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Polish Stuffed Cabbage Soup (Gołąbki Soup)

This Polish stuffed cabbage soup brings all the classic gołąbki flavors into one cozy pot. Tender cabbage, seasoned ground meat, carrots, and rice simmer in a rich tomato broth infused with bay leaves and allspice. Hearty, comforting, and deeply satisfying, it’s everything you love about stuffed cabbage without the rolling.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 440 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 medium onions finely chopped
  • 3 small carrots grated or finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1½ lb ground turkey a beef and pork combination works beautifully too
  • 1½ lb white cabbage 700 g, chopped
  • 24 oz tomato sauce or 2 cans diced tomatoes 14 oz each
  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 7 cups water or broth I use water with 1 tablespoon Chicken Better Than Bouillon
  • ½ cup rice cooked separately

Spices & Seasonings

  • 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
  • 1 tablespoon marjoram
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 allspice berries
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions
 

  • Prep the vegetables. Start by finely dicing the onions and peeling and dicing the carrots. Chop the cabbage into bite-size pieces. If some of the leaves are thicker near the core, chop those pieces a little smaller so everything cooks evenly and softens at the same time.
  • Brown the meat. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the ground turkey (or a beef and pork mixture). Cook the meat until fully browned, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks. Once it’s cooked through, remove it from the heat and set it aside.
  • Build the soup base. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the chopped onions and cook them gently for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they become soft and translucent. The onions should not brown. Add the carrots and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring.
  • Combine all ingredients. To the pot with the onions and carrots, add the tomato sauce (or diced tomatoes), tomato paste, garlic, bay leaves, allspice berries, paprika, marjoram, salt, sugar, and black pepper. Pour in the water or broth. If using water, stir in 1 tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon. Add the chopped cabbage and the browned meat, then stir everything together.
  • Bring to a boil and simmer. Cover the pot and bring the soup to a gentle boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, taste, and adjust seasoning if needed. Continue simmering for another 30 minutes, until the cabbage is tender and the flavors are well blended.
  • Cook the rice separately and serve.While the soup simmers, cook the rice in a separate pot according to package instructions. Cooking it separately keeps it from soaking up too much liquid and getting mushy. Serve the soup spooned over rice in each bowl. Garnish with fresh Parsley.

Notes

For best results, store and freeze the soup without the rice. Rice continues to absorb liquid as it sits, which can make the soup overly thick and the rice soft and mushy. You can always thin it out with extra water or broth when reheating, but the texture is much better when the rice is cooked separately and added fresh when serving.
Calories per serving: approximately 440
Calorie estimates are approximate and will vary depending on portion size, ingredients used, and toppings.