This Cabbage Soup is a simple, hearty, and comforting meal packed with tender cabbage, vegetables, tomatoes, and a savory broth. Serve it with my homemade garlic bread and a simple green salad.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Cabbage Soup
- Flavor: This soup has a savory, tomato flavor with tender vegetables, fragrant herbs, and a rich, warm broth.
- Why It Works: Cooking the cabbage briefly before adding the broth allows it to soften evenly while bringing out its natural sweetness and flavor.
- One Pot: Everything cooks together in one pot, making this soup easy to prepare with minimal cleanup.
Cook Time: 45 Mins (15 Min Prep) Servings: 8 Cook Method: Stovetop
Ingredient Notes
- Green Cabbage: Choose a firm, heavy head of cabbage with crisp, fresh leaves and cut it into evenly sized pieces. Savoy cabbage can be used and will cook slightly faster.
- Beef or Chicken Broth: Beef broth adds a deeper, richer flavor, while chicken broth keeps the soup lighter. For a meatless version, use vegetable broth instead.
- Diced Tomatoes: Use the tomatoes along with their juices to add acidity, color, and body to the broth. Use fire-roasted diced tomatoes for an extra layer of smoky flavor.
- Carrot: Shredded carrot cooks quickly and adds a touch of natural sweetness to the soup. Thinly sliced carrots may require a few extra minutes of simmering.
- Italian Seasoning: A convenient blend of savory herbs that complements the vegetables and broth. Substitute with a mixture of dried basil, oregano, and thyme or make your own homemade Italian seasoning.
Variations
- Cooked Meat: Stir in cooked ham, sausage, ground beef, turkey, or chicken during the final simmer. For a heartier version made with chunks of beef and potatoes, try my beef cabbage soup recipe.
- Beans: White beans, kidney beans, or chickpeas add protein and make the soup more filling. Drain and rinse before adding in Step 3.
- Pasta or Rice: Add cooked pasta or rice to individual bowls when serving to prevent them from soaking up the broth. For a heartier soup made with cabbage, beef, pork, and rice, try my cabbage roll soup recipe.
How to Make Cabbage Soup
- Cook the diced onion, then add the chopped cabbage (full recipe below)
- Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then let it simmer uncovered.
- Remove the bay leaf, season to taste, and ladle into bowls.
Want to make it hands-off? Try my slow cooker cabbage soup instead!
Storing Cabbage Soup
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 4 months.
More Ways to Use Cabbage
Did you enjoy this Cabbage Soup Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ medium onion diced
- 6 cups chopped green cabbage
- 6 cups beef broth or chicken broth
- 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juices
- 1 carrot shredded
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook onion in olive oil until tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
- While onion is cooking, dice cabbage into ½" pieces. Add cabbage to the pot and cook over medium heat until it starts to soften, about 8 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients to the pot, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered 15 minutes or until cabbage is tender.
- Discard bay leaf, season with salt & pepper to taste and serve.
Notes
- Add spices like basil or a sprinkle of fresh parsley for additional flavor. For some added heat, try adding red pepper flakes.
- Cooked meat such as ham, sausage, or chicken can be added.
- If adding pasta, cook it on the side and add it to each bowl for serving.
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Entree, Lunch, Soup
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Your recipes are fantastic. They are more down to earth than a lot of sites. I have enjoyed them for years. Have your cookbook too. Thank you for the simple soup recipes, cabbage soup yum.
Doris, Thank you so much for your kind words and for being here all these years! I’m thrilled you’re enjoying the recipes and the cookbook, and I’m especially glad the simple cabbage soup has been a hit!
Would you suggest this in a crock pot? Looking forward to trying this!
For a slow cooker version I recommend using the times in this slow cooker cabbage soup recipe.
It has a good flavor, but I think it would be better with kidney beans and ground beef. (I love Shoney’s soup.) My daughter loved it just the way it is. I love the fact that it’s only one point on Weight Watchers.
This soup hits the spot. Very low calorie. Healthy ingredients. Easy to prepare. Easy to make on a weeknight. I didn’t add any pasta to mine. But I think it might be good with angel hair pasta or even macaroni. I added extra carrots to mine. And I used fresh parsley. I also used beef broth. I think it’s delicious.
This sounds Wonderful and today is a cold, rainy, possibly snow day. With some homemade cornbread, this soup fills the bill! Thank you, Holly.
Enjoy Peggy, let us know how it goes!
Wow! Delicious! I had been wanting to try cabbage soup and this one did not disappoint. My husband loved it too. He’s a big meat eater but we didn’t put any meat in it. It didn’t need any. Thanks!
I love soup and especially cabbage with vegetables. I like all your recipes and am anxious to try them!
This was a hit. My husbad has been fussy lately so I tried this recipe or a change of pace. He ate it up, had seconds, nd asked the next day if there was more.