Ground Beef and Cabbage Soup
This hearty ground beef and cabbage soup is a comforting, budget-friendly meal that comes together in under an hour. Packed with tender vegetables, savory ground beef, and rich beef broth, it’s the kind of dish that warms you from the inside out and tastes even better the next day.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 medium head cabbage, chopped
- 3 carrots, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1 can diced tomatoes, 14.5 ounces
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook for 5 minutes, breaking it apart with a spoon until browned. Drain excess fat if needed.
- Add diced onion and cook for 2 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic and tomato paste, cook for 1 minute.
- Add chopped cabbage, carrots, beef broth, diced tomatoes with juice, oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if using.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 25 minutes until cabbage is tender and carrots are soft.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve hot.
Practical Tips
Enhance the flavor: Use homemade beef broth instead of store-bought for deeper, richer taste. You can also add a splash of apple cider vinegar at the end to brighten the flavors and add subtle acidity that complements the cabbage beautifully.
Brown the meat properly: Make sure to break up the ground beef into small pieces as it cooks so it distributes evenly throughout the soup and creates better texture in every spoonful.
Don’t skip the tomato paste: This ingredient adds concentrated umami flavor and helps build a more complex, satisfying taste base for your broth.
How to Store
This soup keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. The flavors actually improve as it sits, making it perfect for meal prep. Simply reheat on the stovetop over medium heat, adding a splash of broth if the soup has thickened too much.
Questions and Answers
Can I use fresh cabbage instead of pre-cut? Absolutely. Fresh cabbage is ideal and will give you better texture. Simply chop it into bite-sized pieces before adding to the pot.
What if I don’t have beef broth? You can substitute chicken broth or vegetable broth, though the flavor profile will be lighter. Alternatively, use water with beef bouillon cubes for a similar result.
Is this soup freezer-friendly? Yes, this soup freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. Cool it completely before transferring to freezer containers, leaving a bit of space at the top since liquids expand when frozen.