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Slow Cooker Spicy Cabbage Beef Soup

Slow cooker spicy cabbage beef soup with a deep red-orange tomato broth and very tender cabbage and vegetables. Ground beef is browned first, then simmered low-and-slow until the soup turns thick and richly spiced.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ground beef
  • 1.5 lb ground beef Browned and drained.
Cabbage
  • 1 cabbage Cored and roughly chopped (about 1 small head).
Carrots
  • 3 carrots Sliced.
Celery
  • 3 celery Sliced.
Onion
  • 1 onion Diced.
Garlic
  • 4 garlic Minced (4 cloves).
Canned tomatoes
  • 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
Beef broth
  • 4 cup beef broth
Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
Red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes Adjust to taste.
Garlic powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
Cumin
  • 1 tsp cumin
Green onions and hot sauce
  • 0.5 green onions For serving.
  • 0.25 hot sauce For serving.
Salt and pepper
  • 0.25 tsp salt To taste.
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper To taste.

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the beef
  1. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and brown the ground beef until no longer pink, then drain. The meat should look crumbly and browned, with no visible red.
Build the soup
  1. Add the drained ground beef to the slow cooker. Spread it so it sits in an even layer for better heating.
  2. Add cabbage, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and cumin to the slow cooker, then stir to combine. Make sure all vegetables are coated and submerged in the tomato broth.
Slow-cook
  1. Cook on Low for 7–8 hours, until cabbage and vegetables are very tender. Look for cabbage edges to be soft and collapsing when stirred.
Finish and serve
  1. Season with salt and black pepper to taste, then stir to distribute evenly. The broth should look thick and deeply spiced after seasoning.
  2. Serve with green onions and hot sauce on top. Finish with a visible scatter of green onions and a drizzle of hot sauce.

Notes

For best texture, chop the cabbage into rough pieces so it softens without turning to mush. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3–4 days; freeze up to 3 months. For a lighter option, use 90% lean or leaner ground beef and consider reducing hot sauce if you prefer less heat.