Weight Loss Cabbage Soup is an easy vegetable soup that’s great for healthy eating that is flavorful and filling. Made in only 20 minutes!
This incredibly simple Soup Recipe is even healthier and easier than Classic Cabbage Soup. It’s not only healthy, it’s also delicious and enjoyable, just like Vegetable Soup and Classic Chicken Noodle Soup.
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Sabrina’s Weight Loss Cabbage Soup Recipe
Just because this is a healthy cabbage soup recipe, doesn’t mean it’s a bland soup! The flavorful ingredients like garlic, tomatoes, basil, and oregano give this broth-based Cabbage Soup an excellent taste while remaining low-calorie. This is a delicious soup that you can enjoy for an easy healthy meal or as a light starter to a larger meal.
One of the best things about this soup is how easy it is to make. The process is literally to just chop up all the veggies and add them to the seasoned soup base in a large pot or Dutch oven. It simmers until the vegetables are softened and fork tender, then it’s ready to eat!
What is Weight Loss Cabbage Soup?
Weight Loss Cabbage Soup is also known as Diet Soup and Wonder Soup. This easy Cabbage Soup is the central part of an eating plan that has been around for years that includes enjoying unlimited Cabbage Soup. I am not advocating to be a nutrition professional nor am I advocating that you follow any specific diet. I just wanted to offer the recipe along with its background so you can enjoy it whether you are dieting or not.
Ingredients
- Soup Base: I’m using a vegetable broth as the base. You can easily find pre-made veggie broths in your local grocery store.
- Cabbage: Chop up one head cabbage or use two bags of pre-shredded cabbage. There are two main types of cabbage: red (or purple), and green (or white). I’m using green cabbage in this recipe.
- Aromatics: The soup base also starts with an aromatic blend of 1 yellow onion, 3 garlic cloves, 3 carrots, and 3 ribs of celery. The onions and garlic add a sharp pungent flavor, while the carrots and celery add an earthy sweetness. They also help bulk up the soup while adding fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients.
- Tomatoes: You’ll use 1 can of diced tomatoes (28 ounces) along with the juices to add more flavor, extra nutrients, and make it more hearty and filling.
- Spices: The blend of kosher salt, black pepper, dried oregano, and dried basil give this soup a delicious Italian flavor. You’ll need ½ teaspoon of each seasoning.
How to Make
Time needed: 30 minutes.
- Chop Veggies
Take your head of cabbage, and cut it in half. This will give you about 4 cups of shredded cabbage. Save the other half for another meal, unless you’re meal-prepping. Chop all the other vegetables into edible bite-size pieces.
- Cook
Add all of your ingredients to your soup pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer on low until the carrots and cabbage pieces are tender, about 20 minutes.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 1 yellow onion , chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 4 cups cabbage , cut into 1 inch chunks
- 3 carrots , cut into ½ inch bites
- 3 ribs/branches celery , cut into 1/2-inch bites
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes , do not drain
Instructions
- Add the vegetable broth, onion, garlic, cabbage, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and diced tomatoes then stir well.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes until cabbage and carrots are tender.
Video
Nutrition
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Can This Be Made Ahead?
Yes, you can make this Cabbage Soup ahead. You can prep all the veggies the day before and store them in the fridge. Or you can make the whole thing, cool it, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
Nutritional Facts
I love this Weight Loss Soup because it makes a great starting point for healthy eating because it’s low in calories, nutrient-dense, fat-free, and sugar-free. Cabbage is the foundational veggie in this healthy soup. It’s a wonderful vegetable that’s been cooked for thousands of years, an excellent source of vital nutrients, and may even be good for your blood pressure.
Chef’s Note: Meal Prepping
If you’re on a cabbage soup diet and meal-prepping this soup for the whole week, it’s a great idea to get the soup prepped in advance. The last thing you want is to have to chop up all the vegetables and then wait for the soup to heat up when you’re already hungry. Make all your batches of cabbage soup in one go and just reheat them when ready.
- Prep Extra: Start by cutting up all your vegetables. This recipe will be enough for several servings, but you may want to double up if you’re eating it for the whole week.
- Store Extra: You can combine the full recipe right away, or divide the ingredients into serving-sized containers to store in the fridge. Then you can just add broth and heat up one serving at a time.
- Cool First: If you make all the soup right away, then let it cool to room temperature and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. You can heat each serving in the microwave or on the stovetop for a few minutes.
How to Store
- Store: You can keep this Cabbage Soup recipe at room temperature for 2 hours before you store it. Keep a lid on it when not being served. To store Wonder Soup, let it cool to room temperature then put it in an airtight container. This recipe can keep well in the fridge for up to a week.
- Reheat: Reheat on the stovetop or covered in the microwave.
- Freeze: You can also store the soup in the freezer. It will store well in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Serving Ideas
- Sides: For a healthy meal, serve the soup in a bowl with a side of 20-minute Instant Pot Baked Sweet Potatoes or a Baked Potato with butter.
- Toppings: Top the soup with freshly chopped green onion and a sprinkling of fresh parsley or cilantro for a vibrant pop of color.
- Bread: Serve this Cabbage Soup for dinner, with some Soft Dinner Rolls or buttery Garlic Bread for a comforting meal.
Alternative Cooking Methods
No matter your soup pot used for cooking this healthy cabbage soup recipe will make it super easy to make. Just be sure to add plenty of water or broth of choice.
- Slow Cooker: This is a great slow cooker meal. Add all the ingredients, cover with the lid, and let it cook on low for 4 hours. If it cooks too long it might get too soggy. This is especially useful if you add roast beef or chicken to your soup.
- Dutch Oven: This is the method used in this recipe. It’s a great stovetop stock pot.
- Pressure Cooker: This one is quick and easy. Just add all the ingredients to the pot. Pressure cook on high for 3 minutes. Press the natural release valve and serve when ready!
Frequent Questions
If you’re counting your caloric intake, your calories per day is very important. Thankfully, this is a low-calorie meal with only about 60 calories per serving (one cup).
To make this veggie soup more filling, try adding in some leftover cooked meat like chicken, turkey, or ground beef. It may not be as low in calories, but it will still be healthy and delicious. You can also cook rice or lentils in the broth.
You can exchange the vegetable broth in the recipe for chicken broth or beef broth if you prefer. You can also use low-sodium broth if you’re trying to reduce sodium.
Regular green cabbage is best for soup because it cooks slower to absorb all the flavors without losing its texture. You could also use savoy cabbage or add bok choy after 10 minutes of simmering (it cooks fast). I just wouldn’t recommend using red cabbage because it will turn the broth an unappetizing purple-blue color.
Variations for Wonder Soup
- Seasonings: Play with the flavor by adding seasonings like sweet paprika, thyme, rosemary or Italian seasoning. For some heat, add some red pepper flakes or hot smoked paprika.
- Vegetables: You can switch up the veggies or add even more. Try adding some bell peppers, green beans, green peppers, or mushroom slices.
- Grains: Make this soup more filling by adding a half cup of brown rice, white rice, or short pasta to the soup ingredients. Cover and cook the soup until the pasta or rice is cooked and veggies are tender. You could also use a half cup of lentils.
- Fish: White fish would go really nicely with this recipe, like cod or halibut. Give the fish a good pan-sear in olive oil before adding it to the soup.
- Meat: You can add chicken, pork, or even lamb to the soup. Steak would be amazing too. If you really want to step it up, cook pork sausage or chorizo with the meat to add a ton of flavor! Brown the raw meat and simmer the soup until it’s cooked through.
More Delicious Hearty Cabbage Recipes
Photos used in a previous version of this post.
I was just wondering, how much of the soup do you consume in a day. Can you eat anything else with it? Have people actually loss weight?
I can’t speak to the Weight Loss aspects to the recipe; however, I do know several of our readers who use it in their rotation while working on lowering calories.
Can you add frozen bag vegetables from the supermarket????
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Sure!
I love this soup and so does my grandson
Sounds like a “win” if your grandson is enjoying this soup! Thank you for the 5 stars Raema!
I made this recipe & it was delecious & very filling. Thank you so much for the recipe.
You’re welcome! Thank you Lucia for the 5 stars.
I Love this soup!
Love this soup and the results. I add grated fresh ginger and a can of rotel diced tomatoes with garlic and jalapeño.
Can you use bagged cole slaw mix in place of the whole cabbage?
Haven’t tried that with this recipe. If you do, let us know what you think! I love me a good short cut!
I noticed you said you could make this recipe in a slow cooker for 4hrs. However, you do not specify high or low.
Depends on how much time you have to prepare the soup. High if you’re in a hurry and low if you are not.
This soup is the best! I make it once a week. Thank you so much for sharing!
Just made this soup today, very easy & very tasty!
Can you make this in a slow cooker?
Oh my gosh this simple soup has so much flavor. Delicious and will make it every week. Thank you for this recipe.
So versatile. I could make it with rice meatballs or chicken.
Hello! It says 57 Calories, but what is the serving size that pertains to?
Serving sizes become an issue because people will have ingredients of different sizes. Packaged products are weighed and measured at the time of creation which makes their measurements accurate. The only way to accurately know the measurements of meals is to weigh and divide.
This is a great recipe. I added a pound of lean ground turkey for protein. Yum!
Great idea! Glad you enjoyed the soup!
EZ recipe. Used no salt beef broth. Added 1 zucchini, quartered and sliced in 1/2″ slices and 8 oz regular mushrooms, quartered. Added marjoram, worchestershire with other listed herbs to taste. Needed more salt for me.
Very filling and healthy, especially after Christmas.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! This is the closest to the original recipe I had made many times years ago. It’s super easy – just throw it all in a large soup pot, boil it up, and you’re good to go. Plus, you can customize it by adding more veg/chicken broth (fat-free), spices, cabbage, celery, onions as well as put in some additional vegs – broccoli, cauliflower, spinach – and it can still be used with the cabbage soup diet plan. I simply like this soup as is and the idea you can eat a ton of it, it’s healthy, and will fill you up without a lot of calories also helps when trying to lose a few pounds!
This soup is really good! I’ve been making it for years learned it from “weight watchers” Good with ground turkey added as well if you want to switch it up.
Can chicken broth or beef broth be used ?
Sure!
What are y’all eating with the soup and how many times a day
Times a day is up to you. Depending on your dietary needs, add veggies or perhaps some yummy bread (take a moment to visit our Recipe Index and browse “Vegetables” or “Bread” to see the many options available).
Absolutely!! Actually for liquids I use half low sodium chicken stock and half low sodium V-8 juice. Works very well.
Thank you so much, what type of cabbage is used please.
I know I’m late in responding but we just use the green standard head of cabbage in your produce department.
I am happy to see the recipe for the cabbage soup. I remembered it from weight watchers but couldn’t remember the ingredients. Thanx. Jeanne
You’re welcome!
Pretty yummy and healthy. I added a can of drained/rinsed garbanzo beans. My can of tomatoes were fire roasted-added some nice flavor. I look forward to reaping the benefits of weight loss from this over the week. 😉
My mother made a ‘version’ of this soup that she called “Sewer Soup” because it was a little smelly while cooking!! THIS soup is NOT that soup. This soup smells and tastes delicious. I misread the recipe and put in the whole head of cabbage and will do that in the future because it makes the soup so hearty. I added a little bit more spice, to taste and also added a can of spicy V8. I served it with a spoonful of Pecorino Romano… Chef’s Kiss.
oh my! Sewer Soup – I’ve never heard of that before!
Just made it today, and thoroughly enjoyed it! Very delicious, when I make my next batch I’m thinking of adding some kidney beans!
Great idea!
I make this soup almost weekly and it’s not to loose weight, it’s because it is soooo tasty. It’s the most amazing soup, we love it! Thank you so much Sabrina.
You’re welcome Line!
Absolutely delicious
This is a great recipe! I added the cabbage last and just let it simmer for a while as to not let the cabbage get soggy. Soggy cabbage is nasty plus, it removes all the nutritional factor out of it.
Thank you, this recipe looks absolutely delicious and I plan on including it as a staple in my weekly rotation. Can you please specify what the volume/amount is for one serving? Is it 1 measured cup of cooked soup?
Serving sizes become an issue because people will have ingredients of different sizes. Packaged products are weighed and measured at the time of creation which makes their measurements accurate. The only way to accurately know the measurements of meals is to weigh and divide.
This soup greeted us home from a cruise by our sweet daughter. I just made a double batch and looking forward to chowing down. I did make this 25 years ago but didn’t remember it tasting this good.
Delicious!! My husband loved it!!
I’ve been making this soup for years but instead of carrots I add zucchini! Love, love, love this soup! And it freezes really well too!
This is the most delicious vegetable soup I think I’ve ever had. I didn’t have any vegetable broth so I used the chicken bouillon paste that comes in a jar. This was soooooo good! Omgosh you won’t be disappointed. The seasoning was perfect for me. Thank you!
Hi. I starting making this soup in 1978 when I wanted to lose 115 pounds. I made two pots of soup each week. One pot had meat added for dinner (now I use rotissere chicken) and the other was veggies only for lunch. I did add kale or spinach from the neighbor’s garden sometimes for extra vitamins. My version calls for a large onion and 3 Tbsp. Italian seasoning. I lost 120 pounds in 6 months. I’ve used this recipe as needed since then. But if you are doing this long term add protein drinks or other protein sources. I still love this soup!
Hi. What did you eat for breakfast? Did you only have cabbage soup for lunch and breakfast?
I do intermittent fasting, so I wait until 11-12:00 before I eat. Then try to eat dinner by 6:00 pm. I am not the author of this post though. I notice they have not answered yet though, so I wrote what I do.
The only thing I dislike about this recipe is the canned diced tomatoes. Their taste and smell puts me off. I will use fresh diced tomatoes next time, it will make a huge difference and will make the soup satisfying to eat.
I use Rotel diced tomatoes it makes it so much better
I use the tomatoes i canned this summer and then jalapeño for and extra kick
I’m doing ww I hope this soup is 0 points .
Is nutrition information listed here per pot or per serving? How much is one serving?
Per Serving. The issue is that people will have ingredients of different sizes. Packaged products are weighed and measured at the time of creation which makes their measurements accurate. The only way to accurately know the measurements of meals is to weigh and divide.
I have made this before it was a weigh watchers recipe I added bay leaves to mine it gives it a good flavor as well and I added no salt tomatoes to it if you want protein you could put extra lean hamburger meat or beef stew meat I cut mine up in small pieces
Could you also add a can of Ro Tel tomatoes .?
if they don’t have sugar, that sounds yummy!
How many times a day do you eat this? And how many times week?
I made this soup..delicious!
I’m on my third day and I only lost a pound ? wat the hell..maybe I drank alot water! Last nite I had a small baked potato with some butter. I guess I’ll just have to be patient and not weigh til 7th day ?
Do you really use 3 whole stalks of celery? Or is it 3 sticks?
3 ribs or branches not 3 stalks. Recipe card has been updated. Thank you Shelby for bringing this error to our attention.