One-Pot Cabbage Roll Soup
Published April 11, 2024
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 1pound ground beef (preferably 20 percent fat)
- Salt
- ½cup basmati rice
- 1large yellow onion (about 10 ounces), chopped
- 1tablespoon sweet paprika
- 6garlic cloves, minced or finely grated
- 1(14-ounce) can whole tomatoes
- 1packed cup sauerkraut, plus ½ cup sauerkraut brine (or substitute fresh cabbage and rice vinegar; see Tip)
- 1bunch parsley, plus more for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
441 calories; 24 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 24 grams protein; 901 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat a medium Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef and a hefty pinch of salt. Using a spatula, spread the beef in an even layer to cover the bottom of the pot. Sear for 3 minutes, then break the beef into smaller pieces and continue cooking for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until evenly browned.
- Step 2
Stir in the rice and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, until the rice develops a golden color.
- Step 3
Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, until softened and translucent.
- Step 4
Add the paprika and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Step 5
Add the tomatoes, crushing them as you add them to the pot, plus 6 cups of water, the sauerkraut and brine (or the cabbage and vinegar), the bunch of parsley and a hefty pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, loosely cover the pot with a lid and boil for 15 minutes.
- Step 6
Taste and season with more salt if needed. Discard the parsley bunch and serve the soup with freshly chopped parsley on top.
Tip
- Though store-bought sauerkraut is a quick shortcut ingredient that brings great depth to this dish, in a pinch you could substitute fresh cabbage that is spiked with a little bit of rice vinegar. Instead of adding the sauerkraut and brine in Step 5, add 4 cups/10 ounces chopped cabbage and 2 tablespoons rice vinegar to the pot and continue following the recipe as written.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Rose K.
Always, always remember to keep a jar of citric acid ( bubbes called it sour salt), available from Penzey's or others. Sour salt adds the tart zing to cabbage soup and sweet and sour dishes when you don't want the intrusion of other tart flavors into your cooking, or when citrus juice is not enough. Or ...when you don't have any lemons or limes at hand. You will thank me.
Tom
the only thing I would suggest is either a tsp of sugar to taste, or add fresh cabbage and braise that. You want an element of sweet to balance the sour - however the sauerkraut was wonderful (and provides a milder sour taste). Thus go easy on sugar, frankly the fresh cabbage will provide enough sweet once broken down to balance everything out
Pressure Cooker
This looks good. I grew up with my mom's scrumptious stuffed cabbage and I used to make it once in a while (it IS a rather long process). But it doesn't sit well any more with other household members, so this may be a worthy substitute. I will try as-written, but my first inclination is to lessen the amount of liquid to make it more stew-like.
Kyle
This is a great approximation of cabbage roll comfort. It’s totally lovely on its own but a dollop of sour cream at serving is nice if you’re feeling it.
Equilibrist
Wondering how this would taste with ground turkey or plant-based ground “meat.” I will try and report back!
Lauren
I think this was delicious! I added a pinch each of brown sugar, caraway and fennel. My mother used to make a similar version.
Levi Kahane
Lovely recipe, but making some stuffed cabbage rolls is not a Patchke(yiddish word for difficult task or pain in the butt). The key is to freeze the cabbage for at least twenty four hours and then thaw it out. The leaves peel off like buttah. I swear.
Maggie
This works fantastically with plant-based crumbles.
Vanessa
I've got everything to make this except sauerkraut, but I've got kimchi, which I might just try.
adam
A bit underwhelming as it was I did however add some umami- like soy and red wine vinegar and let it simmer and reduce down mire. Also added more sauerkraut than shown. Cooking times seem inadequate. 6 cups of water needed more time to reduce. After achieving some umami, I enjoyed immensely. Thank you!
Anne B.
I accidentally chopped the parsley and put it all in forgetting that it was to be removed. The flavour was fine with it in and I didn't have to waste the parsley....healthy addition!
EGB
A magic trick to make stuffed cabbage a fairly easy week-night meal! I intensified the flavors to more closely match my grandma's version, adding a tablespoon of tomato paste with the onions, using cider vinegar (4 tablespoons) and sugar (3 tablespoons) and a handful of raisins to turn up the sweet/sour flavors. I used sliced cabbage instead of sauerkraut so I could better control the salt.
janisani
very nice, and easy. I love saurkraut! it did need quite a bit of salt. maybe because my kraut was homemade?
Mary
Excellent flavor. Made the version with fresh cabbage and rice vinegar. I would have liked a little more rice, but it definitely mimicked stuffed cabbage in a much easier version.
Erik
Doubled up on the tomatoes bc they only had 28oz cans at the grocery store. Don’t regret, as I think it made the dish a bit less sour w/o resorting to sugar, as some commenters have suggested adding. Also, I drained off a good bit of the liquid after cooking the beef. I thought it might make the dish less flavorful, but that wasn’t the case.
Michele
Very bland (but improved with lots of salt and pepper), needed less water and a longer simmer time for real flavour to develop. I suspect this is one of those recipes which will taste much better on Day 2.
Mickey
I made this tonight and ultimately it turned out fine. However- although I usually double all spices in most NYTimes recipes - as I understand everyone’s spice tastes are different- this recipe was pretty tasteless even with doubling. After way more seasoning it turned out to be a lovely soup on a cold night. Added brown sugar and some lemon juice and Gochugaru.
Elizabeth B
I wanted to make this in a large skillet, so I halved the amount of water which made it thick and delicious. Since my family is sauerkraut loving, that is what I used rather than cabbage. I also am fond of Italian canned cherry tomatoes as they have wonderful flavor and are a little sweeter (and don't cause heartburn) - all worked out perfectly. Easy, delicious and family pleasing. My guys ate second helpings. Be sure to serve with a nice warm baguette!
lesloe
I added 1/4 cup of raisins and a few ginger snaps which was in my grandmothers recipe. Delish
Alex Nedelcu
Excellent recipe. Carolina is Romanian—like me—and I’m sure she developed this as a way to honor our beloved sarmale. I made this with Gardein beef for a lighter soup, but I added Polish bacon (counterintuitive, I know). I also diced a red bell pepper at the same time as the onion and added “condiment pentru sarmale” which you can find at Eastern European markets. It isn’t traditional to add garlic, and I didn’t miss it. Tang and smoke=successful sarmale. Highly recommend this recipe with tweaks
Daphne
This soup is easy, weird and excellent. I chose both fresh cabbage and sauerkraut plus, after tasting, lots of extra seasoning. Particularly, allspice, garlic powder and cayenne.
Loei
I followed the recipe with one exception: I substituted chili powder and cayenne for the paprika. It turned out great! Strongly recommend!
Danielle T.
I used Smokey Paprika since I didn't have Sweet Paprika on hand. Also, I added fresh ground pepper to the meat once it was nearly browned. Once all ingredients came together and began to boil, I added 1 1/2 Tablespoons of brown sugar. This soup was delicious; a wonderful blend of sweet and sour with a touch of smokiness. My best friend as a teenager was the daughter of a German chef who owned a great little restaurant serving traditional German dishes. This reminded me of his cooking.
phillyjoe
I used fresh cabbage and a splash of rice vinegar instead of kraut. Used less water to make it more stew-like. Tasted it and realized it needed a bit of pepper which added to the flavor considerably. Was it golumpki like my mom used to make for us? Not quite but is was pretty good ( and don't forget the sour cream).
Dos Cinco
Used a third cup of.barley in place of rice and jolt of red wine. Great.
cheri
Used Gardein crumbles to keep it vegetarian. Because of the lack of fat in the vegan crumbles, I added olive oil when browning & then a bit more with the onions. Only had a 28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes so went with that. So tasty! Will definitely make this again.
Kimberooni
Complex, hearty and delicious! Took some of the recommendations here and added tomato paste and fresh cabbage in addition to kraut. Also added half a tin of anchovies that had been languishing in my refrigerator as well as a couple spoonfuls of Better than bouillon. Topped with sour cream and dill.
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