Ground Beef and Cabbage Soup is an incredibly simple soup recipe, ideal for those looking for a belly-pleasing meal without much effort! If you’re new to making soup, this one’s a great introduction, as it only requires 10 basic ingredients and zero fancy tricks.
I have a feeling this Ground Beef and Cabbage Soup is going to be on constant rotation in my household throughout the chilly fall and winter months.
It is all the important things: easy to prepare, filling and nutritious, cozy and delicious!
Once the weather cools off, I find myself craving ginormous bowls of soup, stew, or chili.
Some of my all-time favorites from the blog that I’ve made time and again are my Instant Pot Paleo Pumpkin Chili, Immunity-Boosting Turmeric Chicken Soup and my easy Crock Pot Chicken and Rice Soup.
But here we are, featuring two of my much beloved ingredients: ground beef and cabbage!
If you made my Unstuffed Cabbage Bowls, this ground beef and cabbage soup is pretty similar.
The main difference is we’re going with a soup consistency and using fresh tomatoes for a hearty yet light approach.
The end result is healthy comfort food at its finest. Rich broth, lean protein, and plenty of fiber creates a belly-filling meal!
This isn’t my first foray into cabbage soup.
There’s just something about cabbage that makes for an incredibly comforting soup or stew even if it’s very low in calories and there isn’t much to it.
It could be the volume it brings to a meal that makes it so enticing and satisfying.
You may remember my Instant Pot Sausage and Cabbage Soup from a few years ago, which I confess I’ve made innumerable times!
My Instant Pot Irish Beef Stew also features the much beloved cabbage and has those tender, hearty chunks of beef and root veggies for the ultimate meal.
But let’s chat about the simple ingredients for this cabbage soup with hamburger! The great news is you can find the full ingredient list at all grocery stores!
Ingredients for Ground Beef and Cabbage Soup:
Avocado Oil: Used to sauté the vegetables and brown the beef, we need a cooking oil. I like using avocado oil because it has a high smoke point, but olive oil works too.
Yellow Onion, Fresh Garlic, Carrots: For this rendition of cabbage soup with ground beef, we’re going with super simple yet high-impact ingredients like onion, and cloves of garlic, which bring a tremendous amount of flavor.
Fresh carrots add some natural sweetness and heartiness.
Ground Beef: One of the main ingredients in this cabbage soup with hamburger recipe is ground beef!
I use 90/10 beef for this soup, but feel free to go with a fattier cut. The fattier it is, the more flavorful it will be.
Chicken Broth, Italian Seasoning, Salt and Black Pepper: The base of the liquid consists of chicken broth (or chicken stock) and seasonings.
I use chicken bone broth, Italian seasoning, sea salt, and black pepper to round it all out for an herby, savory dish with a little hint of sweet.
Vegetable broth and beef broth work too.
Fresh Tomatoes: Tomatoes add some sweetness and a little acidity to add to the flavor palate.
While I go with fresh tomatoes, you can easily swap them for two cans of diced tomatoes if that’s your preference. I just had them on hand from my brother’s garden and they needed to be used.
Green Cabbage: One head of green cabbage makes up much of the volume in this delicious cabbage soup with hamburger recipe!
For the best results, use fresh cabbage instead of coleslaw mix. I know it is tempting to save time, but fresh chopped cabbage yields the best flavor and texture.
The soup pot will seem overly full at first, but don’t worry. The soup will cook down!
Recipe Adaptations:
- You can easily add more veggies- stalks of celery, potato, broccoli, green beans, bell pepper, green onions, a leafy green like spinach, fire-roasted tomatoes, and cauliflower are all great options.
- If you’re a fan of beans, toss in one to two cans of your favorite bean! I think garbanzo beans and kidney beans would be particularly lovely. Black beans, white beans, and cannellini beans work great too!
- And if you’re a bacon lover, you can do as I do in my Transylvanian Stock Pot recipe and cook up 4 to 6 slices of bacon. Use the fat for sautéing the vegetables, then chop the cooked bacon and add it to the soup after it has finished cooking.
- Love dried or fresh herbs? Toss them in! I love dried oregano and parsley in soup, but keeping it simple with Italian seasoning works great.
- Swap the ground beef for ground Italian sausage for a wildly flavorful approach.
- For a kick of heat, add red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to your personal taste.
- Love citrus flavor? Add lemon zest or a drizzle of lemon juice for a added Vitamin C for a nutritional powerhouse to support your immune system.
- Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of tomato paste for more tomato flavor.
Now that we’ve covered the wholesome ingredients for this flavorful soup, let’s make this easy cabbage soup recipe!
How to Make Ground Beef Cabbage Soup:
Add the avocado oil to a large thick-bottomed pot (I use a large Dutch Oven) and heat to medium-high heat.
Add the chopped onion, carrots and garlic. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Scoot the vegetables off to one side of the pot and add the ground beef. Allow it to brown for 3 minutes without touching it. Flip and brown for another 2 to 3 minutes. Break up the meat into smaller pieces using a spatula and stir it into the vegetables.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot. The cabbage will take up a lot of space at first but will cook down. Cover the pot, and bring to a full boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage has wilted, about 30 minutes.
Taste the soup for flavor and add sea salt to taste.
Serve and enjoy!
I recommend serving the soup with crust bread and a hefty sprinkle of fresh grated parmesan cheese.
Storage Instructions:
Store leftover cabbage soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
You can freeze cabbage soup double bagged in large zip lock bags for up to 3 months.
One of the best parts about this soup is it tastes even better the next day after the depth of flavor has time to mature.
For this reason, feel free to make this cabbage hamburger soup well in advance of when you intend to serve it!
One of the benefits of this recipe is it generates a great volume of food! Ideal for meal prepping or for sharing with friends and family.
Let me know what you think! I hope you enjoy this belly-pleaser as much as I do!
If you love hearty soup recipes like this, also try out some of these reader favorites!]
More Soup Recipes:
- Creamy Chicken Soup
- Crock Pot Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup
- Crock Pot Beef Stew
- Hearty Ground Turkey Soup with Vegetables
Enjoy this hamburger cabbage soup recipe on repeat!
Ground Beef and Cabbage Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 3 large carrots chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 4 large ripe tomatoes chopped
- 4 cups chicken broth or beef broth
- 1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
- ¼ tsp black pepper to taste
- Sea salt to taste
- 1 large head green cabbage chopped (about 6 – 8 cups)
Instructions
- Add the avocado oil to a large thick-bottomed pot (I use a Dutch oven) and heat to medium-high.
- Add the chopped onion, carrots and garlic. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Scoot the vegetables off to one side of the pot and add the ground beef. Allow it to brown for 3 minutes without touching it. Flip and brown for another 2 to 3 minutes. Break up the meat into smaller pieces using a spatula and stir it into the vegetables.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot. Stir well, cover, and bring to a full boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage has wilted, about 30 minutes.
- Taste the soup for flavor and add sea salt to taste.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
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So good! I ate this 4 days straight for dinner. The only thing I did different was add tomato paste and potatoes. Will definitely be making this again.
Ooh, lovely! I like the idea of adding more tomato flavor. Thanks for sharing, Matthew! 🙂
I made this to use up veggies…added celery, rutabaga and used a can of fire-roasted tomatoes. I also added one tablespoon of vinegar and a can of drained and rinsed pinto beans. This is going to be so healthy…almost no WW points!
I just love how easily the soup takes on other veggies, too! Happy you were able to find a placement for your celery and rutabaga! Thanks for sharing, Earlene!
Currently making this now – it looks delicious and it was so easy to make !
Aww yaay! I love hearing that, Irene! Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
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I’m making this right now. I added rice, parsley, and celery. Hope it’s good! Thanks for the recipe!
Those sound like marvelous additions! Hope you love the soup, Melisa! xo
I made half a recipe with 1/2 lb of leftover ground chuck from another recipe. I didn’t have fresh tomatoes. I used a 14.5oz can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained instead. It was excellent and will definitely make it again. This is the first time I have browned the beef this way and really think it makes a big difference in flavor and texture. Thanks so much for a great recipe!
Thanks so much for sharing your changes, JJ! I’m happy you enjoy the soup! xo
I was so excited to try one of your recipes and made this soup tonight. It was so warm and tasty. Perfect choice after indulging in Thanksgiving food all weekend. This soup will definitely be on rotation in the coming weeks!
I hear ya, I’ve been craving soup and salad after Thanksgiving too 🙂 So happy you like the recipe! xo
This sounds really good but I cannot have tomatoes due to my bladder inflammation. Too acidic. Can you Recommend a substitute?
Hi Ellen,
You could add more veggies if you’d like, such as cauliflower, broccoli, bok choy, etc. The flavor of tomatoes is difficult to replace without using another acidic substance, so I would just go with what you normally enjoy in soup. Hope you love it! xoxox
Your print button didn’t work. Excited to try, but I had to screenshot.
Thanks for letting me know! Do you have your pop ups blocked? When you press Print, a new tab should pop up, so if you have pop-ups blocked, it won’t come up. Let me know if that helps! 😀 xoxo
Made this yesterday, used GF Cumberland Sausages, out of their skin. Excellent soup. Thanks.
I’m so happy you like it, Ester! Thrilled it’s marvelous with sausage! xoxox
Made this soup tonight. Added a few things I had in the fridge, few stalks of celery, and some mushrooms. Also doubled the recipe, and I’m so glad I did!! It is absolutely delicious! Going to share some with my neighbors and freeze some too! This is a keeper!
I’m thrilled you like it, Carol! Thanks for the sweet note! xoxo
Looked at several cabbage soup recipes. This one is my favorite. I will make for sure. Thanks
My pleasure, Marian! I hope you enjoy it!