This easy cabbage soup comes together quickly with just a few simple, budget-friendly ingredients. It’s low in carbs and packed with cabbage and aromatic vegetables, creating a light yet hearty bowl of goodness. If you are looking to cozy up on colder days with a steaming bowl of comfort food, this soup will deliver delicious and warming flavors.
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Cabbage soup ingredients
This recipe for cabbage soup serves as a base recipe, and while it’s perfect to eat as is, it can also be easily customised to suit your personal taste or for variation.
- Cabbage: Green cabbage has a great texture for making this soup. It softens while cooking but still retains enough texture.
- Garlic: 2 to 3 cloves of garlic for optimal results.
- Onions, carrots and celery: These 3 vegetables form the base of a mirepoix. It is used to enhance the flavor and aroma of the soup as well as to provide it with a richer and more complex depth of flavor. Any onions you have at home will do for this cabbage soup recipe, either yellow, white or shallots.
- Vegetable broth: Or use chicken broth, whichever you prefer.
- Herbs: I add dried oregano and thyme. Other herbs that work fine are rosemary, sage and basil. Chop up some fresh parsley as garnish when serving the soup, for taste and color.
- Olive oil: For sautéing the vegetables use olive oil or any other cooking oil you like.
- Lemon: Add a squeeze of lemon juice after cooking the soup for extra freshness and tang.
- Seasoning: Salt and freshly ground black pepper for final seasoning.
How to make cabbage soup
Note: All the exact quantities of the ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prepare the ingredients: Finely dice the onions and mince the garlic. Make sure to finely dice the peeled carrots and celery ribs in similar sizes to allow for equal cooking. Chop the cabbage in bite-size pieces. The cabbage can be chopped slightly larger than the carrots and celery.
- Sauté the vegetables: In a large pot, sauté the onions in olive oil for 5 minutes until translucent. Add the carrots and celery and cook until they start to soften while stirring occasionally. Then add in the cabbage, garlic and seasoning, mix well and cook for a few minutes.
- Simmer the soup: Pour in the broth and bring the liquid to a boil. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to medium, cover with a lid and leave to simmer until all the vegetables are tender and cooked. This will take about 15 minutes.
- Season and serve: Add some fresh lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with fresh parsley.
Variations
- Potatoes: Waxy potatoes, like Russet works well to create an even more filling recipe.
- Extra vegetables: Add any other vegetables you love, like bell peppers, zucchini, spinach, leeks, turnips and green beans for extra variation.
- Legumes: A can of cannellini beans, chickpeas or even lentils can be added to the soup.
- Meat: Ground beef, beef strips, smoked sausage, all go well with this soup.
- Tomatoes: Either use a can of tomatoes or chop up some fresh tomatoes to cook with the other vegetables in the soup. This will provide an extra flavor base.
- Make it spicy: Add in some smoked paprika, cayenne pepper or chili flakes to give this homemade cabbage soup a nice kick.
- Other cabbage: Instead of green cabbage, try Savoy cabbage. It has a milder and sweeter taste and makes a wonderful fall soup. Or try this Savoy cabbage soup recipe.
How to store
Allow the soup to cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To freeze, portion the soup, pour in a freezer-safe container and keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Leave to thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave oven or in a small pot on the stovetop.
More comforting soup recipes
If you love soup and are looking for more winter or fall soup recipes for the cozy season, here are some of my favorite ones:
Easy Cabbage Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
- 2 celery ribs diced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 cups (500 grams) cabbage chopped
- 4 cups (1 liter) vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- salt and freshly ground back pepper to taste
- ½ cup fresh parsley roughly chopped
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes until fragrant. Then add the diced celery and carrots and cook for another 5 minutes, while stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften.
- Add the cabbage, minced garlic, bay leaves, thyme and oregano and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring frequently.
- Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Once the liquid is boiling, reduce to medium-low heat, cover with a lid and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes until all the vegetables are tender and cooked.
- When the soup is cooked, remove the bay leaves and stir in the lemon juice. Season with salt and cracked black pepper. Serve warm with chopped fresh parsley.
Notes
- Store: Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in freezer-friendly containers in portions in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Reheat in the microwave or in a pot on the stovetop
