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This Cabbage Soup with Beef recipe is quick to make with deliciously tender beef. Low in carbs, keto approved and full of incredible flavour – hello healthy comfort food!
Make an incredible cabbage soup in no time with minimal ingredients: cabbage, chunks of beef, carrots, onions and garlic. Low fat, low carb, keto approved, healthy and super filling; you won’t believe how good this is.
Why This Recipe Works
The cabbage and beef soup is like a hug in a bowl. It’s hearty, comforting and fills you up quickly. The chopped-up veggies, the savory broth and the cubed beef work together beautifully to deliver the perfect mix of flavors and textures in every single bite.
Best of all, it comes together super quick, and is a great weeknight dinner for the entire family.
Ingredients
- Beef: I used rib eye steak or scotch fillet as it’s the most tender cut that remains tender through a minimal cooking process without having to boil it for 4-5 hours. Yes, it’s more expensive than your cheaper cuts, but the flavour and texture is unbeatable, with minimal fat coating the top of the soup. You can also use ground beef to enjoy a different texture.
- Veggies: Cabbage is the hero ingredient here. I used green cabbage, but you could also try using Napa cabbage if you want to. I wouldn’t use red or purple cabbage though. Add in some other veggies to bulk up the soup. I used a mix of carrots, celery, onions and garlic.
- Beef stock: This will be the base of the soup. Use a homemade version or a packaged, store-bought variety. Either works!
- Herbs: I used a simple mix of dried herbs like dried rosemary, thyme, basil and oregano, and some fresh parsley to garnish.
- Seasonings: To season, I used onion powder, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.
- Olive oil: Use olive oil, avocado oil or any other neutral flavored cooking oil of your choice.
Note: please see recipe card at the bottom for list of full ingredients and measurements
How To Make Cabbage Soup with Beef
Even if you’re someone who doesn’t like cabbage or anything cabbage related, you’ll love this; especially if you’re a fan of flavourful vegetables. Remember that time I drowned Brussels sprouts in a garlic parmesan sauce? Well if you like my Creamy Garlic Parmesan Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, you’ll trust me when I tell you, you’ll love this soup.
- Brown beef: In a large pot over medium heat, sear the beef until they’re slightly caramelized and brown. This will help build a lot of flavor, so don’t skip this step.
- Saute veggies: Now add in the onions, cook for a few minutes and follow up with carrots and celery. Cook for a few more minutes, and then add the cabbage. Next, add in the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add stock & seasonings: Once the veggies have slightly softened, add the stock, dried herbs, onion and garlic powder and chopped parsley. Turn down the heat, cover and cook.
- Simmer, finish up & serve: Let this simmer for 15 minutes, season with salt and pepper and top with some more herbs and parsley before you serve.
Enjoy a bowl of the soup on its own, or pair it with some soft dinner rolls or bacon cheddar biscuits to make it more filling. You can also serve it with a veggie side like roasted sweet potatoes or a garlicky herb red potato salad.
Recipe FAQ’s
You definitely can! Simply swap the beef with a vegetarian protein like chickpeas, beans or tofu, or use a mock meat, and replace the beef broth in the recipe for mushroom broth or a vegetarian broth.
Yes it is! The soup packs in a nice bit of protein from the beef, is low in fats and calories, and is low carb too! Plus, you’ll also be getting a nice bit of fiber from all the veggies.
Packaged, shredded cabbage may seem convenient, but I would really recommend chopping a fresh head of cabbage for this recipe- the flavors and textures turn out just perfect.
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Cabbage Soup with Beef
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 pound rib eye or scotch fillet steak, cut into 1-inch pieces, trimmed of visible fat
- 1 stalk celery
- 2 large carrots peeled and diced
- 1 small green cabbage chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 6 cups beef stock or broth
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped, plus more to serve
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme or dried basil and oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 pinch salt to taste
- 1 pinch cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-heat, add the beef and sear one all sides until browned all over (they don’t need to be cooked through). Then add the onions and cook until transparent (about 3-4 minutes).
- Add the celery and carrots to the pan, mixing through the flavours in the pot. Cook while mixing occasionally for about 3-4 minutes, then add the cabbage and cook for a further 5 minutes until beginning to soften; add in the garlic, and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute), mixing all ingredients through.
- Add the stock (or broth), parsley, dried herbs, and onion or garlic powder; mixing well. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to medium-low and cover, with a lid.
- Allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the cabbage and carrots are soft. Season with salt and pepper, and add in a little extra dried herbs, if needed.
- Serve warm with a sprinkle of fresh parsley (if desired).
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Excellent flavors! I did use London Broil and an instant pot. Sauted the beef, added the garlic, then added 2 cups brot. Pressure cooked for 12 minutes. Waited 4 minutes and released the pressure. Meanwhile I cooked the onion in a saute pan. I added all ingredients and herbs to the instand pot plus a can of diced tomatoes. Cooked for another 10 minutes. Waited 4, then quick release of pressure. The soup was perfectly cooked. The recipe is excellent. I can’t wait to try it with some better meat. I don’t think the rib steak will need extra time in the instant pot!
Hi I wanted to know how much do you determine 1 cup to be?
Regards.
I cup is 250ml
I’m making This tomorrow and I want to use a chuck roast instead of ribeye because you’ll be cheaper do you think that’s a good idea and I’m going to cook it in my instant pot
I made it tonight using a London Broil I cut into 1” cubes in my InstantPot. I also added a tbsp of tomato paste for extra flavor when sautéing the vegetables. I cooked it for 30 min at high pressure, natural release for 15 and then released pressure. The carrots were mush, but the beef was perfect and the cabbage was excellent. Good basic recipe and very affordable this way!
To save time, I purchased 2 medium (1 X-large) bag of cole-slaw mix, which cut down on the carrots, as they tend to be high in carbs. Added a few diced pieces of tomato and a couple of small colorful peppers to the pot. Made it in my instant pot in 20 minutes, and the aroma filled the house!!! Finished it with a dusting of parmesan. OMG!!! Even my grand-kids ate SOUP!!!!!
Oh, I also used hamburger instead of steak to cut down on cost.
I bet hamburger would be good in this soup to going to try it.
With all that cabbage, I’m surprised not to see a dietary fiber listing in the nutritional info. Has anyone figured it out?
Do you think using meatballs (have some in the freezer. Beef – lightly seasoned) would work without changing the flavor adversely?
Hi Virginia, absolutely! They should work really well.
This was so damn good! Stew was in no way lacking flavor and cabbage just melts away in your mouth. Added mushrooms and will prolly try adding even more variety next time. Good job on this one!
Has anyone tried this in an instant pot??
I haven’t yet but I am thinking the same thing. I’m betting I can use the saute function for the meat browning and then just add everything in and use the soup/stew button. If you get a chance to try it before me let me know if that works.
I did. I used saute function and then pressure cooked for 15 min, and then manual release. I added a can of fire roasted tomatoes and used probably 2 pounds of venison loin. It was delicious!
Made in a slow cooker it was so good and fulling! Seared stew beef that was seasoned the night before, then put veggies-cabbage last on top. Poured beef stock into pan I used to sear the meat then poured all over. Cooked on high for 4 hours then low for 1 hour, excellent flavor.
I wonder if anyone has tried this in an Instapot, and if so, how long did they cook it?
I just said the same thing