Vegan Stuffed Cabbage Soup with Lentils and Orzo (Zupa Gołąbkowa)

This easy to make in one pot vegan stuffed cabbage roll soup is made with lentils and orzo to make a hearty meal, perfect for a cold day or chilly nights, especially when served with a slice of homemade rye bread! 

Why You’ll Love this Cabbage Soup 

This stuffed cabbage soup is so similar to my aunt’s famous cabbage rolls, only this is a lot quicker and easier to make! 

• All the same great flavors of traditional stuffed cabbages (Gołąbki) 
• Super easy to make in one pot and no rolling required
• Lots of simple ingredients, nothing weird 

While most stuffed cabbages are made with meat, on Christmas Eve, they are required to be meat free! Using the family recipe as my starting point, I’ve modified it to be fully vegan with lentils replacing the ground beef with a splash of soy sauce to bring out the umami flavors. 

In place of rice, I opted to use orzo for a similar mouthfeel while staying closer to the historically accurate use of barley! 

This soup goes great with a couple of slices of Polish Rye Bread (surprisingly easy and vegan!) or some homemade vegan dinner rolls. 

Ingredients 

For the full list of ingredients, complete with amounts, please see the recipe box below. 

• Fresh Cabbage: The star of the soup! Use a nice green cabbage that feels heavy for its size, has tightly compacted leaves that are dark green, and feels firm to the touch. This recipe calls for about half a head of cabbage. If you want to take a shortcut, you can totally use a coleslaw mix for pre-shredded cabbage. I’ve done this a few times that I’ve made this soup and it turns out the same! 
• Lentils: Lentils here replace the ground meats found in traditional Polish cabbage soup. I like to use the pre-cooked lentils that I always keep on hand for quick dinners. However, you can use dried lentils if that is what you have. I recommend using brown lentils as red lentils will cook too quickly. 
• Orzo: Again, this is my personal variation on this soup, I just love to use orzo in here! It has a similar shape to the rice and works really well in this hearty soup.  

You’ll Also Need: Carrots, onion, garlic, crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, water, orange juice, tamari (or soy sauce), garlic and onion powder, dill, allspice, paprika, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper 

Instructions 

Making this soup couldn’t be easier. Make sure you have a large pot or dutch oven to cook this is as it makes a lot of soup! 

First up, prep all the veggies. Thinly slice the onions, cut the carrots into coins or half coins, and chop the cabbage into bite-sized pieces. You can also shred the cabbage and carrots for a more fine soup. 

Into a large soup pot, add the onion, garlic, carrots, and cabbage. Pour over top the crushed tomatoes and add the lentils, vegetable broth, and water. Finally, add in all the extra spices, herbs, as well as the orange juice and tamari (or soy sauce). 

Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat so that it simmers over a medium heat for about 45 minutes or until the carrots are fork tender. 

Now it’s time to add the orzo and let it cook for about 10 minutes. 

And that’s it! Serve with some bread for a complete meal and a sprinkle of fresh dill on top

This soup is great on nights you want a big hearty bowl of soup that doesn’t require a lot of supervision. Just give it a stir every 5 minutes or so to keep things moving and from burning on the bottom. 

I like to serve this soup with a slice of Polish rye bread, some dinner rolls, or seasonal pumpkin clover rolls if it’s the fall and winter time. 

How to Store 

This soup keeps for up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. 

You can freeze leftover cabbage roll soup. Let the leftovers cool down before decanting to freezer safe soup containers. They will keep for 2 months frozen. To reheat, place the soup in a pot on the stove over low heat and stir until fully melted and warmed. 

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