Hearty Cabbage Soup

Cabbage soup is hearty and full of flavor, made with tender cabbage, aromatic vegetables, and savory broth. It’s a comforting, nourishing meal that’s perfect for chilly afternoons. Serve it with crusty bread for a simple, satisfying dinner the whole family will enjoy.

Love More Soup Recipes? Try My Wild Mushroom, Caramelized Onion and Kale Soup or this Broccoli Potato Soup next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Affordable and satisfying, this cabbage soup tastes rich and comforting, as if it simmered all day. Quick enough for weeknight dinners, it’s packed with flavor that even picky eaters enjoy. Simple, nourishing, and showcasing cabbage at its best, it’s a cozy, wholesome meal that’s easy to make with ingredients you likely already have on hand.

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Ingredient List

For the Soup Base:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 carrots, chopped however you want
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
• 1 celery rib, chopped up
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• Black pepper – however much you like
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

For the Main Components:

• 2 cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes (14.5-oz each)
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can white beans, drained (15.5-oz)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced or smashed
• 2 Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
• 1 small green cabbage, chopped rough
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Fresh parsley for the top

Substitution Notes: Apple cider vinegar works fine. Regular tomatoes are okay. Any white beans. Don’t have parsley? Skip it. Chicken broth instead of vegetable if that’s what you have.

Why These Ingredients Work

The oil and vegetables make it taste homemade instead of like canned soup. Fire-roasted tomatoes have more flavor than regular ones. Vinegar makes the cabbage less bitter. Yukon potatoes don’t fall apart like other kinds. Beans make it filling.

Thyme smells like my mom’s kitchen. Garlic goes in later so it doesn’t burn. Cabbage looks like too much raw but shrinks way down when cooked.

Essential Tools and Equipment

Big pot. Mine’s a Dutch oven but whatever works. Sharp knife. Cutting board. Can opener. Wooden spoon. Measuring stuff. Nothing fancy.

How To Make Cabbage Soup

Step 1: Sauté the Vegetables

Put oil in your pot over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, celery, salt, pepper. Stir around for 8 minutes. Stir every few minutes so nothing burns.

Onions get see-through. Carrots get softer. Kitchen starts smelling good. Don’t rush this part – it matters.

Step 2: Deglaze & Combine

Pour in vinegar first – makes a sizzle sound. Then dump in tomatoes, broth, beans, garlic, potatoes, cabbage, thyme. Mix it all up.

Looks like too much stuff at first. Cabbage takes up lots of room but cooks down fast. Add more broth if liquid doesn’t cover most things.

Step 3: Simmer to Perfection

Put lid on. Let it bubble gently for 20-30 minutes. Not a hard boil. Check every 10 minutes and stir.

Poke potatoes with fork – should go in easy when done. Cabbage gets tender but not mushy. Stop at 30 minutes or vegetables get gross.

Step 4: Finish and Serve

Turn off heat. Taste it. Probably needs more salt. Maybe pepper. Put in bowls. Sprinkle parsley on top.

Eat with bread or crackers or just by itself. Fills you up.

You Must Know

Cook vegetables first or soup tastes boring. I tried skipping this once when I was rushed. Big mistake.

Personal Secret: Garlic burns easy so I put it in with the liquid stuff instead of frying it first. Tastes better this way.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Don’t overcook cabbage or it gets slimy. Taste as you go – different broths have different salt. Smash some beans with your spoon if you want it thicker.

Cut vegetables about the same size. Save parsley stems and cook them in the soup, then fish out before serving. Lemon juice at the end brightens everything up if it tastes flat.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Smoky Version: Smoked paprika with the thyme. Tastes like camping.

Spicy Kick: Red pepper flakes or chopped jalapeño with other vegetables.

Lemon Bright: Squeeze lemon in each bowl before eating. Totally different flavor.

Protein Packed: Brown Italian sausage or ground turkey first. More like stew then.

Herb Garden: Fresh rosemary instead of thyme. Italian seasoning if that’s what you got. Fresh herbs go in at the end.

Creamy Style: Coconut milk or heavy cream at the end makes it rich.

Make-Ahead Options

Better the next day when flavors mix together. Make 4 days ahead. Perfect for meal prep – portion into containers for lunch.

Freezes 3 months. Cool completely first. Freeze in meal sizes. If freezing, don’t cook potatoes all the way – they finish when you reheat.

Thaw in fridge overnight. Reheat on stove slowly. Don’t microwave from frozen – gets weird.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

Pull off yucky outer cabbage leaves. Cut out the hard core part. Chop into pieces you can eat with a spoon – not tiny, not huge.

Yukon potatoes stay together better than russets. Red potatoes work too but not as creamy. Good broth matters – cheap stuff tastes like salt water. I use Better Than Bouillon paste.

Don’t drain tomatoes – that juice adds flavor. Crushed tomatoes work if that’s what you have.

Serving Suggestions

Good by itself. Great with grilled cheese – kids love this combo. Sometimes I make salad to go with it. Fancy enough for company but easy for Tuesday night.

Leftover soup for lunch next day. Makes you feel good when you’re sick. Works over rice if you want it more filling. Some people put crackers on top for crunch.

My kids ask for this on their birthdays sometimes. Tom brings it to work in a thermos. Emma’s friends always want some when they’re over.

How to Store Your Cabbage Soup

Refrigerator: 4 days covered. Tastes better day two when everything blends. I make it Sunday for better Monday soup.

Freezer: Cool first. Portion in freezer bags flat for easy storage. 3 months max.

Reheating: Slow on stove, stir so it doesn’t stick. Thaw frozen overnight first. Add broth if too thick – potatoes soak up liquid sitting around.

Don’t reheat same soup over and over – vegetables get mushy.

Allergy Information

No meat. No gluten if broth is clean – check label. No dairy. No nuts, soy, eggs. Just watch broth ingredients for weird stuff.

Skip tomatoes for nightshade issues but won’t taste the same. Tomatoes are important.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Red cabbage instead?

Sure but soup turns purple. Kids think it’s cool. Tastes same.

Too watery?

Smash beans and potatoes in pot. Simmer with lid off. Use less broth next time.

Cabbage gets mushy?

Don’t cook too long. Should have some bite left. Last 20-30 minutes only.

Add meat?

Brown sausage, ground beef, or ham with vegetables first. Not vegan anymore obviously.

Frozen vegetables?

Fresh carrots and onions better – frozen get mushy. Could add frozen corn at end.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! Tell me what you changed or how your family liked it.