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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
Nancy
0My husband is not such a cabbage fan. I made this and served it on a cold winter day. He could hardly stop eating. He had two large bowls and I promised I would serve it again the next day. Maybe I can get him to eat other cabbage dishes now! Thanks for all the good ideas.
Tami Vollenweider
0I have made this before and was very surprised how good it tasted! I am not a fan of cabbage but will all of the ingredients added together it had a great taste!!!
Mary
0Very similar to the vegetable soup I’ve been making for years. Must give it a try with the hamburger.
Jenny
0Super yummy. Made on stove top, simmered covered for 45 mins. Added beef bouillon cube and parmesan rind. Stored in extra spinach prior to serving and topped with grated parm. Delicious.
Sue Ulintz
0Delicious! I made it in the pressure cooker today and the house smells amazing ? Side note – I don’t eat nightshades, so I omitted the tomatoes. I added more broth and for additional flavor added a tsp of garlic powder, half tsp of allspice, and a quarter tsp of nutmeg.
This is a keeper! Thanks Maya!
Laurie Poli
0I’m making this for dinner tonight. Looks delicious!
Melanie
0I just made this cabbage soup and absolutely loved it! I used my pressure cooker as it is my favorite kitchen appliance to use! The cabbage came out soft not mushy I also used grass-fed beef. The only thing I would change in this recipe is salt, I used what was listed but had to add a bit more.
I’m on the news letter email list for when I was dieting with keto. I had no idea that Maya had other recipes besides keto until now! I love your recipes Maya!
Sarah DeLong
0My family doesn’t typically eat cabbage or ground beef, but with the rising costs of groceries, I thought I’d give this recipe a try. It’s very filling and you’ll have enough for days. And I enjoyed the leftovers the next day even more than the first night. This recipe was very easy to make; the hardest part was sautéing the meat and onions (which isn’t even difficult at all). And because I made it in the instant pot, dinner was ready before Wheel of Fortune even came on.
Marcy McCleery
0WOW, this is a keeper! My husband has MS and needs to include more cabbage into his diet, and this is a perfect recipe for this. There is plenty of leftovers for easy lunches too! Thanks Maya!
Jennifer
0This was absolutely delicious – and so easy to make too! I didn’t want to run to the store – so used what I had here. I had a head of cabbage, so used that instead of a mix. I used chicken broth, but then I also added beef bullion paste. I had some frozen chopped peppers so threw that in when I was cooking the onions. I doubled the recipe. Looking forward to eating on this for the next few days. I cooked mine on the stovetop – I have an induction stove and love cooking on it – it adjusts as easily as a gas stove, works so much better than an electric stove and is much safer to use as there are no electric coils or gas flames to cause problems. If I would have had some radishes, I would have added some for fake potatoes. Radishes make a wonderful low carb substitute for potatoes in dishes like soups, stews and scalloped “potatoes” without the cauliflower taste. The radishes take on the flavor of whatever you cook them in. This is a nice easy and quick recipe for times when you don’t want to do a lot of work getting a meal together.
Darlene Staples
0Made this soup last night!!! Everyone loved it and such a time saver using coleslaw mix!!!
Jaine Vaughn
0I love Cabbage Soup! So easy to make and it freezes well. I use Rotel rather than plain diced tomatoes and can add other low carb veggies.
Jennie
0I love that there are so few ingredients in this recipe! Made 2 batches, one in the crockpot and the other on the stovetop and will be freezing single serving sizes for lunches. Cabbage is not a go to for me but I love this soup!
Lynn Tracy
0This is amazing! I love soup with cabbage and the mixture of the cabbage and tomatoes was delicious! Thank you for sharing. I will try with sausage meat next time!
Anna
0Just finished this for our breakfast early lunch and it’s delicious, easy to prep.
Anna
0My husband said it was delicious I just added red pepper flakes for a bit spicy since is cold out here in Florida.
Veronica Gaymon
0I love cabbage and this recipe does not disappoint. Thanks for sharing!
Don
0Made in crock pot. Very good flavor. Will definitely make again.
Chris Wunsch
0I made this with a cut up chuck roast, seared on skillet in lard first, then to the slow cooker! FANTASTIC!
Wayne G Grabowski
0Tasted great, will definitely make this again
lisa belen
0I love this recipe, very easy and delicious! I made mine vegetarian and glad it worked in my 2.5 quart crockpot! Will definitely make it again soon!
Linda
0It is a really nice recipe, I used olive oil instead of avacado (we hVe large birds that love to eat with us), and I switched the ground beef to ground pork. Everyone loved it.