American
Cabbage and Beef Soup
Ground beef, cabbage, carrot, and potato simmer into a peppery soup that feeds six from one pound of meat. It is a week of lunches if you want it to be.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- One pound of beef feeds six.
- Cabbage is the bulk.
- The potatoes make it a meal.
- It keeps for lunches.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Rough grocery estimate for the full recipe: about $10–14 at a typical US supermarket. Prices vary by store, region, and season.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
Brown the beef with the salt in a pot over medium-high, breaking it up, until no pink remains and the beef reaches 160°F, about 6 minutes.
- 2
Add the onion, carrots, and potatoes. Stir 3 minutes.
- 3
Add the cabbage, broth, tomatoes, and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
- 4
Cook uncovered 25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the cabbage is soft.
- 5
Stir in the lemon juice. Taste for salt.
- 6
Ladle into bowls. The broth should taste savory, not watery.
Pro tips
- Dice the potatoes small so they finish with the cabbage.
- Spoon off extra fat after the beef browns if the pot looks greasy.
- Lemon at the end is doing the work of a long simmer.
Easy substitutions
- Beef broth
- Chicken broth
- Potatoes
- 1 cup small pasta, added in the last 10 minutes
- Lemon juice
- 1 tsp vinegar
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 4 days.
Reheating
Simmer until hot. The soup thickens in the fridge, so add a splash of water.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 280
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
Budget friendly · Stovetop, One Pan · Dairy-Free
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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