This cabbage soup recipe is deeply flavorful, thanks to aromatic veggies and fire-roasted tomatoes. Pair it with good bread for a simple, nourishing meal.
This cabbage soup recipe does the impossible: it uses an entire head of cabbage in one go! Nearly every time I buy a cabbage, I whittle away at it for weeks, adding some to a slaw, some to a bowl, more to a taco, and so on. So the first time I made this cabbage soup recipe, I was shocked. I started by adding half of my cabbage. As it wilted down, it melted into the soup with the aromatic veggies and herbs. I didn’t want it to disappear – I was making cabbage soup, after all – so I added more. Before I knew it, every last ounce of my cabbage was in the pot!
If you’re on the fence about cabbage, don’t despair. All that cabbage doesn’t overwhelm the soup at all. Instead, it adds a slight sweetness, which balances perfectly with a touch of tangy white wine vinegar. As a whole, the soup is deeply flavorful and comforting. It’s healthy, nourishing, and soup-er (sorry!) simple to make. I think you’re going to love it.
Cabbage Soup Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy cabbage soup:
- Cabbage, of course! You’ll need one small green cabbage for this recipe, about 1 pound.
- Onion, carrots, and celery – This classic trio fills the soup with aromatic flavor.
- Garlic and dried thyme – They add even more depth to the soup.
- Potatoes – They make the soup nice and hearty.
- White beans – I often use little navy beans in this recipe, but other white beans, such as cannellini beans, would work here too.
- Diced fire-roasted tomatoes – Along with vegetable broth, they create the soup’s brothy, flavorful base.
- White wine vinegar – For tang.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – It adds richness.
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Cabbage Soup Serving Suggestions
When you’re ready to eat, ladle the cabbage soup into bowls, and garnish each one with a sprinkle of fresh parsley. Enjoy the soup on its own, with good crusty bread for sopping up the flavorful broth, or pair it with a sandwich or salad for a larger meal. I love it with a classic grilled cheese or this Sweet Potato Salad.
Leftover cabbage soup will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days, and it also freezes well. Allow it to cool completely before transferring it to airtight containers and storing it in the freezer. Frozen cabbage soup will keep for up to 3 months.
More Favorite Soup Recipes
If you love this soup, try one of these delicious soup recipes next:
- Many-Veggie Vegetable Soup
- Tortellini Soup
- Cauliflower Soup
- Best Lentil Soup
- Creamy Asparagus Soup
- Tomato Basil Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Or any of these 30 Best Soup Recipes!
Cabbage Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 celery rib, diced
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (15.5-ounce) can cooked white beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 2 Yukon gold potatoes, diced
- 1 small green cabbage, about 1 pound (9 cups chopped)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion, celery, salt, and several grinds of fresh pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes.
- Add the vinegar, stir, and then add the tomatoes, broth, beans, garlic, potatoes, cabbage and thyme. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the potatoes and cabbage are tender.
- Season to taste, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve.
YUM! Sauteed the (minced) garlic with the aromatics after they’d softened, I’d accidentally pulled a 2 cup container of home-made marinara from the freezer, so subbed that for one can of the tomatoes, and used one can of regular chopped tomatoes. Used one red and one yukon gold potato (skins on) as I had a lone red that needed a home. Used part Better Than Bullion chicken base(also needed a home) and part BTB veggie. The marinara was already seasoned, but I did add some dried thyme to the pot. Think I used a wee bit less cabbage, since the pot was so full. Snuck in a sploosh of dry marsala in place of the vinegar. Will definitely riff from this recipe again! It’s making the house smell mighty purty! 🙂
I only have light red kidney beans or pinto beans..could I substitute for canaleni or white beans?
Hi Vicky, The light red kidney beans would be a good sub!
such a great and forgiving recipe! I didn’t have many of the required ingredients (had to skip celery and beans, and only had canned tomatoes instead of fire-roasted ones) and it still came out fantastic! since I didn’t have the fire-roasted tomatoes’ properties helping me out I added some balsamic vinegar and a bit of lemon juice and that made the recipe even more delicious. I’m so happy I made a huge batch. absolutely loved this, can’t wait to make it again (and I say this while still having leftovers!!)
This humble-seeming soup was so incredibly flavorful and delicious! Also, easy and gets better the longer it sits. So so good.
Hi Jen, I’m so glad you loved it!
change out the 2 tbs white wine vinegar to lemon juice. very bright and delicious.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I wonder if this would taste fine with different beans? I really don’t like any type of white beans. Maybe a red or kidney? I’ll have to try it. It looks great though and I’ve been craving stewed cabbage!
Hi Jessica, yes, I think it would be fine with either of those or with chickpeas.
I made this tonight and while it was simmering I began to read the comments and I read somewhere someone added Polish kielbasa and I immediately ran to the store to get some andouille sausage because I like spicy. It was a great addition. This is the second time I’m making cabbage soup. I use another recipe I found on IG and I couldn’t locate it, but this one turned out just as good. I’ve started a new weight loss journey and I’m hoping to put this in rotation. My boyfriend asked to grab some more for lunch tomorrow before I froze the leftovers.
I roasted all my veggies, including Romanesco cauliflower, corn, okra, onions and half a cabbage under the broiler for extra oomph before adding to simmering stock. My tomatoes came from farmers’ market leftovers I’d frozen. I’ve been reducing my calories and this soup is a WONDERFUL way to eat and feel full with a very and nutritious low caloric impact.
I’m so glad you loved it!
I couldn’t believe it!! This is an amazing soup/stew and I would make it again and again. The flavor was spot on even though I left out the thyme…will be adding that tonight for the leftovers! So wonderful!
Hi Marina, I’m so glad you loved it!
I made this yesterday. It came out so flavorful. I added a bit more salt at the end. Next time I’m going to leave out the potatoes and put 2 cans of beans instead. You won’t be disappointed!!!
Hi Sally, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Just made a double quantity. It’s absolutely delicious – I will make it again for sure.
I’m so glad you loved it!
Love, love love this cabbage soup!
Hello. Thank you for your recipe. I made it the other night and my husband and I loved it. I also added some polish kielbasa that I pan fried first. It’s a keeper and I will definitely make it again. Sincerely, Ginny W.
Fun to make a soup with cabbage! I didn’t have the right kind of vinegar so I used apple cider vinegar. Didn’t have celery so skipped it. Will be eating the rest of the week, thanks for the recipe!
This soup is extremely bland. Followed recipe explicitly.
It says season to taste (:
made a double batch as I had a very large cabbage. It was too thick so I had to add extra broth and decided to add extra tomato as well – had passata on hand after the fire roasted cans were used and it turned out well. I wanted more “umami” flavour so added tamari, maggi, and a bit of soy sauce, and also a huge amount of dill, plus some paprika and hot sauce. The base recipe is good, you just need to tweak the seasoning, spice and thickness to your tastes. It’s more like a stew, so if you want it to be more of a soup you’ll need to thin it with more broth.