Crockpot Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls Soup

These unstuffed cabbage rolls cook up quite nicely in your crockpot and have all the flavor of traditional cabbage rolls, but only a fraction of the effort!

I love cabbage rolls, but they really are a pain in the butt to make and I have never really been able to make them where I didn't under or over-steam the cabbage rolls and then the cabbage ends up ripping and it is a mess.

When all I really want it the flavors and texture of cabbage rolls, I don't bother trying to make them.  I just whip up a batch of these crockpot unstuffed cabbage rolls!

Some may argue that it is more "cabbage roll soup" than "unstuffed cabbage rolls", but does it really matter?  This is basically the same recipe that one would make if they were making "regular" cabbage rolls, just with a little more liquid added to it to make it more of a soup.

And besides - I have a "thing" for soups.  When the weather is cooler, I could easily live on nothing but soup and be perfectly happy!

Seasoned beef (or turkey - your choice) and cabbage simmer in a rich, slightly sweet and hearty tomato broth.  It is the perfect meal (served along with some bread like my homemade beer bread) for those cold winter nights.

I do like to add rice to the soup so that it is more like "regular" cabbage rolls, but if you are trying to watch your carbs or calories, you can easily omit it.

This recipe will make quite a bit of soup, but it can easily be frozen.  In fact, I usually like to double this recipe (in my 6-quart crockpot) when I make it just so that I can freeze the leftovers and have soup in my freezer whenever I am in the mood for it!

Crockpot Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls Soup

These unstuffed cabbage rolls cook up quite nicely in your crockpot and have all the flavor of traditional cabbage rolls, but only a fraction of the effort!

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours hours

Total Time: 8 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Author: Mindi

Ingredients 

• 5 cups cabbage roughly chopped
• 1 ½ lb. lean ground beef or turkey
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 3 - 4 cloves of garlic minced
• 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes with the juice - I like to use fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 cup rice uncooked

Instructions

• Add the cabbage and tomatoes to your crockpot
• In a large skillet, brown the ground beef along with the onion, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and spices.
• Drain the fat from the skillet and add the beef mixture to your crockpot.
• Stir to combine.
• Cover and cook for 7 - 9 hours on low.
• About 1 hour before the soup is done, cook the rice according to package directions.
• Add cooked rice to the crockpot and stir to combine. Continue cooking for another 30 - 45 minutes.
• Serve with some crusty bread and enjoy!

Crockpot Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls Soup