This easy vegan cabbage roll soup tastes just like cabbage rolls, but it’s so much easier to make! Very hearty and filling and made with readily available and inexpensive ingredients including cabbage, tofu, rice, canned tomatoes and vegetable broth. If you love cabbage rolls, but don’t like all the work, this Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Soup is for you!
I love cabbage rolls, but they are so fiddly and can be such a pain! First, you need to boil the cabbage, then peel off the leaves (without tearing them or burning your fingers). Then you have to cook the rice, then you cook the filling, then you make a tomato sauce, then you roll the filling in leaves, then you top the rolls with tomato sauce, then you bake it. Geesh. I’m tired of writing all those steps!
You skip all those awkward steps in this easy vegetarian cabbage roll soup recipe. Not only does it save a ton of time, but it tastes just as delicious (if not better), and saves on all those extra pots and pans too!
Cabbage rolls are traditionally made with pork and beef which are not vegetarian at all. So to make this soup vegan I used my fan-favorite tofu crumble to bring out the flavor and texture of the meat. If you’ve been a fan of my recipes for a while, you know my obsession with tofu crumble. If you’re new here, tofu crumbles are a technique I developed where tofu is crumbled, seasoned, and then oven-dried and browned. When you stir baked tofu into a soup-like liquid, the tofu absorbs some of the moisture and turns into the most amazing chewy meaty texture.
Try my tofu crumbles in some of my other recipes too, like: Tofu Bolognese, Vegan Chorizo Tofu Crumbles, Vegan Tofu Taco Crumbles, Vegan Tofu and Beet Ground, Vegan Hamburger Helper, Vegan Lasagna, My Favorite Chili Recipe, or Vegan Chili Mac and Cheese (the list goes on)! This is a fan-favorite technique for a reason!
Add these meaty tofu shreds to shredded cabbage, rice, tomatoes, vegetable broth and a ton of spices and you have the most amazing meaty, hearty, filling, healthy, low-calorie soup around!
To make Easy Vegan Cabbage Roll Soup:
First, slice the tofu:
Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Line or lightly grease a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix together the nutritional yeast, soy sauce, olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder, and liquid smoke in a large bowl. It will form a brown paste like texture. Crumble the block of tofu with your fingers into the bowl with the spices, or alternatively use a potato masher to break up the tofu into chunks. (No need to press the tofu first, excess water will bake in the oven). Mix the tofu crumbles with the seasonings making sure all the tofu is evenly coated.
Spread the tofu pieces evenly over the pan.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, stopping to stir the tofu every so often. Keep an eye on the end so that it doesn’t burn. You want the tofu to be nice and brown. Once cooked, set aside until needed.
To make Vegan Cabbage Roll Soup:
Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the carrots, onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent and starting to brown.
Stir in cabbage, 6 cups broth, crushed tomatoes, rice, brown sugar, and all spices (smoked paprika, dried oregano, bay leaf, salt, and pepper). You may need more or less salt depending on the broth you used. If you want you can cook the soup without salt then add it last so you can add flavor to it. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, stirring as needed, for about 25 minutes or until the rice and cabbage are tender.
Finally, stir in the prepared tofu pieces and heat for another 1 minute. If your soup is too thick, stir in more broth or water to reach the desired consistency. Serve hot with fresh parsley for garnish.
Easy Vegan Cabbage Roll Soup is…
- Hearty, filling, and super comforting
- Made of easy to find affordable ingredients
- Healthy and low calorie
- Much easier to make than cabbage rolls
More recipes to use up your cabbage:
Vegan Egg Rolls in a Bowl
Vegan Baked Spring Rolls
Rainbow Bowl with Lime Peanut Sauce
Chopped Asian Salad
Veggie chow mein
If you try this recipe let us know by leaving a comment, rating it and don’t forget to tag @itdoesnttastelike chicken on Instagram.
Hungry!
Sam Turnbull.
Easy Vegan Cabbage Roll Soup
This easy vegan cabbage roll soup tastes just like cabbage rolls, but it’s so much easier to make! Very hearty and filling and made with readily available and inexpensive ingredients including cabbage, tofu, rice and canned tomatoes. If you love cabbage rolls, but don’t like all the work, this Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Soup is for you!
Serving: 8 (Makes about 12 cups / 2.8L)
Calories: 221kcal
material
For the soup:
- 1 table spoon olive oil
- 2 the middle the carrot Peel and chop
- 1 yellow onion to cut
- 4 cloves garlic minced meat
- 1 pounds Green pepper Cut into bite-sized pieces (5 cups)
- 6 the cup Vegan beef broth, mushroom broth, or vegetable broth Plus more if needed
- 1 28oz can Crushed tomatoes (3 ¼ cups)
- ¾ the cup Uncooked basmati rice (or similar rice)
- 2 table spoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoon Dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- ¾ teaspoon salt or taste
- ½ teaspoon Bell pepper or taste
- 2 table spoon Fresh parsley Roughly chop for garnish
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instructions
To slice the tofu:
-
Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Line or lightly grease a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
-
Mix together the nutritional yeast, soy sauce, olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder, and liquid smoke in a large bowl. It will form a brown paste like texture. Crumble the block of tofu with your fingers into the bowl with the spices, or alternatively use a potato masher to break up the tofu into chunks. (No need to press the tofu first, excess water will bake in the oven). Mix the tofu crumbles with the seasonings making sure all the tofu is evenly coated.
-
Spread the tofu pieces evenly over the pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, stopping to stir the tofu every so often. Keep an eye on the end so that it doesn’t burn. You want the tofu to be nice and brown. Once cooked, set aside until needed.
To make Vegan Cabbage Roll Soup:
-
Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the carrots, onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent and starting to brown.
-
Stir in cabbage, 6 cups broth, crushed tomatoes, rice, brown sugar, and all spices (smoked paprika, dried oregano, bay leaf, salt, and pepper). You may need more or less salt depending on the broth you used. If you want you can cook the soup without salt then add it last so you can add flavor to it. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, stirring as needed, for about 25 minutes or until the rice and cabbage are tender.
-
Finally, stir in the prepared tofu pieces and heat for another 1 minute. If your soup is too thick, stir in more broth or water to reach the desired consistency. Serve hot with fresh parsley for garnish.
Comment
Make-Ahead/Freeze: Cabbage soup tastes even better the next day, so you can prepare it in advance, let it cool completely then refrigerate the soup, covered, for up to 5 days, or you can freeze it in an air-tight container. Heat gently on the stove or in the microwave, adding more broth or water if necessary.
nutrition
Worship: 1 Servings (about 1 ½ cups) (recipe makes 8 servings) | Calories: 221kcal | Sugars: 29g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 0.5g | Monounsaturated fats: 3g | Sodium: 1080mg | Potassium: 345mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 3394IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 2mg