Halal Stuffed Cabbage Soup: Hearty Comfort Food for Winter Gatherings

Halal Twist by Hasan

This hearty halal stuffed cabbage soup combines spiced beef meatballs, tender rice, and cabbage in a rich tomato broth — a perfect comfort food for winter gatherings. Made with halal-certified beef and simple pantry staples.

Serves 8 serving(s) Time 1hr 45mins Status Halal with Notes

Why This Recipe is Halal

Made with halal-certified ground beef round — properly slaughtered according to Islamic dietary laws.
All other ingredients are plant-based or dairy (sour cream) — no pork or alcohol derivatives.
Vegetable oil used for cooking — no lard or animal fats.

A Closer Look at the Ingredients

Small swaps make a big difference. Here’s what to look for when you shop.

Beef stock

What to watch for: Commercial beef stock may contain non-halal additives or flavorings.

The halal solution: Use homemade beef stock or certified halal beef stock/bouillon.

Find halal beef stock cubes on Amazon →

Ingredient-by-Ingredient Halal Audit

Ingredient	Status	Note
egg	halal	Permissible animal product
breadcrumbs	halal	Plant-based
salt	halal	Mineral
fresh ground black pepper	halal	Plant-based
ground beef round	halal	Must be from halal slaughter
vegetable oil	halal	Plant-based
onion	halal	Vegetable
carrots	halal	Vegetable
celery ribs	halal	Vegetable
garlic cloves	halal	Vegetable
green cabbage	halal	Vegetable
beef stock	questionable	Must be halal-certified
crushed tomatoes in puree	halal	Plant-based
water	halal	Natural
dried thyme	halal	Herb
sugar	halal	Plant-based
cider vinegar	halal	Fermented apple juice
bay leaf	halal	Herb
long-grain rice	halal	Plant-based
sour cream	questionable	Check for gelatin content

What You’ll Need

1 egg
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 lb ground beef round (halal-certified)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups green cabbage, shredded
4 cups halal beef stock
4 cups crushed tomatoes in puree
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup long-grain rice
1/2 cup sour cream (gelatin-free)

Let’s Cook

Meatballs: Beat the egg in a medium bowl.
Add the breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. Mix together.
Add the halal beef and mix lightly but thoroughly with your hands.
Roll into 16 meatballs.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
In batches, add the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate, leaving the fat in the pot.
Soup: Add the remaining oil to the fat in the pot.
Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the cabbage and stir well.
Add the halal beef stock, tomatoes, water, thyme, sugar, vinegar, and bay leaf, and bring to a boil.
Decrease heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the meatballs and cook until no pink remains in center, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat.
Add the rice and reduce the heat to medium-low.
Simmer until rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
Drain in a sieve and rinse under cold running water.
Stir the cooked rice into the soup.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot, with a dollop of gelatin-free sour cream on each serving.

Halal Stuffed Cabbage Soup with beef meatballs and rice in tomato broth

Nutrition, Per Serving

182.1Calories

10gProtein

25gCarbs

39gFat

11gFiber

5gSugar

8mgSodium

Notes From My Kitchen

For extra flavor, brown the halal beef meatballs in batches — overcrowding will steam them instead of browning.
Shred the cabbage thinly so it cooks evenly and blends well with the other vegetables.
Let the soup rest for 10 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld.
For a lighter version, you can substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream topping.