Pork and Tomato Cabbage Roll Soup

Have you ever made cabbage rolls? They aren’t hard to prepare and the cabbage leaf makes a great wrapper for any kind of filling you want to make. This recipe takes inspiration from the classic cabbage roll recipe and takes it to the next level. What you can expect here is a mouth-watering soup which is bursting with healthy nutrients and tastes pretty great too!

The recipe is made with ground pork, although beef lovers can use beef as an alternative. Rice, tomato sauce, tomato soup, cabbage, onion, and a little hot sauce also go into the mix.

What are Cabbage Rolls?

This delicious treat hails from the East of Europe and there are plenty of different recipes. Recipes from Poland tend to include rice and meat. Ukrainian cabbage roll recipes, on the other hand, are typically rice only.

The following recipe combines typical Polish cabbage roll ingredients to make a wonderful meal in soup form. The ingredients are simple and easy to find and the flavor is hearty and delicious.

How to Make Cabbage Roll Soup 

First of all you need to cook the rice, so get that started and then you can gather the remaining ingredients. Sauté the ground pork in another pan, then add some water as well as the drained cooked rice, tomato sauce, tomato soup, onion, and seasonings.

Now all you have to do is simmer the soup for half an hour so everything becomes tender and the flavors blend perfectly. Served hot, this cabbage roll soup recipe is sure to tantalize your taste buds.

Making a cabbage roll soup recipe is quicker than making actual cabbage rolls but you get all the same flavors. I love adding hot sauce to this. You can use your favorite hot sauce if you want a kick of heat. Sriracha, Tabasco, Cholula, or another type – anything goes.

Even without hot sauce, this is a very tasty recipe thanks to the vegetables, meat and rice, and tomato-based sauces and soups. Hot sauce can always be served at the table, on the side, so everyone can flavor their own depending on preference.

What Kind of Cabbage for Cabbage Roll Soup?

Plain old green cabbage is fine to use in this cabbage roll soup recipe. You will want strong, thick cabbage leaves when making traditional stuffed cabbage, but this soup is more forgiving and the leaves don’t have to hold a filling, so you can use regular green cabbage or any other variety you want here.

What do you need to make Pork and Tomato Cabbage Roll Soup

1 pound ground pork

1½ cups converted (parboiled) long grain rice

20 ounces tomato-based pasta sauce

5 cups water

10 ounces tomato soup

3 pounds chopped cabbage

1 minced yellow onion

Olive oil, as needed

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Few drops hot sauce (optional but good)

How to make Pork and Tomato Cabbage Roll Soup

FIRST STEP:

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a large pot.

Add the rice, cover the pot and turn the temperature down.

SECOND STEP:

Simmer the rice for 20 minutes or until tender.

Drain off any water that hasn’t been absorbed.

THIRD STEP:

Heat another pot over a moderately high heat.

Add a splash of oil and the pork and sauté until cooked.

FOURTH STEP:

Drain off any excess oil.

Now stir in 2 cups of water, the cooked rice, cabbage, tomato soup, pasta sauce, onion, hot sauce (if using), salt and black pepper.

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FIFTH STEP:

Bring the soup to a boil.

Turn the heat down and cover the pot.

SIXTH STEP:

Simmer gently for 25 minutes or until the cabbage is tender.

Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Cabbage Roll Soup: How to Store It

This soup will keep for several days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it. Leave about ¾-inch in the container for expansion room. This soup can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Thaw it overnight if you have frozen in small portions or maybe it’ll take longer to thaw if you froze a large amount.

Can I Make Cabbage Roll Soup in a Crockpot?

You absolutely can! Sauté the meat until browned, then add all the ingredients to a crockpot and slow cook for 7 or 8 hours or until the rice is tender. Last time I made it in my slow cooker, I added a splash of Worcestershire sauce to the mix.

Of course you aren’t going to see that as an ingredient in any of the Eastern European recipes but it does amazing things to the overall flavor. And you can also add it to the soup if you’re making the stovetop version.

Variations for Cabbage Roll Soup

This soup recipe is a good starting point. It has all the meaty flavor of pork (or beef if you prefer) along with rice, tomatoes, vegetables, and some hot sauce. It’s great as it is but if you like, you can treat this recipe as a blank canvas.

Add in any kind of vegetables you want, such as broccoli, summer squash, green beans, potatoes, or carrots.

You can use ground beef, chicken, turkey, or even vegetarian soy-mince in place of the pork. Sub quinoa or couscous for the rice if you want, or try brown rice instead.

If you want some spice but don’t want to use hot sauce, you can add some fresh chili instead. Sliced jalapeño (either fresh or canned) would work nicely. Another alternative is a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper. Minced garlic is also good in this cabbage rolls soup recipe.

This is a healthy and tasty dish. Whether or not you have eaten cabbage rolls before, you are sure to enjoy this wonderfully delicious homemade soup version.