Every spoonful of cabbage soup is loaded with healthy vegetables swimming in a flavorful herby-tomato broth. It’s good for the soul and nutritious for the body!
Why this recipe works
This cabbage soup is healthy, comforting, and loaded with tender green cabbage, onion, garlic, celery, tomato, carrot, and green beans then sprinkled with dried aromatics for a flavor-packed base. It’s time to cozy up with a bowl of good-for-you ingredients simmered together in a single pot.
Cabbage tends to be an overlooked vegetable, especially given its nutrient-dense properties. Not only does it make a fantastic low-calorie soup, but it also makes a great main dish like our cabbage rolls or a tasty side such as fried cabbage. Don’t sleep on this veggie, it has a lot to offer!
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
VEGGIES – Yellow onion, garlic, green cabbage, celery, carrot, and green beans lend lots of body and nutrients to this soup. You’ll also need a 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes. We recommend green cabbage as it’s nice and tender when cooked, but you should be able to get away with just about any kind of cabbage for this soup. Feel free to substitute vegetables as you see fit, this is a versatile dish.
STOCK – Low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock work well here. Substitute with homemade stock if desired.
How to Make Cabbage Soup
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Heat olive oil in a 6 quart soup pot over medium heat, then add in chopped onion and garlic.
- Add cabbage, celery, diced tomato, carrot, green beans, salt, dried thyme, dried parsley, and ground pepper.
- Add enough stock to almost cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil uncovered.
- Cook uncovered on medium/medium-low for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover and simmer on lowest setting for 20 minutes.
EXPERT TIP – If you want your cabbage to be softer, cook covered for an additional 15 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Store leftover cabbage soup in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Reheat on the stovetop.
Yes, you can freeze cabbage soup. To do so, transfer the cooled soup to an air-tight container or large ziptop bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on medium-low on the stovetop until warmed through.
If you like a thicker broth in your cabbage soup try adding a few tablespoons of tomato paste to the mix. This should help thicken it up. You can also try adding cornstarch or flour.
Our cabbage soup recipe is vegetarian-friendly, but you can always add in a protein like bacon, chicken, or crumbled sausage to beef it up. If you don’t want to add meat, try stirring in some white rice, diced potatoes, beans, or chickpeas for an even heartier soup. Add a bay leaf for further flavor in the broth.
Serving Suggestions
Garnish your cabbage soup with fresh parsley and serve with crusty bread on the side. If desired, you can top with parmesan cheese. Enjoy warm from the pot.
More Soup Recipes
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Cabbage Soup
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion chopped, about 1 1/2 cups
- 4 cloves garlic minced, about 1 tablespoon
- ½ large head of green cabbage chopped, 9-10 cups
- 6 cups low sodium vegetable stock or chicken stock. 6-7 cups
- 2 ribs celery chopped, 2 cups
- 28 ounces diced tomato 1 can
- 1 large carrot chopped, 1 1/2 cups
- 1 cup fresh green beans cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- fresh parsley optional as garnish
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- Our cabbage soup recipe is vegetarian-friendly, but you can always add in a protein like bacon, chicken, or crumbled sausage to beef it up. If you don’t want to add meat, try stirring in some white rice, diced potatoes, beans, or chickpeas for an even heartier soup. Add a bay leaf for further flavor in the broth.
- If you like a thicker broth in your cabbage soup try adding a few tablespoons of tomato paste to the mix. This should help thicken it up. You can also try adding cornstarch or flour.
- Low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock work well here. Substitute with homemade stock if desired.
- Store leftover cabbage soup in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Reheat on the stovetop.
- To freeze, transfer the cooled soup to an air-tight container or large ziptop bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on medium-low on the stovetop until warmed through.
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat, then add in chopped onion and garlic.
- Add cabbage, celery, diced tomato, carrot, green beans, salt, dried thyme, dried parsley, and ground pepper.
- Add enough stock to almost cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil uncovered.
- Cook uncovered on medium/medium-low for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover and simmer on lowest setting for 20 minutes.NOTE – if you want your cabbage to be softer, cook covered for an additional 15 minutes.
Nutrition
Lindsay Formaro
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Joe says
This soup is excellent. I made a few modifications by using no salt added tomatoes & using less salt. I needed to do that in order to make it acceptable for my wife because she has bad kidneys. It was terrific
Pam says
I have a family member who can’t have tomatoes. Is there something else to use?
Amanda Formaro says
Soups are very adaptable. You could simply replace the canned tomatoes with 3 cups of broth.