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Whenever I ask my family what they feel like having for dinner on a given week, they always say soup. Which is pretty awesome because soups are easy, can use up whatever I have on hand, and it’s easy to fit in lots of protein and veggies. This beef cabbage soup is one of our faves. It’s super comforting, and somehow both hearty and light at the same time. Let me show you how to make cabbage soup with ground beef, soft veggies, and just 15 minutes of prep time. Make it with me!
Why You Need My Beef Cabbage Soup Recipe
- Beefy, veggie packed meal – This isn’t your average soup! It’s loaded with bold, beefy flavor and tender vegetables, striking a balance of hearty and cozy without feeling too heavy. If you like my hamburger soup and classic cabbage soup, you’ll love this combo of both.
- Easy to make, with hands-off cooking – There’s almost no chopping involved! And you can choose from three (hands-off) cooking options: Instant Pot, slow cooker, or stovetop.
- Perfect for meal prep – My hamburger cabbage soup stores beautifully, making it perfect for weekend batch cooking. I love it for light lunches all week or as a cozy dinner with a healthy salad and cauliflower breadsticks.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for beef cabbage soup with hamburger, what each one does in my recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Cabbage – That shortcut I talked about? It’s coleslaw mix, so you don’t have to chop the cabbage! But you can easily chop a head of cabbage yourself and throw in some shredded carrots. Use the extras to make my kielbasa and sauerkraut or cabbage salad.
- Ground Beef – I like 85/15 grass-fed beef, which is flavorful without being too greasy, but use whatever you prefer. And while my recipe is for cabbage soup with ground beef, you can easily make it with ground turkey, pork, chicken, or even Italian sausage.
- Onion – White or yellow onions are my go-to, but red onion will work. You can also saute other sturdy veggies with it, like bell peppers or celery.
- Beef Broth – I love using homemade bone broth, but store-bought beef broth works great too. You can even swap in chicken or veggie broth if needed.
- Diced Tomatoes – I use this kind. You can also use fire-roasted for a smoky flavor.
- Herbs & Spices – Italian seasoning, garlic powder, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Want heat? Add a pinch of cayenne.
- Avocado Oil – For sauteing. Olive oil works, too.
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How To Make Cabbage Soup With Ground Beef
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Saute the onions. Cook them in olive oil until they’re nice and soft. You can do this right in the Instant Pot if you’re using that method, in a pan for the Crock Pot method, or a Dutch oven or large pot if you’re cooking the entire soup on the stove.
- Brown the beef. Turn up the heat, add the ground beef, and cook it until it’s browned and crumbly.
- Add everything else. Transfer the beef and onions to the slow cooker if that’s how you’re cooking, or leave in the pot otherwise. Add the cabbage, tomatoes (with juice), broth, seasonings, and bay leaves.
- Cook it up. Let the beef cabbage soup cook until everything’s tender. A sprinkle of fresh parsley on top is a nice touch, but totally optional!
My Recipe Tips & Variations
- Do you really have to brown the beef and onions? Yes, I highly recommend it, even if you’re using the slow cooker or pressure cooker. It improves the flavor so much, and doesn’t take very long.
- Prefer a softer texture in your beef? A reader told me she cooked it with a little water and it came out softer. Give it a try if you like!
- Want a thicker beef cabbage soup? Add more cabbage or reduce the amount of broth a bit. It’ll feel more like a stew and super cozy for colder days.
- Want it more hearty? Toss in some drained cannellini or kidney beans, or diced potatoes.
- Flavor doesn’t seem quite right? Oftentimes, if something is missing, I find that something is salt! Add a little more and see if this helps. But if it’s too salty, a tablespoon of lemon juice can fix it. I have more tips on adjusting flavor in my vegetable soup recipe — the same applies here.
More Ground Beef Soup Recipes
If you like this hamburger cabbage soup, try one of my other healthy soup recipes with ground beef next:
Beef Cabbage Soup
By
This beef cabbage soup is loaded with hamburger and veggies in a cozy broth. Make it on the stove, in the Crock Pot, or in the Instant Pot!
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
Stovetop Instructions:
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Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onions. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to brown.
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Add the ground beef. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, breaking apart with a spatula, for 8-10 minutes, until the beef is cooked through.
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Add the cabbage or coleslaw mix, diced tomatoes, bone broth, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Season with more salt and/or pepper to taste.
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Increase the heat and bring the beef cabbage soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30-60 minutes, until the flavors develop to your liking.
Crock Pot Instructions:
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Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onions. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to brown.
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Add the ground beef. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, breaking apart with a spatula, for 8-10 minutes, until the beef is cooked through.
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Transfer the beef and onion mixture to a Crock Pot. Add the cabbage or coleslaw mix, diced tomatoes, bone broth, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and bay leaves. 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 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to brown.
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Add the ground beef. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Increase the saute temperature to "High". Cook, breaking apart with a spatula, for 8-10 minutes, until the beef is cooked through.
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Turn off heat. Add the cabbage or coleslaw mix, diced tomatoes, bone broth, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and bay leaves. 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 make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cup
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you adjust the flavor and thickness of your soup, or even make it more hearty.
- Store: Cool first, then pour into airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Meal prep: Shred the cabbage (or grab a pre-shredded mix) and cook the onions and beef ahead. Or make the whole soup—it stores great, so I often make a double batch!
- Freeze: Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat: Heat on the stovetop, in the slow cooker, or in the microwave.
- Note on serving size: 1 cup is a nice amount for a starter before your meal. My family sometimes has this as a light meal by itself and we just triple the serving size!
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I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Beef Cabbage Soup
362 Comments
Ashleigh Denton
0I used spicy sausage and half of a jalapeño with a can of tomatoes and the bagged shredded cabbage. It turned out great! I decreased the broth to 5 cups and it was still such a great soup for this cold 30° day here in Oklahoma
Thank you!
Barbara
0I really enjoyed this soup. Made it in a crockpot. There were no leftovers! Easy to make.
Lynne Snowball
0I made this yesterday, I sub the beef with ground chicken and added extra cabbage. I love it.. We are big soup eaters and this hits the spot on a cold winters day. Thank you for the recipe.
Ceci
0I used to think cabbage soup was a bland diet food, but not this hearty, savory soup!! I followed the recipe suggestions and added potatoes to my batch. I cannot express how delicious this recipe was and it will be a staple in my household from here on out. Thank you!!
Helena Winegar
0Love this soup! I made in instant pot. I chopped the cabbage and added some chopped baby carrots (since I didn’t use the slaw mix and I love carrots ?). I also added the suggested chopped celery for extra flavor. Can’t get enough, so I double the recipe!!
Summer Peterson
0Made this soup yesterday. Started it in the crockpot but finished it on the stove. Wasn’t sure about this soup… I had to tweak it and tweak it, but it finally came together in a most delicious blend! I only used more of the ingredients you called for so I didn’t change the recipe. It’s a good one… Just needs a tad of tweaking!
Brenda
0Easy to make. I like my soup a little thicker so only used 4 cups of beef broth. I did add a little beef concentrate and also a little Maggi flavouring. Delicious! Another family favourite.
Pam
0Great recipe. I used a whole small head of cabbage – it was in the fridge. I also added a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, just because that is the way we go. Will make again. I love a good soup.
Lynn St Amour
0I made this soup exactly, i made it as the recipes says and we LOVED it. My husband said “Honey you are such a good cook” lol I said I just followed wholesomeyum recipe lol. The flavor is awesome and we will definitely have this again!
Ericha nix
0I made the cabbage soup. It was pretty fast to make and the instructions were easy to follow. My husband and I really enjoyed it and thought it was quite tasty! Thank you!!
Renee Williams
0I tried this soup recipe with 1/2 chicken broth & 1/2 beef broth, as I ran out of chicken broth & I did not use bay leaves. I could taste the Italian seasoning but found the soup on the bland side. Using the crock pot, the soup was steamy hot & is perfect for the cold day to warm yourself up. Next time, I’ll try some of the variations mentioned. It is very filling & I did go for seconds.
Would some shredded cheese on top taste good?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Renee, I’ve added some tips above to adjust the flavor that might help. Shredded cheese can be okay on top, but it’ll get kind of clumpy.
Luis Mathews
0This recipe was delicious and fun to try! I had to go to the super market to get some ingredients I was missing otherwise I would have done this recipe sooner. I used a pressure cooker and added potatoes as was suggested and it turned out so good! Now that I am confident in how it turned out I can make some for the rest of the family! Thank you for this recipe!
angie guinn
0I wasn’t sure how this was going to be, but I will be making it again! My husband has tongue cancer and can’t eat anything but soft foods. He was able to eat this and loved it and so did I. I am going to try freezing the left overs so that I don’t waste any. But we ate on that for 3 days and it is delicious!
Theresa Deacon
0This was soo good! I did it in the slow cooker and I had a case of diced tomatoes with green chilies so I used two 10 ounce cans instead of regular diced tomatoes. Gave it quite a kick but hit the spot after a winter walk in Michigan. Also sprinkled with mozzarella cheese and fresh grated parm before serving. Definitely a keeper❤️
Sandy
0I will make this often. SO yummy and easy to make. Sandy
Sharon Tamburello
0This is so good. I fixed it today in my crockpot. I used a combination of homemade chicken bone broth and also a container of beef stock; I also used half of a head of cabbage. I cooked it on low for 5 1/2 hrs. I used very lean 93% ground beef but I would still make sure that the meat is drained before adding. This was great with some homemade peasant bread.
Linda
0I made a pot of this soup yesterday. Oh My Gosh! The whole house had a wonderful aroma as the soup simmered on the stove. Had a bowl of it for lunch today. It did not disappoint my expectations. It is a really great soup! I have packaged up the rest of it for the freezer. I will be enjoying it many times more going forward on my Keto Journey! Thank you Maya for another great recipe! 🙂
Barbara
0I’ve had other cabbage soups, but this one was very tasty and was easy to make. I made it last night using my insta pot. It was great without any substitutions. I did add the cayenne pepper. Ate 3 bowls. Yummy!!!???
Jennifer Burris
0I was a little hesitant to try this recipe because my husband and I are not big fans of cabbage, but we are trying to get more variety in our diet so we decided to go ahead and try it. It turned out to be pretty good. My husband does not like onions, but he didn’t have a problem with this recipe. I only rated it 4 stars because I save 5 stars for recipes that I love enough to get a craving for (like the cauliflower baked ziti). This soup probably isn’t something I would crave, but it is tasty and it’s a keeper. We’ll be adding it into our rotation. I also like that it can be frozen for make-ahead dinners.
James
0Just had a bowl of the cabbage soup I prepared in the crockpot after getting it from the Wholesome Yum web site. I love cabbage so this was exciting to put together. It’s definitely going in my favorite book to fix on a regular basis.