Easy Vegan Cabbage Roll Soup

This Easy Vegan Cabbage Roll Soup tastes just like cabbage rolls, but it is so much easier to make! Very hearty and filling and made with easy-to-find 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 can be so fussy and such a pain to make! First, you need to boil the cabbage, then peel off the leaves (without ripping them or burning your fingers). Then you need to cook the rice, next you cook the filling, then you make a tomato sauce, then you roll the filling in the leaves, then you top the rolls with the tomato sauce, then you bake it. Geesh. I'm tired just writing down all those steps!

In this easy vegan cabbage roll soup recipe you skip all of those fussy steps. Not only does it save a ton of time, but it tastes just as yummy (if not better), and saves on all those extra pots and pans too!

Cabbage rolls are traditionally made with pork and beef which is not vegan at all. So to make this soup vegan I used my fan-favorite tofu crumbles to get that meaty taste and texture. If you have been a fan of my recipes for a while then you know my obsession with tofu crumbles. If you are new here, tofu crumbles are a technique I developed where tofu is crumbled, seasoned, and then dried out in the oven to brown and dry it out. When you stir the baked tofu into a liquid such as a soup, the tofu absorbs some of the moisture and becomes the most amazing chewy meaty texture.

Try my tofu crumbles in some of my other recipes too, such as: Tofu Bolognese, Vegan Chorizo Tofu Crumbles, Vegan Tofu Taco Crumbles, Vegan Tofu & Beet Ground, Vegan Hamburger Helper, Vegan Lasagna, my favorite Chili recipe, or Vegan Chili Mac & Cheese (the list goes on)! It's a fan-favorite technique for a reason!

Pair these meaty tofu crumbles with chopped cabbage, rice, tomatoes, vegetable broth, and a ton of spices, and you have yourself the most amazing meaty, hearty, filling, healthy, low-calorie soup around!

To Make Easy Vegan Cabbage Roll Soup:

First, make the tofu crumbles:

Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Line with parchment paper or lightly grease a large baking sheet. Mix the nutritional yeast, soy sauce, olive oil chili powder, garlic powder, and liquid smoke together in a large bowl. It will make a brown paste-like texture. Crumble the block of tofu with your fingers into the bowl along with the seasoning, or alternatively use a potato masher to smash the tofu into crumbles. (No need to press the tofu first, the excess water will bake out in the oven). Mix the tofu crumbles with the seasoning making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated.
Spread the tofu crumbles evenly over the pan.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, stopping to stir the tofu every now and then. Keep a close eye on it towards the end so that it doesn't burn. You want the tofu to be nice and browned. Once cooked, set aside until needed.

To make the vegan cabbage roll soup:
In the meantime, 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 have turned translucent and begin to brown.

Stir in the cabbage, 6 cups of broth, crushed tomatoes, rice, brown sugar, and all the spices (smoked paprika, dried oregano, bay leaf, salt, and pepper). You may need more or less salt depending on how salty the broth you used is. If you like you can cook the soup without salt then add it last so you can add it to taste. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook stirring as needed, for about 25 minutes or until the rice and cabbage are tender.

Lastly, stir in prepared tofu crumbles and cook for 1 more minute to heat through. If your soup is too thick, stir in more broth or water to reach desired consistency. Serve hot with fresh parsley for garnish.

Easy vegan cabbage roll soup is...

• Hearty, filling, and super comforting
• Made with easy-to-find affordable ingredients
• Healthy and low calorie
• So much easier to make than cabbage rolls

More recipes to use up your cabbage:

Vegan Egg Roll 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 @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.

Bon appetegan!

Sam Turnbull.

5 from 50 votes

(click stars to vote)

Easy Vegan Cabbage Roll Soup

This Easy Vegan Cabbage Roll Soup tastes just like cabbage rolls, but it is so much easier to make! Very hearty and filling and made with easy-to-find 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!

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 45 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr

Servings: 8 (makes about 12 cups/ 2.8L)

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Ingredients

 

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For the tofu crumbles:

• ▢ 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• ▢ 1 tablespoon soy sauce, (gluten-free if preferred)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
• ▢ 1 12.3oz/ 350g block extra-firm tofu, drained and crumbled

For the soup:

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• ▢ 1 yellow onion, chopped
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 lb green cabbage, chopped into bite-sized pieces (5 cups)
• ▢ 6 cups vegan beefless broth, mushroom broth, or vegetable broth, plus more if needed
• ▢ 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes, (3 ¼ cups)
• ▢ ¾ cup uncooked basmati rice, (or similar rice)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• ▢ 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped, for garnish

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Instructions

 

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To make the tofu crumbles:

• Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Line with parchment paper or lightly grease a large baking sheet.
• Mix the nutritional yeast, soy sauce, olive oil chili powder, garlic powder, and liquid smoke together in a large bowl. It will make a brown paste-like texture. Crumble the block of tofu with your fingers into the bowl along with the seasoning, or alternatively use a potato masher to smash the tofu into crumbles. (No need to press the tofu first, the excess water will bake out in the oven). Mix the tofu crumbles with the seasoning making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated.
  
• Spread the tofu crumbles evenly over the pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, stopping to stir the tofu every now and then. Keep a close eye on it towards the end so that it doesn't burn. You want the tofu to be nice and browned. Once cooked, set aside until needed.
  

To make the vegan cabbage roll soup:

• In the meantime, 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 have turned translucent and begin to brown.
  
• Stir in the cabbage, 6 cups of broth, crushed tomatoes, rice, brown sugar, and all the spices (smoked paprika, dried oregano, bay leaf, salt, and pepper). You may need more or less salt depending on how salty the broth you used is. If you like you can cook the soup without salt then add it last so you can add it to taste. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook stirring as needed, for about 25 minutes or until the rice and cabbage are tender.
  
• Lastly, stir in prepared tofu crumbles and cook for 1 more minute to heat through. If your soup is too thick, stir in more broth or water to reach desired consistency. Serve hot with fresh parsley for garnish.
  

Notes

Oil-free: to make oil-free omit substitute the oil in the tofu crumbles with vegetable broth or aquafaba. Omit the oil when sautéing the veggies and instead do a water or broth sauté.

Make-ahead/ freeze: Cabbage soup tastes even better the next day, so you can prepare it ahead of time, allow it to cool completely then store the soup covered in the fridge for up to 5 days or you can freeze it in an air-tight container. Gently reheat on the stove or in the microwave, adding more broth or water if needed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving (about 1 ½ cups) (recipe makes 8 servings) | Calories: 221kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 1080mg | Potassium: 345mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 3394IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 2mg

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Author: Sam Turnbull

Cuisine: Polish

Course: Soup

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