(The following is not medical advice, it is for informational purposes only. Please consult your doctor before beginning any weight loss programs.)

Cabbage Soup is one of our favorite recipes all year long!

It’s vibrant, healthy and totally delicious. This easy cabbage soup recipe has loads of fresh vegetables and of course cabbage all simmered in a delicious broth!

finished cabbage soup in bowl

Easy Prep

With just a few minutes of preparation, your slow cooker does all of the work making this the perfect meal to enjoy all week long!

Cabbage just seems to be the perfect addition to soups from rich and tomatoey (like Cabbage Roll Soup Recipe) to velvety Creamy Sausage & Cabbage Soup.

I make a batch of Weight Loss Vegetable Soup almost every week.

I enjoy it for lunches and sometimes have a small bowl in the afternoon as a snack or before dinner to fill me up with something healthy!

Full of Healthy Vegetables

I find eating a nice hearty bowl of cabbage soup before a meal not only helps me get more veggies into my diet, but also to keep my calories in check for the rest of the meal.

Cabbage is one of my all time favorite vegetables!

This easy cabbage soup recipes takes just minutes to put together and then lets your crock pot do all of the work!

How Do You Make Cabbage Soup in a Crock Pot?

As easy as my original cabbage soup recipe is, I have been asked countless times how to make cabbage soup in the crock pot.

I wanted a recipe that could not only be effortlessly simmered in my slow cooker, but that would also have flavors that lend itself well to several additions.

The base flavor of this soup is perfect to eat on its own or to add in your favorite lean protein (like chicken) and healthy carbohydrates (like brown rice) to create new soups to enjoy all week.

It can be easily tailored to your own likes or to use up whatever vegetables you may have on hand.

Slow Cooker Vegetable Cabbage Soup in a crockpot

What goes in Cabbage Soup?

There are many cabbage soup recipes and several versions of the cabbage soup diet recipe. They all contain a combination of vegetables and sometimes vegetable juice or even packaged onion soup mix.

I prefer to use a combination of ingredients that are low sodium and low sugar to create healthier version, make it Weight Watchers friendly (zero points) and keep the calories under 50 calories per cup.

While you can use your favorite combinations, there are a few essentials you’ll need to make this slow cooker soup recipe; cabbage, vegetables, broth and seasonings/spices.

Vegetables

Of course you’ll need fresh cabbage to start with (you can find info about choosing the right varieties of cabbage here).

For this recipe I use fresh vegetables washed, sliced and added directly to the slow cooker (no need to pre-cook).

The vegetables added to this cabbage soup were selected for the ability to stand up to the slow cooker without getting mushy plus they all reheat well.

If you’d like to add in extra (or different) vegetables, be sure to keep cook/reheat times in mind.

For example zucchini and broccoli both cook quite quickly and should be added in the last hour of cooking so they don’t get mushy.

Broth

I prefer a chicken broth (or homemade chicken stock if possible) but if you’d like to keep this vegetarian, a vegetable broth will work too.

Using low sodium broth and low sodium canned tomatoes will help keep the salt levels in check for this recipe.

Slow Cooker Vegetable Cabbage Soup in a slow cooker

What Spices Go Well With Cabbage Soup?

This soup uses aromatics such as onions and garlic to flavor the broth. A bit of tomato paste adds some richness and finally I add Italian Seasoning.

Italian seasoning can be found in the spice aisle and it’s a combination of basil, oregano, rosemary and a few other spices.

It’s versatile and adds great flavor to this soup. Feel free to add your favorites like Homemade Taco Seasoning or a few dashes of hot sauce.

Finally, just before serving, we add fresh herbs including parsley and basil. Fresh herbs are best added at the end of cooking as this keeps the flavors fresh.

Slow Cooker Vegetable Cabbage Soup in bowls

How Long Does it Take to Cook Cabbage Soup?

We cook this recipe on the weekends and eat it throughout the week for dinners and lunches.

This easy cabbage soup is quick to prepare and then the slow cooker does all of the work.

In the Crock Pot, this cabbage soup takes about 8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.

If you’d like to make this a little bit faster you can cook it on the stove top for about 25 minutes or until all of the vegetables are tender.

To freeze it, I portion it into individual servings in freezer bags.

To defrost, I place a bag in the fridge the night before and by lunch the next day it’s ready to warm up in just a couple of minutes.

The best thing about this soup is that it’s delicious as a base to create meals all week long.

While we enjoy it as a perfect vegetable soup but we also add in our favorites to create new soups for meals throughout the week.

ADDITIONS TO CABBAGE SOUP

Adding lean protein along with some healthy carbohydrates can transform this recipe into delicious new flavor combinations to enjoy all week long!

The vegetables and seasonings in this soup are versatile and will pair well with many additions.

Turkey Noodle Soup: Add cooked whole wheat noodles with shredded turkey breast or chicken breast
Chicken Rice Soup: Cooked ground chicken (or chicken breast) and brown or wild rice.
Quinoa Vegetable Soup: Cooked quinoa with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Italian Bean Soup: Rinsed canned cannellini beans (white kidney beans), fresh basil and a dash of parmesan cheese.
Skinny Beef Vegetable Soup: Cooked extra lean ground beef and diced sweet potato.
Seafood Soup: Salmon, shrimp & parsley. (Put into the soup raw and cook 7-10 minutes).
Vegetable Minestrone: Kidney beans, whole wheat macaroni noodles, fresh basil.

The possibilities to create new flavors with this recipe are endless! Let us know what YOUR FAVORITE additions are!

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text

Cabbage and Weight Loss

(The following is not medical advice, it is for informational purposes only. Please consult your doctor before beginning any weight loss programs)

Is Cabbage Soup Good For Burning Fat?

This soup is perfect on it’s own enjoyed as a vegetable soup. It’s naturally low in calories and fat and high in fiber.

While people often think of cabbage as a fat burning food, no food can actually burn fat.

We’ve all heard of the cabbage soup diet which, according to WebMD, is a short-term weight loss method that will help you lose up to 10 pounds in 7 days.

What Can You Eat on the Cabbage Soup Diet?

Basically, for 7 days you eat a version of, you guessed it, cabbage soup. Along with soup, the cabbage soup diet meal plan includes small portions of fruits and nutrient-dense veggies, rice, meats (chicken, fish, or beef), potatoes, fruit juice, and milk.

BUT…

As most of us know, according to ChooseMyPlate.gov, a healthy diet includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, proteins, dairy and healthy grains!

Cabbage is a vegetable and it’s good for you, loaded with vitamins, low calorie (and delicious).

We add cabbage to soups, coleslaws and casseroles. It can be incorporated into most weight loss programs or into a regular healthy diet!

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
See more posts by Holly