Cabbage Soup with Hamburger

An overhead image of a bow of cabbage soup with a spoon in it.

Cabbage Soup with Hamburger

This cabbage soup with hamburger is healthy, simple, and perfect for chilly days. Made with ground meat and everyday vegetables, it’s cozy, nourishing, and easy to make.

Course Appetizer, Entree, Lunch, Main dish, Side Dish

Cuisine Healthy, Italian, Light, Soup

Diet Low Lactose

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 1 40

Servings servings

Calories 200kcal

Author Jessy Freimann

Equipment

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 pound ground beef 90/10 is my preferred ratio
2 cups onions diced
2 cups celery diced
2 cups carrots peeled and diced
1 ⅕ cups potatoes peeled and diced
14.5 ounces stewed tomatoes make sure you break them up a bit with your spoon
1 teaspoon Kosher salt to taste
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper to taste
3 cups cabbage chopped, about ⅓ of a green cabbage
5 cups chicken broth
5 cups water
¼ cup barley cook on the side per package directions
Romano cheese optional- for topping

Instructions

Spray a large pot or dutch oven with cooking spray and heat over medium high.
Add onion, celery, carrot and potatoes and cook for about 7 minutes to soften, stirring periodically.
Add ground beef and use your spoon to break it up and brown it, stirring periodically, about 5 minutes.
Drain the beef if there is excess grease and add stewed tomatoes to the pot. use your spoon to break them up.
Add salt, pepper, cabbage, brother and water.
Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 1 hour.
Serve with cooked barley and a sprinkle of Romano cheese.

Video

Notes

Use a large enough pot so there’s plenty of room for the cabbage. It'll soften and reduce as it cooks down.
Brown the meat well before adding anything else to build flavor right from the start.
Cut vegetables evenly so everything cooks at the same pace.
Let it simmer gently. Slow cooking helps the flavors build and meld together.
Season lightly at first, then taste and adjust toward the end once the soup has finished cooking.
Finish with cheese if you like. A sprinkle of Romano or Parmesan adds a savory touch.
Cook the barley separately. The original recipe calls for the barley to be cooked in the soup but I always prefer to cook grains or pasta separately and add them to the soup for serving so they don't suck up all the broth. If you do choose to cook the barley in the soup, have a couple cups of broth seperate to add if needed.
Ingredients to prep ahead- Chop all vegetables up to a day in advance and store them in the fridge.
Leftovers and storage- Store in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze in airtight containers. If it thickens after chilling or freezing, add a splash of water or broth when reheating.

Nutrition