A hearty comfort food soup recipe the whole family will love. If you think that soup can’t be a meal, guess again! This slow cooker soup is chock full of bacon, ground beef, green cabbage, rice, carrots, fire roasted tomatoes, and more! Perfect for chilly weather, busy weeknights, and the leftovers freeze gr
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time3 hourshrs
Total Time3 hourshrs15 minutesmins
Course: Slow Cooker
Cuisine: Soup
Keyword: cabbage Crockpot soup, cabbage roll soup, Crockpot cabbage roll soup, Crockpot cabbage soup, recipe for cabbage roll soup
Servings: 12
Calories: 409kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
1poundthick-cut bacondiced small
1medium white or yellow oniondiced small
1poundground beef*See Notes
3 to 4clovesgarlicfinely minced
1cupcarrotspeeled and diced small
5cupsgreen cabbagechopped into bite-sized pieces and loosely measured not packed
28ouncescanned diced tomatoesfire-roasted recommended although plain are fine
16ouncescanned tomato sauce
6 to 8cupsbeef broth**See Notes
¾cuplong grain rice
1tablespoonWorcestershire sauce
1 to 2teaspoonssmoked paprikarecommended, but regular may be substiuted
½ to ¾teaspoondried thyme
Saltto taste
Pepperto taste
2bay leaves
2tablespoonsfinely minced fresh parsley for garnishingoptional
½teaspoonfinely minced fresh marjoram for garnishingoptional
Freshly grated Parmesan cheeseoptional for garnishing
Instructions
To a large skillet, add the bacon, onion, and cook over medium-heat until the bacon is nearly cooked and the onion is soft and translucent, stir frequently.
Drain off most of the oil and discard. Remove the bacon, onion, and set aside.
Add the ground beef to the skillet and brown it using the remaining oil. Stir and crumble the beef as it cooks to ensure even cooking.
To a 7 to 8-quart slow cooker, add the bacon, onion, browned ground beef, all remaining ingredients (except optional garnishes), and stir to combine. Tips - Start with 6 cups of the beef broth; you can always add more later. Place the bay leaves into the slow cooker last, on top, so they are easier to find and remove later.
Cook on high for 3 hours OR on low for 5 to 6 hours, or until done. While cooking, if you notice that the overall level of broth is low or lower than you'd like, add the remaining beef broth (up to 2 cups, or as needed).
After the soup has cooked, remove the bay leaves, stir, taste, and check for seasoning balance. Tip - If the soup tastes at all flat or like it's lacking something, it likely needs more salt so don't be afraid to salt it as necessary. Additionally, if you want to play up the smoky aspect, add additional smoked paprika as desired. To add a tiny bit of heat without making it spicy, a couple tiny shakes of cayenne pepper will do the trick.
Optionally garnish with parsley and/or marjoram, or Parmesan, as desired and serve immediately. Soup will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Use freezer and microwave-safe containers for ease.
Notes
*I recommend using 80/20 ground beef rather than the extra lean varieties for enhanced flavor and richness. However, you can use leaner ground beef as well as ground turkey or ground chicken, noting that you will sacrifice flavor and the fattiness and richness of mouthfeel in doing so.**I start with 6 cups of reduced sodium beef broth but if the soup isn’t brothy enough for you, feel free to add one or two additional cups of broth midway through or near the end of the cooking time. All rice absorbs slightly different amounts of liquid and personal preferences for brothiness vary as well which is why I start modestly because you can always add more beef broth later.