in the post.
Linda Noeller
1It’s a snowy day here, so this was a perfect recipe to try. Bonus, I had all ingredients! I normally don’t like cooked Cabbage and was hesitant to use my bag of coleslaw, but it adds a great flavor to the soup. I used 1/2 an onion. Directions were clear, easy to follow and went together quickly. I just got an Instapot for xmas so this was a new experience (I hadn’t used it yet). I used 90% ground beef. Soup was tasty and filling – it was enough by itself for me. I made my hubby a salad and roll. He’s isn’t trying to loose weight but eats keto(mostly) to control his diabetes without meds. He LOVED this soup. Will definitely be rotating this recipe into our dinner menu. Might add some red hit pepper flakes in next time to make it spicy.
Lisa Goossen
1This is one of my favorite soups! I love how easy it is to change the flavor just by changing up the spices! I often omit the Italian seasoning and add taco seasoning and chili powder. Then I sprinkle with chopped cilantro right before serving! My whole family likes it both ways.
Hana
0This soup was delicious and very easy! I added potatoes, but it really didn’t need them.
Patty
0I just made it in a big pot on the stove. Added 3/4 bag of brocolli slaw and then cut up some cabbage. Everything else the same. Simmered for an hour or so until the cabbage was cooked the way I like it. I knew it would be easy but this is crazy easy. It tastes so good. Boyfriend even ate it and liked it. He doesn’t usually like vegetables. I will definately make it again.
M Raymond
0Very tasty soup. Would this soup freeze ok? I’ve just picked three cabbages from the garden and this would be a great way to enjoy them.
Thank you
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi, Cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 months, and thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.