This hearty Beef and Cabbage Soup is that perfect bowl of soup! Seasoned tender beef chunks with fresh cabbage, potatoes, onions, and carrots in a seasoned soup base. 

The cabbage here is essential, and if you love cabbage as much as we do you will love our braised cabbage recipe!

Two white bowls of beef and cabbage soup topped with sour cream and fresh chopped dill.

There is nothing that says comfort food more than a bowl of soup. We enjoy soup at least once a week and so we have a whole category of our favorite soup recipes.

BEEF CABBAGE SOUP-

It’s surprising how much flavor this soup has since it uses such minimal ingredients! If you’ve never tried seasoned meat, this will be a game-changer for soups. The meat is so tender and juicy and has so much flavor. Add the cabbage, vegetables, and broth to the meat and you have yourself an epic bowl of soup.

We love to serve this cabbage soup with a side of baked potato or with some homemade Russian bread.

Beef and cabbage soup in a white Dutch oven with a ladle topped with black pepper.

SOUP INGREDIENTS-

  • WATER– We use water and get the flavors from the meat and veggies but you can use half water and half broth for extra flavors! You can use beef broth, chicken broth or vegetable broth as the liquid!
  • PROTEIN– You can use any kind of beef such as; sirloin, stew, or any of your favorite cuts of beef. You can also substitute it for chicken, pork or opt out of meat completely. We like to season our meat with salt, pepper, garlic and bay leaves and allow it to marinate for a couple hours (or a couple days in advance) for the BEST soup results.
  • POTATOES– You can use Idaho (Russett) potatoes or even red potatoes, just make sure they are all cut in similar sizes for even cooking.
  • CABBAGE– Use green cabbage for the soup. You can either shred or cube the cabbage.
  • CARROTS– We like to shred the carrots but you can also slice or cube them.
  • ONION– Finely chopped onion for flavour!
  • TOMATOES– Finely chopped tomatoes work great for this soup. We used fresh tomatoes but you can substitute for canned.
  • KETCHUP & SOUR CREAM– The sour cream and ketchup levels up the soup with flavor.
  • GARLIC– For the best flavors, use freshly minced garlic. If you don’t have any fresh garlic, garlic powder will work as well.
  • OLIVE OIL– Saute the vegetables on olive oil or canola oil.
  • SEASONING– We use salt, pepper and bay leaves but you can also add any of your favorite seasonings. We LOVE to add Vegeta to our soups – SO GOOD!
  • HERBS– You can use fresh parsley, cilantro, dill, or combine all 3. You can also use dried parsley or dried oregano.
Beef and cabbage soup in a white bowl with a metal spoon topped with sour cream and fresh dill.

HOW TO MAKE CABBAGE SOUP-

  1. SEASON MEAT– Cut the meat into even-sized chunks. Add the salt, pepper, sliced garlic and crushed bay leaves, mix and allow to marinade for up to 2 days.
  2. COOK MEAT- In a Dutch oven (or pot with a thick bottom), bring water to a soft boil over medium heat on the stove top. Rinse the seasoned meat and add to the boiling water and cook  for about 30 – 40 minutes over medium heat.
  3. SAUTE VEGGIES– Meanwhile prepare the veggies. In a skillet saute the onion. Once tender, add in the shredded carrots. Add the tomatoes, sour cream and ketchup to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat.
  4. COMBINE– Add the potatoes to the water. Add the salt and pepper and cook over medium high heat until potatoes are almost fully cooked.
  5. Add in the cabbage and cook until the cabbage is tender. Then add the sauteed vegetable mixture, seasonings, add fresh herbs and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
  6. Remove from heat.
  7. Serve and ENJOY.
Step by step collage of how to make homemade beef and cabbage soup that is packed with flavors!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS-

Can I use ground beef?

Ground beef will work in this recipe.

Can I substitute the meat?

Yes, you can use chicken or pork.

How to reheat the soup?

You can reheat in a saucepan or microwave a bowl of soup. I don’t like to reheat the whole pot, just the amount I need.

How long will beef and cabbage soup last?

Store the soup in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.

Can I make this soup vegetarian?

Yes, just take out the meat for a hearty vegetarian soup!

A bowl loaded with beef and cabbage soup and a metal spoon in the bowl.

MORE SOUPS TO TRY-

Beef and Cabbage Soup

Author: Valentina
Print
5 from 6 votes
This hearty Beef and Cabbage Soup is that perfect bowl of soup! Seasoned tender beef chunks with fresh cabbage, potatoes, onions, and carrots in a seasoned soup base.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 lb beef (sirloin, stew or your fav), cut into bite-sized pieces

Meat Seasoning-

  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 large bay leaf

Soup-

  • 14 cups water
  • 4-6 med/large potatoes, cubed
  • 5 tsp olive or canola oil, divided
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, shredded
  • 2 fresh medium tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp ketchup
  • 1 Tbsp sour cream
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 pepper
  • 1/2 medium green cabbage, shredded
  • fresh herbs, any
  • serve with sour cream

Instructions

Seasoning the Meat-

  • Cube meat into bite-size pieces. Season with the salt and pepper. Slice garlic and add to meat. Break up a bay leaf, add to meat. Mix everything and refrigerate for at least one day (up to 5 days).
  • Bring water to a boil. Rinse seasoned meat (just to get the bay leaf and garlic off). Add the meat to boiling water and boil for 35-40 minutes on medium/high heat until meat is tender.
  • Chop onion finely. Shred carrot.
  • Saute onion with 2 tsp oil until onion is soft (about 5 minutes). Add shredded carrots and 3 tsp oil, saute until carrots are soft (about 6 minutes).
  • Remove skin from tomatoes, chop and add to vegetables, mix. Add the ketchup and sour cream, mix and turn off heat. Let it simmer about a minute and remove from heat. Set aside.
  • Cube potatoes and add to bowl, pour cold water over potatoes until ready to use.
  • Shred cabbage, set aside.
  • Once meat is tender, drain the potatoes and add to the meat. Add the 2 tsp salt, 1/4 pepper. Cook 10 minutes on med/high heat.
  • Add the cabbage to the pot. Cook another 10-15 minutes (until potatoes are cooked). Add the sauteed vegetable from pan, add fresh herbs. Allow soup to cook another 2-3 minutes. 
  • Enjoy with sour cream.

Nutrition

269kcal Calories21g Carbs13g Protein14g Fat4g Saturated Fat41mg Cholesterol986mg Sodium837mg Potassium5g Fiber4g Sugar2880IU Vitamin A39.4mg Vitamin C92mg Calcium5mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Beef and Cabbage Soup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 269 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Cholesterol 41mg14%
Sodium 986mg43%
Potassium 837mg24%
Carbohydrates 21g7%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 13g26%
Vitamin A 2880IU58%
Vitamin C 39.4mg48%
Calcium 92mg9%
Iron 5mg28%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
(The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)