This Cabbage Soup recipe is so rich and flavorful! It’s easy to make with veggies you have on hand. Serve it with crusty bread, and dinner is ready!
We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come.
joseph campbell
This Cabbage Soup truly hits the spot when you crave a healthy, quick-to-make soup. The cabbage gets melty and tender and sweetens up as it simmers in the flavorful broth. Made with simple ingredients, it’s wholesome and comforting.
Why you’ll love this Cabbage Soup
Cabbage is often underappreciated, but this soup highlights its best features! It’s affordable, versatile, and lasts a long time.
This soup is highly adaptable and can be made with what you have on hand. Want to add protein? See all the variations below!
Cabbage is healthy! Low in glycemic index, and a good source of potassium and fiber, essential for heart health. Here are more of our favorite cabbage recipes!
Cabbage Soup Recipe Ingredients
- Cabbage: the star of the dish! Use one small green cabbage, about a pound.
- Veggies: Carrots, mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Use what you have on hand. Mushrooms add a lovely depth of flavor.
- Tomato Paste: adds sweetness and depth.
- Dijon Mustard: adds a little punchy kick!
- Seasonings: Thyme, bay leaves and smoked paprika create a full flavor base.
- Vegetable broth– try our favorite recipe, or use store-bought.
- Sherry Vinegar– for a little acidity. (Red Wine Vinegar or Apple Cider is fine too).
- Garnish with fresh Parsley. Adds a nice brightness to the soup.
*See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Cabbage Soup Variations
- Add beans. Boost up the protein with beans- white beans, cannellini beans, kidney beans, or chickpeas.
- Add ground meat. Make it heartier with ground meat (ground turkey, chicken, lamb or beef, or plant-based meat). Brown it first, then continue with the recipe!
- Thicken and add texture with diced potatoes, grains, wild rice or barley.
- Like it Spicy? Add red pepper flakes or Aleppo chili flakes.
How To Make The Best Cabbage Soup
STEP ONE– Gather up and chop your ingredients. Cut the cabbage into one-inch chunks.
STEP TWO– Sauté onions with olive oil in a heavy soup pot for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Turn heat to medium and add in mushrooms sauté another 5 minutes. Add more olive oil if needed or put a lid on for a minute this will let the mushrooms sweat and soften without adding more oil.
STEP THREE– Add garlic, cabbage, carrots, smoked paprika, thyme, dijon, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Mix until tomato paste is fully distributed.
STEP FOUR– Add vegetable broth and bring to a simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add parsley and sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar). Taste and adjust salt and vinegar to taste.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with fresh sourdough bread, cornbread, biscuits or rolls.
How to Store and Freeze
Cabbage soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. It can also be reheated gently on the stovetop.
Freeze cabbage soup in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Faqs
Cabbage is loaded with nutrients, folate, and fiber. Cabbage may help reduce inflammation, help digestion, and lower cholesterol.
Cabbage contains sulforaphane which helps the body fight against toxins. Cabbage also contains glutathione, an antioxidant that may help with the detoxifying function of the liver.
Yes, it freezes great and cabbage will be even more tender when reheated.
More Favorite Cabbage Soup Recipes
Hope you enjoy this soup. Let us know your favorite version!
Love this recipe? Please let us know in the comments and leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below the recipe card.
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Easy Cabbage Soup Recipe
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 7 cups
- Category: soup
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Simple clean ingredients full of comforting flavors, this Cabbage Soup is healthy, satisfying and easy to make. Perfect for busy weekdays and leftovers are delicious! Vegan.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, chopped (2 cups)
- 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 3 cups (8 oz) mushrooms, sliced
- 1 small cabbage (1 pound) cut in large chunks about 1 inch
- 1 cup carrots, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (adjust to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups vegetable broth, or chicken broth.
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar– a little sharper so start with 1 teaspoon or try champagne vinegar)
Instructions
- Sauté onions with olive oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Turn heat to medium and add in mushrooms sauté another 5 minutes. Add more olive oil if needed or put a lid on for a minute this will let the mushrooms sweat and soften without adding more oil.
- Add garlic, cabbage, carrots, smoked paprika, thyme, bay leaf, dijon, tomato paste, salt, pepper. Mix until tomato paste is fully distributed.
- Add broth and bring to a simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off heat. Add parsley and sherry vinegar (champagne vinegar or red wine vinegar). Adjust salt and acid to taste. If it tastes bland, it probably needs salt.
Makes 7 cups
Notes
- Boost up the protein with Beans: white beans, kidney beans, chickpeas or Meat: veggie meat or ground turkey, chicken or beef. If adding beans, add to the pot with the broth. If adding meat, brown it first, set it aside and continue with the recipe, adding it back in with the broth.
- Thicken and add texture with diced potatoes or grains like wild rice or barley- remember to adjust salt- you’ll need more.
- Like it Spicy? Add red pepper flakes or Aleppo
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 3/4 cup
- Calories: 133
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 513.9 mg
- Fat: 2.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 23.2 g
- Fiber: 5.3 g
- Protein: 9.6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
I did not use tomato paste since I was making this for a friend who cannot eat cooked tomatoes. I added 1 cup of red lentils and Dulse flakes for protein and flavor Umami seasoning from Trade Joe’s and ~ 1/2 tsp of sumac. Because of the added lentils, I increased the veggie broth by another quart. My husband said this was excellent and I agree. I’m sure it will be even better after the flavors have a chance to meld a day or two. Thanks, Tonia, for sharing such a delicious recipe with us.
Love how you switched it up! Sumac is a brilliant switch for the tomato paste. Thanks for taking time to share your helpful notes!
I tried this tonight and loved it! So delicious and flavorful!
Great!
I loved this recipe and so did my family. I had only purple cabbage so I used it and it was sweet and delicious. I did not have any mushrooms so I added some soy sauce and Worcestershire for umami flavor and some calabrian chile sauce for heat. Lastly, I threw in some tofu for protein which soaked up the flavors of the rich broth beautifully. The taste was warm, deep, earthy and sweet. So good with crusty bread and butter. Thanks Sylvia!
Love your innovations Benita! Really appreciate you taking time to review for us.
Lovely recipe! I’ve never added Dijon mustard and smoked paprika before. Brilliant addition! This recipe is adaptable and forgiving. Soup flavors should be layered to your taste preferences. Taste as you go along. I sauteed smoked turkey sausage at the beginning and added fire roasted tomatoes. I was given a small head of sweet homegrown cabbage and had mushrooms to use up. But the essence of the recipe is the mustard and smoked paprika. This is now my go-to cabbage soup recipe.
So glad you enjoyed this! Thanks for taking the time to review!
This is an amazing soup! So simple and budget-friendly but it has so much depth of flavour. Amazing for meal-prep as well, it’s so quick to make. I do find that using chicken broth makes a big difference in the flavour so I tend to make it using it.
The one thing I can’t work out is the nutritional values, 9.6g of protein seems excessive for what goes in it no? Mushrooms and cabbage have quite a low protein content. Anyway, just a comment if anyone is looking at the macros 🙂
Glad you are enjoying the soup! The chicken broth is the main source of protein here (of course this will depend on the variety used) and as you said the cabbage and mushrooms along with the carrots have a small amount.
Loved it. The flavours were perfectly balanced!
Great! Thanks so much for reviewing.
Can I freeze this soup?
Yes it should freeze just fine!
This was so good! I used water (no broth) and it’s still delicious. Added a couple big scoops of sour cream to the whole pot once it was done cooking and cooled down a little bit. Also added a potato. I used a blend of fresh mushrooms idk why but this simple soup is so good!
So glad you enjoyed Alyssa!
I had never had a cabbage soup before. This was wonderful! I used purple cabbage (because that’s what I had), and the colors were beautiful. I also added a ripe red jalapeno for some zip. So good! Thank you!
Sounds so pretty Janet! Glad you liked it.
Delicious!
Glad you enjoyed!
Just made this and my dad says “this is a winner, can I have some more?”. Thanks for a delicious soup recipe. Was in a hurry, but next time will make your cornbread recipe to go with this.
Glad he enjoyed it Linda!
This is excellent! I think the unusual addition of dijon mustard and smoked paprika is what takes it over the top. Thanks!
So happy you enjoyed this Heather!
This was delicious! Hearty, earthy, and very flavorful. I used chicken broth and added some vege meatballs. I only had apple cider vinegar, and it was absolutely the key in balancing the flavor. Definitely a keeper for my recipe book!
Glad you enjoyed this!
Easy and delicious. I didn’t have Dijon mustard or parsley, but the smoked paprika added amazing taste. I added some red lentils for more protein. I used Imagine no-chicken broth. Excellent – its a keeper.
So happy you enjoyed this!
Easy and delicious. I didn’t have Dijon mustard or parsley, but the smoked paprika added amazing taste. I added some red lentils for more protein. Excellent – its a keeper.
Great to hear Lily!
What kind of broth did you use Randy? Just curious if you followed the recipe exactly and what you think makes it taste better?
So tasty! I added spicy Italian pork sausage and it added some really nice flavor.
Sounds great!
Delicious!! I added ground turkey and a can of cannoli beans. Will definitely be making it again.
Sounds tasty Alice!
Wow! This was the most delicious cabbage soup recipe I’ve had. I went with Better Than Bouillan as the base. Since it’s so potent and flavorful, I used 2 instead of 4 fresh garlic cloves, and added a bit more water than 4 cups. Turned out perfectly.
Excellent Rachel, so glad you enjoyed and adjusted to your taste!
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! This recipe is quite the keeper! 🙂 Because I’m diabetic and need to watch calories, I omitted all olive oil and just water sauteed the onions and mushrooms. I also used boxed organic vegetable broth to save time. I’m pretty sure these two changes made little difference to the most wonderful flavor profile. The soup was very satisfying and also felt a bit “Ayervedic” in its wholesome, fresh simplicity. I considered adding a bit of brown rice – but it didn’t need it! Simply delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe – it’s going in my Family Recipe Binder to keep for future generations. -Christina E, SoCal
Thank so much Christina! I am so happy this soup nourished you!