Easy Vegan Cabbage Roll Soup

 

All the deep, warming, deeply comforting flavour of traditional cabbage rolls — without a single one of the fiddly, time-consuming, finger-burning steps that make the actual dish so exhausting to prepare. This easy vegan cabbage roll soup is the genius unstuffed version that gives you everything you love about cabbage rolls — savoury, warmly spiced tomato broth, tender rice, hearty seasoned tofu crumbles, and soft braised cabbage — in a hearty, slurp-worthy soup form that takes less than 45 minutes from start to finish, costs almost nothing to make, and tastes even better the second day. It is the kind of recipe that gets made once and then added to the permanent weekly rotation forever.

Prep Time: 10 mins  |  Cook Time: 35 mins  |  Total Time: 45 mins  |  Servings: 8  

---

Ingredients

Seasoned Tofu Crumbles (the "meat"):

• 1 block (350g / 12 oz) extra-firm tofu (no pressing needed)
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon liquid smoke (adds a savoury, slightly smoky depth to the tofu crumbles)

Soup:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 cups green cabbage (about ½ a small head), roughly chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 6 cups (1.5 litres) vegetable broth (plus more if needed)
• 1 can (400g) crushed or diced tomatoes
• ¾ cup (140g) uncooked white rice (or brown rice — see Notes)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar (balances the acidity of the tomatoes)
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to garnish

---

Instructions

1. Make the tofu crumbles: preheat oven to 190°C (375°F) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the nutritional yeast, soy sauce, olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder, and liquid smoke until they form a thick, paste-like mixture. Crumble the tofu directly into the bowl using your fingers or a potato masher, breaking it into small, irregular, ground-meat-like pieces. Toss until every piece is well coated. Spread the seasoned tofu crumbles in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20–25 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the crumbles are lightly browned and firm. Set aside.
2. While the tofu bakes, make the soup: heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the diced carrots and onion. Cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns translucent and begins to soften.
3. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute until fragrant.
4. Add the chopped cabbage and stir well. Cook for 2 minutes until the cabbage begins to soften slightly.
5. Pour in the vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, uncooked rice, brown sugar, smoked paprika, dried oregano, and bay leaves. Stir everything well to combine.
6. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is fully cooked and tender and the cabbage is soft.
7. In the last minute of cooking, stir in the prepared tofu crumbles and allow them to heat through.
8. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and more smoked paprika or brown sugar as needed. If the soup has become too thick (the rice absorbs liquid as it sits), add more broth or water until the desired consistency is reached. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
9. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh flat-leaf parsley. Serve with crusty bread for dipping.

---

Notes

• No need to press the tofu: The excess moisture bakes out in the oven, making the tofu crumbles beautifully firm and flavourful without any pressing required.
• Liquid smoke: This single ingredient is what gives the tofu crumbles their irresistible savoury, smoky, almost meat-like quality that makes this soup so deeply satisfying. Find it near the BBQ sauces at most supermarkets. A little goes a long way.
• Brown rice: If using brown rice instead of white, increase the simmering time by 20–30 minutes, or partially cook the brown rice separately before adding to the soup to control the cooking time more easily.
• This soup thickens significantly as it sits: The rice continues to absorb liquid in the fridge overnight. When reheating leftovers, always add a generous splash of broth or water and stir over medium heat until warmed through and the right consistency is restored.
• Skip the oven step for speed: If you are short on time, simply crumble the raw tofu directly into the soup at the beginning, add the tofu seasonings to the soup pot, and cook everything together. The texture will be slightly softer but the flavour is still excellent.
• Storage: Refrigerate for up to 5 days. Freeze in airtight containers for up to 3 months — one of the best freezer-friendly soups in existence.

---