Cabbage Soup

Published August 8, 2018. Updated June 3, 2020

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This Cabbage Soup recipe is one of the few recipes that you can sit down and eat as much as you want as often as you want and you can feel great about it! It’s low in calories, it’s packed with veggies and it makes the perfect lunch any day of the year.

Want a beef filled cabbage soup? Also try my Cabbage Roll Soup, it tastes just like a cabbage roll without all the extra time and hassle.

Cabbage Soup

I love this recipe for a few reasons. It’s flavorful, it has minimal calories, it’s so easy to make, it’s packed with nutritious ingredients and it makes great leftovers that reheat well. It’s also a great recipe for sicks days, or recovering from being sick days.

Cabbage Soup Video

 

It only requires just a bit of chopping and sautéing then you just let everything simmer together until it’s tender. Really, this cabbage soup recipe is as easy as can be!

Cabbage Soup

Ingredients Needed for Cabbage Soup

  • Olive oil – don’t use another type of oil, it won’t taste as good.
  • Cabbage – stick with the standard green cabbage here. Napa cabbage would wilt too much.
  • Carrots – you don’t need to peel carrots before chopping, but do scrub and rinse clean l if skipping that step.
  • Celery – slice somewhat thin so it ends up tender by the time the other veggies are done.
  • Yellow onion – what would we do without this staple ingredient? It adds so much flavor. The yellow variety will taste best here.
  • Bell pepper – I like to stick with red bell pepper since it has the most ripened flavor of all the varieties.
  • Garlic – use freshly chopped garlic for best flavor.
  • Green Beans – frozen green beans will work great as well.
  • Canned petite diced tomatoes – fire roasted tomatoes will taste great too.
  • Low-sodium chicken broth – vegetable broth can be substituted.
  • Italian seasoning – wanting to make your own blend? You could also just use 3/4 tsp oregano, 3/4 tsp basil and 1/2 tsp thyme.
  • Parsley – this adds nice vibrant color and light fresh flavor at the end.

Cabbage Soup Ingredients

How to Make Cabbage Soup on the Stovetop

  • 1. Saute mirepoix veggies: olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, add the onions, carrots and celery then saute 6 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
  • 2. Stir in remaining vegetables, broth and seasonings: stir in cabbage, bell pepper, tomatoes, green beans, broth, Italian seasoning and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Showing how to make cabbage soup. Sauteeing carrots, onions and celery in a large white pot.

Adding cabbage, tomatoes, green beans, chicken broth and seasoning to soup mixture.

  • 3. Boil then let simmer: Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until veggies are tender, about 15 minutes.
  • 4. Finish with parsley: Stir in parsley and serve warm.

Cabbage soup cooking in a large pot.

Cabbage Soup shown after finished cooking in large white pot.

How to Make Cabbage Soup in a Crockpot

  1. Add all ingredients to a 6 or 7 quart slow cooker, except parsley.
  2. Cover and cook on low heat until veggies are all tender, about 8 hours, or high for about 4 hours.
  3. Stir in parsley.

How to Make Cabbage Soup in an Instant Pot

  1. Set Instant Pot to “saute” setting and saute the onion, celery and carrot for a few minutes, then garlic for 1 minute. Set to “off” setting.
  2. Pour in remaining except parsley.
  3. Secure lid and set valve to sealing position.
  4. Set to “manual” mode and select 15 minutes.
  5. Let pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes then you can carefully quick release any remaining pressure. Stir in parsley.

Overhead image of cabbage soup in a large white pot with a white ladle, showing an abundance of fresh vegetables.

Will this Recipe Work for the Cabbage Soup Diet?

I’m no doctor or dietician so I’m not one to promote a diet or diet recipe. But if you are looking for “the cabbage soup diet recipe” then this one will fit the bill.

What to Serve with Cabbage Soup?

I like to serve this with fresh whole wheat bread, covered with a layer of creamy butter of course. Garlic bread or cheese toast is another good option. Or just go with crackers, can’t go wrong with those.

How Long Does it Keep?

It will stay fresh for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

Can I Freeze Cabbage Soup?

Yes this cabbage soup can be frozen in an airtight container up to 3 months.

Tips and Possible Variations:

  • Be sure to allow enough time to simmer so vegetables are tender.
  • For extra flavor add more herbs, and you can also use fresh herbs like oregano, thyme, basil and rosemary.
  • For an added protein and to make this soup more filling you can add in cannellini beans, kidney beans or chick peas. Lentils would be a good option too just add more broth.
  • You could add hamburger or sausage to the soup, brown before simmering with the soup.
  • Add a little lemon for extra flavor, or red pepper flakes for a little kick.

Single serving of easy homemade cabbage soup in a white bowl set over a white speckled plate with crackers to the side.

More Delicious Cabbage Recipes to Try

 

16 Quick & Easy 30 Minute Recipes! (plus weekly recipe updates)

Cabbage Soup
5 from 35 votes

Cabbage Soup

This Cabbage Soup is easy to make and so delicious! It's also low in calories, packed with veggies and it makes great leftovers.
Servings: 6
Prep15 minutes
Cook25 minutes
Ready in: 40 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
  • Add onion, carrot and celery, then saute 6 minutes. Add in garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
  • Stir in green beans, bell pepper, cabbage, tomatoes, chicken broth, Italian seasoning and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until all of the veggies are tender, about 15 minutes.
  • Thin soup with a little more broth or water if desired. Mix in parsley and serve warm.

Notes

Possible Variations:
  • For an added protein and to make this soup more filling you can add in cannellini beans, kidney beans or chick peas. Lentils would be a good option too just add more broth.
  • You could add hamburger or sausage to the soup, brown before simmering with the soup.
  • Add a little lemon for extra flavor, or red pepper flakes for a little kick.
Nutrition Facts
Cabbage Soup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 145 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 219mg10%
Potassium 910mg26%
Carbohydrates 25g8%
Fiber 7g29%
Sugar 12g13%
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin A 6960IU139%
Vitamin C 90.8mg110%
Calcium 124mg12%
Iron 2.8mg16%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.

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85 Comments

  • Nancy Blow

    Fast, easy, delicious, nutritious, economical, and versatile, too. Does it get any better than that? Not in my world. So glad I found this recipe and your food blog, Jaclyn. Thank you.

  • Lisa Strayhorn

    Five star all the way! I have made this for a few years now and my family loves it. I did change a few things. we like spicy food so I add zesty crushed tomatoes as well as crushed red peppers. We don’t eat a lot of meat so I sometimes add black beans for protein.
    I make this at least once a month. We love it so much

    • Eddie

      Done this a lot now, for a bit more kick I have added several dashes of Soy Sauce and a teardrop say of Worcester sauce

  • Charlie

    This recipe looks and sound wonderful, anxious to try. However, reading for long long tme that olive oil should never be used at high heat. Believe not over 325 degrees? High heat for OO does not sound like a good/healthy idea.

    • Joan

      I am Italian and have used OO at high temps. Southern Italians have the lowest rate of heart issues and cancer after a 40 year longitudinal study. This recipe has a minute amount of olive oil. You’ll be fine.

  • Cape GGMA

    I am so excited to learn different ways to cook cabbage

  • Eddie

    Made this today , lovely soup , really tasty and full of goodness , it will be a regular .
    Didnt have chicken broth so used a Knorr chicken stock pot .
    For any non vegans I reckon the addition of some small browned off diced beef would be great .
    Many thanks for the recipe.