I was first introduced to this Cabbage Soup recipe through the notorious cabbage soup diet. While I’m not a fan of that type of diet, I am a huge fan of this homemade Cabbage Soup recipe itself. Why? For one simple reason—it’s absolutely DELICIOUS. Yeah, I was surprised too. The first time I had the famed diet cabbage soup I was pleasantly surprised by how extremely flavorful and comforting the soup was. I actually ended up eating it over and over again just because I wanted to, not because I was trying to stick to the diet. And ever since, this recipe for cabbage soup has been one of my winter comfort food staples. 😅
Cabbage Soup Ingredients
The classic “cabbage soup diet” recipe has taken many forms over the years, but they all have one thing in common—they’re stuffed full of non-starchy vegetables swimming in a flavorful herb-filled broth. Here’s what you’ll need to make the BEST cabbage soup recipe you’ve ever had:
- Onion, Garlic, Celery, and Carrot: These four ingredients create the base for most of my soup recipes. It’s a basic mirepoix plus garlic, which gives the soup a deep flavor base.
- Cabbage: The start of the show! Cabbage makes this soup extra hearty, gives it volume, body, fiber and other nutrients, and all for pennies.
- Green Vegetables: I also add green bell pepper, green beans, and parsley to the soup to round out the medley of flavors and colors. You’re definitely getting your daily dose of veggies with this soup!
- Tomatoes: A combination of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce gives the soup a beautiful red color and even more texture to tempt your eyes.
- Vegetable Broth: Using a pre-made broth to fill out the soup ensures that every last drop is packed with flavor.
- Herbs and Spices: There’s already a lot of flavor going on in this soup but the addition of smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, and pepper really keeps the flavor exciting.
- Lemon Juice: this is the secret ingredient! A little bit of lemon juice at the end gives the soup a shot of brightness and keeps the flavors from being too heavy. Don’t skip this one!
Flavorful Variations
Soup recipes in general are very flexible, so there are so many options when it comes to making this cabbage soup your own. Here are some other great cabbage soup variations:
- Add beans (cannellini, chickpeas, kidney beans)
- Add meat: Ground beef (or check out my Beef and Cabbage Soup), Italian sausage, or shredded chicken
- Add cubed tofu (extra firm)
- Add potatoes to help bulk it up without adding a lot of cost
- Make it spicy: Add hot sauce or crushed red pepper to give the soup a kick!
How to Store Leftover Cabbage Soup
This cabbage soup recipe does make a really large batch, so it’s a good idea to freeze about half of it, just in case you can’t eat all of it within about five days. To freeze this soup, divide it into single-serving portions, chill it completely in the refrigerator first, then transfer to the freezer for longer storage. Keep in the freezer for up to three months.
Shown with Homemade Garlic Bread.
Cabbage Soup
Servings 6 2 cups eachIngredients
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 4 carrots ($0.57)
- 4 ribs celery ($0.50)
- 1 green bell pepper ($0.69)
- 1 28oz. can diced tomatoes ($1.00)
- 1 8oz. can tomato sauce ($0.34)
- 1/2 lb. frozen green beans ($0.67)
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley ($0.23)
- 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika ($0.15)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 6 cups chopped cabbage (½ head) ($1.14)
- 6 cups vegetable broth ($0.78)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice ($0.04)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion, garlic, and olive oil to a large soup pot and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft.
- While the onion and garlic are sautéing, peel and slice the carrots, chop the celery, and dice the bell pepper. Add the carrot, celery, and bell pepper to the pot. Continue to sauté as you measure the rest of the ingredients.
- Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), tomato sauce, frozen green beans, chopped parsley, smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, and pepper. Continue to stir and cook while you chop the cabbage.
- Chop the cabbage into 1-inch pieces. Add the cabbage to the pot along with the vegetable broth and stir to combine.
- Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the soup to come to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow it to continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes or until the cabbage is to your desired tenderness.
- Once the cabbage is tender, season the soup with salt, starting with ½ tsp and adding more to your liking. Finish the soup by adding the lemon juice and stirring to combine. Serve hot with crusty bread for dipping.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
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How to Make Cabbage Soup – Step by Step Photos
Start by mincing four cloves of garlic and dicing one large onion. Add them both to a large soup pot with one tablespoon olive oil. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent.
While the onion and garlic are sautéing, peel and slice 4 carrots, slice 4 stalks of celery, and dice one green bell pepper. Add the carrots, celery, and bell pepper to the pot. Continue to sauté over medium.
Add one 28oz. can diced tomatoes (I used petite diced), one 8oz. can tomato sauce, ½ lb. frozen green beans, ¼ cup chopped parsley, ½ Tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp oregano, ½ tsp thyme, and ¼ tsp pepper. Stir to combine.
Chop 1/2 head of cabbage into one-inch pieces (about 5-6 cups once chopped). Add the chopped cabbage to the pot along with 6 cups of vegetable broth.
Stir everything together, place a lid on the pot, and turn the heat up to medium-high. Allow the soup to come to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the soup simmer over medium-low, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes, or until the cabbage is to your desired tenderness.
Once the cabbage is tender, season the soup with salt, starting with 1/2 teaspoon, then adding more to taste (I used 1 tsp total). Next, add one tablespoon of lemon juice, which really helps brighten the flavors.
And then slurp down all that vegetable-y goodness! I garnished the cabbage soup with a little more fresh parsley, but it’s not needed for extra flavor.
This cabbage soup recipe goes great with some crusty bread (garlic or not) to soak up that delicious broth!
I find the prices you cite crazy cheap…. For example a pound of carrots cost me about a 1.20…. The rest also seem really low, unless this was posted in the 80’s 😁 I have made this several times, but the lemon juice is a new add for me. I’m trying it with the lemon juice right now. Thanks and have a good day.
Wow followed your recipe almost to the T this is the best soup I’ve ever eaten I’m not a soup man but I do love vegetables. I need to drop some pounds and as good as this stuff tastes I’ll be eatin it like a wild man thank you so much for sharing a wonderful thing.
I have tried a similiar cabbage soup with my niece and she lost 10kg in 3 weeks. So yes it does work. I’m now going to do this one for me…
Can you freeze this cabbage soup? It is very good.
Yes you can. :)
I really liked this soup, especially the broth, the spices were just right. The taste also has a lot to do with the vegetables too! We will be making it again. Thank you for sharing.
This was soooo good! I am honestly surprised by how tasty it is because I’m not the biggest cabbage or soup fan but I like quite a few of your recipes. This is one of my favorites for sure. It is really filling! Perfect for lunch at work.
Any vegetable will work in this recipe but if you’re trying to keep it as the All you can eat cabbage soup for the diet you have to watch the carbs you’re adding to the pot. Sure, potatoes would be fantastic BUT they’re starchy and full of carbs as are corn, peas, lima beans, pinto kidney navy beans and the like!
I was skeptical about this soup, but I had all the ingredients so I made it. So good!!! My husband is not the biggest cabbage fan and he loved it. Thanks Beth!
On low carb diet. Have made cabbage soup previously. Very good. This looks like an excellent recipe. Thank you.
Hi Don! I’m doing the low-to-no carb diet too and remembered this recipe! I’ve made it many times before so I know it’s good. I also know how to tweak it to make it even more substantial without adding any more CARBS! I found a great deal on some portobello mushrooms and figured they use them as a meat substitute so I will too. Make sure to remove the stem, scrape out the gills with a spoon then brush off the tops with a paper towel to remove any dirt. Cut them in half then slice about a quarter inch thick. I would then saute them after the garlic and onions.
I’m also going to use button mushrooms sliced, a handful of snow peas, cauliflower, broccoli and a poblano pepper, You can also use zucchini, yellow squash and turnips TOO! There’s a plethora of no and low calorie, no carb veggies you can use. This is going to be a huge pot of soup but there’s two of us and I plan on having the soup whenever I’m hungry then have very small, low carb meals or follow the diet that goes with the soup. Good luck on your diet! I know I need it because I have a month before I need to look as good as I can
Want to make this, I live on my own, so I was wondering if you can you freeze this?
This would probably freeze pretty well.
Great recipe! I made a big batch as part of my meal prep. I had some chick peas and leftover cooked farro and added that for a couple of servings. I’m sure any beans and grains would be a great addition to the soup for a complete protein. Very versatile recipe!
Excellent taste! I had to make substitutions of ~5 fresh tomatoes from garden, one can of tomatoes paste, and a squirt of ketchup. Used beef broth plus water. Added cooked ground beef per hubby’s request. Turned out delicious!
I used a half head of a gigantic cabbage. It was not too much cabbage at all.
I made the soup with one of my own home grown cabbagas! It was the best!!!!!
DELICIOUS! My whole family loved it! Thank you so much for sharing ☺
This looks delicious, have you tried it in the Instant pot?
I haven’t, no. :)
What’s an Instant pot?
Instant Pot is a registered trademark for a specific company’s range of programmable electric multi-function pressure cookers. They, as with a variety of other companies’ brands of similar appliances, are designed to take the place of a traditional pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker etc. and at least some of the models can be integrated with smart home technology. This particular company started selling their “smart” pressure cookers about 7 years ago and have developed quite a following for their brand.
Has anybody figured out the calories and carbs?
These are all nonstarchy veggies, low calorie & generally on the “all you care to eat” list of any diet, except the carrots. Carrots are higher in sugar, higher glycemic index. If you are diabetic, I would recommend figuring the serving size into you meal plan.
The entire recipe is roughly 800 calories and it makes at least 8 servings. I put it into MFP and 1/8 of the recipe is 110 calories. It definitely makes more than 8 cups of soup so I wouldn’t worry about the calories too much. About 20ish g of carbs per 1/8 serving. I ended up having to freeze a few of the tupperware that I put the soup in because the recipe makes a lot!