Cabbage Soup

8 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Cabbage Soup is the PERFECT savory vegetable soup made with cabbage, tomato, carrots, celery, and spices, ready in under 45 minutes!

When it gets cold outside, heats things up with kitchen favorites like Ultimate Slow Cooker Pot Roast, the yummy Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup, and the hearty Ultimate Slow Cooker Beef Stew!

Cabbage Soup

Cabbage Soup is a savory vegetable soup made with carrots, celery, onions, cabbage, diced tomato and spices. We’ve been making cabbage soup for years because it’s the perfect thing to make when it’s cold outside, plus you can do it in the slow cooker on days when you’re busy.

A lot of people make cabbage soup for weight loss because it’s low calorie, but one of the best parts is that it’s totally inexpensive and super easy to make Serve it with freshly made bread or dinner rolls, You can even cut up leftover Homemade Rotisserie Chicken and throw that in there, too.

If you’re having this for lunch, serve it with some crackers or breadsticks and a simple salad. You can also sub the chicken broth for vegetable broth if you’re needing this to be vegetarian style. Pro tip: make a double batch of this cabbage soup recipe so you can freeze half of it for a quick dinner another night!

For easy prep, cut up all of the vegetables used for one pot of this soup, wrap in a sealable bag and freeze. Then you just need to pull the bag out of the freezer and cook (or slow cook) with broth and spices! For even easier prep, use preshredded cabbage and precut frozen vegetables.

How to Make Cabbage Soup

Making Cabbage Soup is actually really simple! Some vegetables will be fried in a bit of oil to create a great flavor, and then a soup is created with the rest of the ingredients. Check it out! 

  • Step One: Fry the fragrant vegetables (garlic and onion) in some oil until translucent. 
  • Step Two: Add the rest of the ingredients into the pot and simmer for about a half hour.
  • Step Three: Serve hot with easy Garlic Bread or scrumptious Black Pepper Bacon Biscuits!

More Great Cabbage Recipes

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I make the soup a little thicker? 

If you want the broth to be a little bit thicker, add 3-4 tablespoons of tomato paste and stir well.

Is Cabbage Soup dairy free and gluten free? 

This recipe is naturally dairy-free and gluten free (with gluten free broth)!

What’s the difference between Cabbage Soup and Weight Loss Cabbage Soup? 

Good question! There are a lot of similarities between the two. The differences are in that the ingredients used are in different measurements. Plus, there’s a different blend of spices. But the biggest difference is that Weight Loss Cabbage Soup is not made with oil, like regular Cabbage Soup, so there’s less calories.

Should I use purple or green cabbage? 

While this recipe here is utilizing green cabbage, you can use purple (red) cabbage, or even a blended mix of both! 

Cabbage Soup in a ladle

Key Ingredients in Cabbage Soup

This is such a healthy and delicious soup, you’ll want to make it on a regular basis. The ingredients are pretty simple and everything can easily be found at your local grocery store! Check it out!

  • Cabbage: This recipe is calling for a half-head of green cabbage. You can use the preshredded stuff too. Make sure it’s the freshest you can find! 
  • Oil: Extra virgin olive oil (aka EVOO) is great for this. You can also use avocado oil or even coconut oil if you prefer. 
  • Seasoning: We are using simple thyme in this recipe. But you can use Italian blend or Herbes de Provence (an incredible french blend of dried herbs). 
  • Broth: Look for the low sodium chicken broth. Vegetable broth works great here too!
  • Carrots: Carrots add a hearty depth and non-sugary sweetness to the soup. Feel free to use orange, purple, and even yellow carrots! 
  • Celery: Just a couple of stalks will do. Make sure they are washed thoroughly as they can often have dirt stuck on them from the farm. 
  • Tomatoes: We’re using a 14.5oz can of stewed tomatoes here since it’s super easy. But if you prefer, you can dice up a cup of fresh tomatoes too! Fresh cut tomatoes work really well in the alternative slow cooker and pressure cooker options.

Alternative Cooking Methods for Cabbage Soup

  • Slow Cooker Cabbage Soup: Add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker and stir together. Set the cooker on low for eight hours, or on high for four hours. The soup is done when the vegetables are soft and your kitchen smells amazing. Pro tip: use a crock pot liner for virtually no clean up!
  • Instant Pot Cabbage Soup: Use the sauté function for the oil with onion, garlic, and spices for a few minutes before adding the other ingredients. Once it’s done sautéing, add everything to the instant pot and stir. Lock the lid and set pressure on high for a total time of 10 minutes, then let the pot naturally release, about another 15 minutes.

Variations on Cabbage Soup

  • Vegetable Additions: You can add more veggies to cabbage soup, like green beans, bell peppers, corn, broccoli, kale, spinach, or or cauliflower. If you add leafy greens, add them at the end just a few minutes before you serve, otherwise they’ll get mushy.
  • Pure Veg, Non-Veg: Add chicken or beef to this cabbage soup recipe if you want more protein, and rice or potatoes for more carbs. For a vegetarian protein option, use white beans or extra firm tofu cut into cubes.
  • Beef Cabbage Soup: If you’re making beef cabbage soup, use ¼ cup of red wine to deglaze the onions and simmer until reduced by half. Then follow the recipe as normal. I like to use ground beef, which is a lot like deconstructed cabbage rolls!
  • Italian Cabbage Soup: Add a packet of onion soup mix or Italian seasoning if you want more onion and herb flavor.
  • Spicy Cabbage Soup: Use a spoonful of hot sauce or a dash of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to add some spice to this cabbage soup recipe.
  • Sweet & Savory: If you want a sweet and savory soup, stir in 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar.

How to Serve Cabbage Soup

More Hearty Soup Recipes

How to Store Cabbage Soup

  • Serve: Serve your soup nice and hot. Keep covered when not being served. Refrigerate within 2 hours. 
  • Store: Cabbage soup will last for 4-5 days in the refrigerator, when sealed tightly. You can have this for dinner, then pack a few lunches with it, then freeze whatever is leftover for another day.
  • Freeze: Let it cool completely before putting it into an airtight container and freezing. This will keep for about 2-3 months in the freezer. 
Easy Cabbage Soup

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Cabbage Soup

Cabbage Soup is the PERFECT savory vegetable soup made with cabbage, tomato, carrots, celery, and spices, ready in under 45 minutes!
Yield 8 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 yellow onion , chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 8 cups low sodium chicken broth (vegetable broth is fine too)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper , or to taste
  • 1/2 head cabbage , chopped in 1 ½ inch chunks
  • 4 large carrots , peeled and chopped
  • 2 ribs celery , sliced thinly
  • 14.5 ounces stewed tomatoes (just under two cups fresh cut tomatoes)

Instructions

  • In a large pot add the olive oil over medium heat then add in the onions and garlic, onion and cook until the onions are see through, about 3-5 minutes.
  • Add in the broth, salt, pepper, thyme, cabbage, carrots, celery and tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes.

Notes

Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 514mg | Potassium: 539mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 5285IU | Vitamin C: 27.7mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 1.6mg
Keyword: cabbage soup
Cabbage Soup in pot Pin 1

Photos used in a previous version of this post:

Healthy Cabbage Soup

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. Cant wait to try your soups…Kansas City is having Ice & Snow, as I write, so perfect timing. Thanks Bunches.
    Pam

  2. This is the best cabbage soup. I can eat the whole pot in two days if I allow myself. It is a perfect blend of ingredients. My In-Laws are elderly and they love when I share this soup>

  3. I just love cabbage in any way, shape or form. I’ve been making cabbage soup for a few yrs now. I like to tweak it by adding frozen green beans and sumtimes a little cooked barley. And I usually add a bit of tomato paste for that ‘extra’ tomato goodness/ taste

  4. Made it today with home made vegetable broth, added tomato paste, chilli flakes, potatoes and chick peas. Served with a dash of olive oil and lemon juice. It was delicious. Thanks for the recipe!

  5. How long would i cook it if i use the instantpot or pressure cooker? can i omit the garlic and if so, what would i put in it’s place?

    1. Use the saute function for the onions, celery, and carrots for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add the other ingredients and stir. Turn on the soup function and set it for 20 minutes. Use instant release once the 20 minutes is up. Once the pressure has released, stir and enjoy!

  6. Made this for my wife and I. As Sabrina suggested I added a meat. 1 lb of cooked mild Italian sausage.

    This is a great website by the way. I especially liked getting to the recipe quickly instead of having to read a lot of verbiage.

    I will be using the lamb stew recipe next.

  7. I followed the recipe almost exactly. I have to watch my salt so I left out the salt & substituted my frozen garden tomatoes & peppers for the stewed tomatoes & added a bay leaf.
    Really delicious & so easy

  8. I like this recipe so I gave it five stars but I strongly suggest reducing the water (it’s way too much), the salt ( since you have salt in the broth, even low sodium) and the pepper ( 1/4 teaspoon is enough).
    Great one for loosing weight!

    1. Great recipe.
      I love making soup.
      It warms the soul on cold days.
      Is there “EVER” a way to “mess up” soup on a cold day ?
      I’m no chef, but our family will NEVER starve.
      Thanks for the recipe.

  9. Delicious and easy . It doesn’t have to be exact measurements. I used rotisserie chicken. This is a healthy soup.

    1. Wow, I have just finished making this and I am eating it right now as I type this at 12:50am. I have found so many recipes online but they all yield a lot. I’m so grateful that I found yours because this really hits the spot and I feel so good to finally be eating healthy again. Thank you so much for sharing this! I will be making this again! ?

  10. Very nice soup. I found this recipe looking for something to make with my left overs. I followed the recipe except for throwing in a few things from my fridge that I had on hand. I had two italian sausages so I broke those up and fried it along with the onion and garlic. I also had two Kale leaves so I threw those in chopped up of course. Also fresh parsley from my garden. Voila! Very tasty. Love soup on these cooler days.

    1. Sounds delicious! I love when you can clean out your fridge and make a hearty, yummy soup. Yay to not wasting food in your fridge! 🙂

  11. I love your recipe because it doesn’t have the usual green pepper, which I don’t like. I’m on a low salt diet so I take out the kosher salt and add salt free seasoning.

    1. I have to be careful with green pepper. Sometimes green pepper gives too much flavor. If I do add it in it is late In the cooking.

  12. Recipe says half a head of cabbage but cabbage heads come in all sizes. Can you tell me how many cups of chopped cabbage should be used?

      1. I love cabbage so I added more. I also put in yellow pepper, cauliflower and baby carrots. I used beef broth for something different. I used rosemary, thyme, cumin, and some garlic powder(love garlic). It was delicious!! I’ll be making it again for sure!! ?

  13. This is my go-to recipe lately! I just love it. I add two cans of garbanzo beans and slow cooked and shredded pork that I make in my ninja. Really filling and lasts me all week. My favorite side is a nice loaf of homemade beer bread!

  14. Delicious, easy and inexpensive – thank you! Sadly, but to my own personal benefit, I’m the only member of my family who likes cabbage soup! Made last night in the Instantpot. I like my cabbage soup on the spicy side – I added a little cumin, cayenne pepper, and Sriracha – just enough to make my nose run just a LITTLE bit 🙂

    What I’ll do next time: break up the stewed tomatoes, add some tomato paste to thicken it a little bit, and try some versions with cauliflower, ground beef and rice. Can’t wait to finish all the leftover so I can make it again.

  15. I LOVE cabbage soup! I always use this particular recipe as my base but I like to tweak pretty much any recipe I use! This time I used 5 c. of the Knorr tomato buillon w/chicken broth, which lends a little bit of spice and then 3 c. beef buillon broth. I also like to add in red pepper, leave out the thyme, and add cumin, extra garlic, and a little bit of lime juice! I prefer a little spicier, so I’ll add either cayenne or some hot sauce to my personal bowl =]

  16. Thank you so much for this recipe Sabrina! It’s lite, full of flavor, and super easy to prepare. My (very picky) husband went back for a third helping. A real winner! Will be adding this to my repertoire.

  17. This was so good. I made it with frozen meatballs and used your suggestion for adding beef, which was to add red wine, and I used a little brown sugar also. I threw in half a green pepper I had left over, and added marjoram, a bay leaf, and a teaspoon of onion soup mix. I cooked it a little bit longer, about 40 minutes, since my veg needed a little more time.

    The final result was rich, sweet, and delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe!

  18. Have been making a similar soup for many years. I use ground turkey or turkey sausage in place of hamburger. I do not season with hot seasonings but use a generous amount of sage, rosemary and thyme plus salt and pepper. I also include a can of black beans or white beans for extra protein. Cabbage soup is one of our favorites it’s keto friendly and very low fat/carb.

  19. Greetings Sabrina ?
    Is this the same recipe as the “Cabbage Soup Diet”. Looks YuM (3 stars for appearance!).
    I’m going to mGreetings Sabrina ?
    Is this the same recipe as the “Cabbage Soup Diet”. Looks YuM (3 stars for appearance!).
    I’m going to make this, as it “sounds” like the same recipe & I love cabbage. I just have to limit my intake, as when my mama & I did this soup diet, (so easy, as I love cabbage – eating it 2x/day), waay back in the day, I ended up at the emergency room, bc apparently, cabbage’s, natural gas *ahem* causing ability, can actually kill you! ?
    This time I’ll only eat it 1x/day ~ Wish me well ?
    Thanks so much for sharing!

  20. Loved the recipe. My husband said he would never ear cabbage soup. He loved it. Easy to do. We opted for the veggie version with a bit of tomato paste. Superb taste. Would love to see more of your recipes, especially veggie based.

  21. Just had to leave a comment on how great and simple this dish is. I ended up, going with ground beef and beef broth and it was great. This is definitely a timeless dish and will stay in my cook book for life. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.

    1. Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and let me know, Randall. I take that as a huge compliment.

  22. Great recipe! Followed instant pot directions and sauteed onion and garlic before adding other ingredients. Adding crushed red pepper to the instant pot makes the soup super spice-something about the pressure cooking. We loved it!
    This site uses so much flash that it’s hard to navigate and everything is slow. I almost gave up on the recipe but I’m glad I pushed through.

  23. Made the fried cabbage with apples & onions for dinner last night. Did not have bacon, but ended up adding sausage!! Was delicious. My husband and I loved it!! Gonna try the cabbage soup next!! Yum!!

    1. I agree with Jenn. This soap had NO flavor AT ALL. I ended up using LOTS of STEAK seasoning as it was all I had other than Thyme. After using probably 3 Tablespoons it was delicious.

  24. This is so good. I added a package of frozen meatballs and a can of prepared rice for fillers. I also added cumin to make it more of a mexican meatball type of soup. Great recipe.

  25. I made this last night (overnight) in my slow cooker. I woke up to an amazing aroma. I started out by sauteing the onions, celery & garlic to give added flavor. I then followed your recipe also adding green beans, cut okra, and corn, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Similar to a vegetable soup. I just had a bowl and it is so good.
    I have a kidney disease and cabbage is one of the foods that is good for kidneys. I plan on freezing some so it is ready to eat at a moments notice. Thank you for a great recipe.

  26. Delicious as written but I like to add a pound of the leanest hamburger meat I can find to make what I consider to be a complete meal.

  27. Cleaned out my freezer only to find your cabbage soup that i made in 2/ 17
    I had in a vacuum pack food saver bag and it was as hood as the day I made it.

  28. I haven’t made cabbage soup in probably 20 years! I used all of the ingredients in this recipe except for the fresh carrots because I was using a half bag of frozen medley vegetables instead. In addition, I used 3/4’s of the cabbage head – added a pinch of red pepper flakes – 1 extra large chicken bouillon cube to strengthen the chicken broth – and a can of Ro*Tel diced tomatoes with green chilies. I served it with crusty garlic bread and I must say, the flavors all came together to make one hearty bowl of soup – AWESOME!

  29. I have made this with the packaged cole slaw cabbage and carrots already shredded. Saves a lot of time. I also have browned some sweet italian sausage and added to it. Gives it a great flavor.