Cabbage Soup
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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.
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!
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.
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.
- 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.
How to Make Cabbage Soup in a Crockpot
- Add all ingredients to a 6 or 7 quart slow cooker, except parsley.
- Cover and cook on low heat until veggies are all tender, about 8 hours, or high for about 4 hours.
- Stir in parsley.
How to Make Cabbage Soup in an Instant Pot
- 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.
- Pour in remaining except parsley.
- Secure lid and set valve to sealing position.
- Set to “manual” mode and select 15 minutes.
- Let pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes then you can carefully quick release any remaining pressure. Stir in parsley.
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.
More Delicious Cabbage Recipes to Try
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Cabbage Soup
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 medium)
- 1 1/2 cups diced carrots (about 3)
- 1 cups diced celery (about 3)
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 6 oz. fresh green beans (or frozen), end trimmed, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 small (20oz) cabbage, chopped (4 packed cups)
- 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
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
- 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.