Soups

Golumpki-Inspired Cabbage Roll Soup

by 2 min read
Golumpki-Inspired Cabbage Roll Soup (AI-generated illustration)
Recipe

Golumpki-Inspired Cabbage Roll Soup

This golumpki-inspired cabbage roll soup brings beef, rice, and tender cabbage together in a tomato broth. Skip the rolling and make a comforting one-pot dinner instead.

15 minPrep
35 minCook
50 minTotal
6 servingsServes

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 lb (450 g) ground beef
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 600 g green cabbage, chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 can (28 oz / 794 g) crushed tomatoes
  • 6 cups (1.44 L) low-sodium beef broth, plus extra as needed
  • 1/2 cup (90 g) uncooked long-grain white rice, rinsed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice, optional
  • 2 tbsp chopped parsley, for serving

Instructions

  1. Warm oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Cook onion for 5 minutes, stirring.
  2. Add beef and break it into small crumbles. Cook 6–8 minutes until browned. Spoon off excess fat if necessary.
  3. Add garlic, tomato paste and paprika. Cook 1 minute, stirring.
  4. Add cabbage, crushed tomatoes, broth, rice, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Stir well and bring to a gentle boil.
  5. Reduce to a simmer and partly cover. Cook 20–25 minutes, stirring regularly so rice does not stick, until cabbage is tender and rice is cooked. Check ground beef reaches 160°F (71°C). Add broth if needed.
  6. Remove bay leaf. Taste, adjust seasoning, and add lemon juice if a brighter finish is wanted. Serve with parsley.

This golumpki-inspired cabbage roll soup brings beef, rice, and tender cabbage together in a tomato broth. Skip the rolling and make a comforting one-pot dinner instead.

Cabbage roll flavor with a simpler method

Traditional stuffed cabbage takes careful leaf preparation and rolling. This soup is an original interpretation of those familiar ingredients, with chopped cabbage and beef distributed throughout the broth. It is inspired by golumpki, rather than a claim to reproduce every regional version.

Use the rice named in the recipe

Uncooked long-grain white rice cooks in the tomato broth and adds body. Brown rice needs a longer cooking time and more liquid; it is not a direct swap. For a batch you plan to freeze, cook rice separately and add it to individual bowls so it does not absorb the broth during storage.

Keep the soup easy to reheat

Rice keeps absorbing liquid after the heat is off. A thick pot the next day does not mean the recipe needs more tomatoes: add broth or water gradually while warming and taste again. Stir along the bottom of the pot to avoid scorching.

Can I use ground turkey?

Yes, but use a broth you like with turkey and check the ground turkey reaches 165°F (74°C). The flavor will be lighter.

Storage

Refrigerate perishable leftovers within 2 hours in covered shallow containers and use within 3–4 days. Reheat cooked leftovers to 165°F (74°C). Toast is best assembled fresh. See USDA leftover handling guidance.

More recipes to try

Recipe image: AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of a tested preparation. Preparation times and yields are estimates; this recipe has not been kitchen-tested by RecipeLeaf.

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