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 – For plant-based protein! I often use little navy beans in this recipe, but other white beans, such as cannellini beans, would work here too. Chickpeas would also be great.
- 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.
How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It’s easy to reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Can you freeze cabbage soup?
Yes! Cabbage soup also freezes well. Allow it to cool to room temperature. Then, transfer it to freezer-safe containers and store it in the freezer.
Frozen cabbage soup will keep for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating on the stove or in the microwave.
More Favorite Soup Recipes
If you love this soup, try one of these delicious soup recipes next:
- Vegetable Soup
- Tortellini Soup
- Cauliflower Soup
- Best Lentil Soup
- Creamy Asparagus Soup
- Tomato Basil Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Or any of these 35 Best Soup Recipes!
Cabbage Soup
Equipment
- Le Creuset Dutch Oven (I like using my Staub for making soup)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 celery rib, diced
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 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
- Fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion, celery, salt, and several grinds of 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.
I made this last week and it turned out so excellent!!! I highly recommend this soup recipe. I will be making again.
This soup is very good, but it makes A LOT! Can it be frozen well?
I’d like to try this recipe as I have bagged coleslaw to use up — thoughts?
Update — worked perfectly and so easy.
Excellent recipe and thanks to those suggesting dill and sour cream.
That would work great I think.
Excellent soup. I added :
2 diced PARSNIPS
1 diced RED PEPPER
1 Tbsp SMOKED PAPRIKA
1/2 tsp CHIPOTLE CHILI POWDER
1 Tbsp DRIED DILL (instead of thyme)
8 C CHICKEN STOCK
When serving I topped each bowl with
A dollop of SOUR CREAM and
FRESH chopped DILL
The parsnip added sweetness and the smoke paprika & chipotle added smokiness to the regular diced tomatoes I had on hand. So hearty and satisfying!
Her recipe Called for two excuse me 4 cups of vegetable broth instead you added 8 cups of chicken broth. Was there plenty of liquid in the soup with 8 cups.? another person commented that it was not soupy enough. It was too thick, not enough liquid.
I have just made your Cabbage Soup, which tastes very good, but there is not much liquid in it as a soup, even though I added about 300 ml of a veggie broth at the end. It was too thick to “zap” it.
Hi John, if it’s too thick, you can add water until it reaches your desired consistency. Then, season to taste. Hope that helps!
Can you make it with red cabbage?
yep!
Cozy quick and easy staple recipe. I also added a bit more water and 1 peeled & chopped turnip.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Super delicious and easy to put together! I think the white wine vinegar is the hook to this recipe. Nice flavor and a good healthy soup. This recipe is a keeper.
I’m glad you loved it!
I make this soup on repeat -delicious, healthy and easy. What could be better?
I’m glad you loved it!
Why is nutrition information not included with your recipes
Best cabbage soup recipe I’ve tried. So many are bland but the fire roasted tomatoes make this recipe. Will make again
I’m so glad it was so flavorful!
Can you add chicken to this recipe?
You can add anything that you want. Chicken, ham, ground beef or sausage, it’s all good.
Had to double the broth just to cover the cabbage
I can always count on your recipes. I just finished my first bowl of this fantastic soup and I know I’ll be making it often. Next time I plan to add some fresh spinach. Thank you for another great recipe.
Best cabbage soup I ever ate!!
Excellent soup! I make it without onion or garlic and it is amazing!!
Made this because we got a head of cabbage at a farm market and didn’t know what to do with it. We loved this soup and will definitely be making this again. No changes except marjoram instead of thyme due to my husband’s hatred of thyme 😆 It was very easy and so good.
Hi Brandy, I’m glad you loved it!
Made it – loved it. Easy. Used my Instant Pot as I was short on time. Used the saute feature to cook down onions, carrots, celery then added the cabbage, potatoes and the rest of the ingredients. Subbed 1 cup of strained tomatoes for fire roasted as that was what I had on hand. Cooked on soup for 10 min and done!
I’m glad you loved it!
I almost used cider vinegar but when I went for cabbage and beans I found the white wine vinegar on-sale (lucky me). I’m amazed at the difference that white wine vinegar made to the flavor profile of this great soup. I ate too much but I had bakery fresh Kaiser rolls and couldn’t resist.
Hi Rick, I think cider vinegar would work well too, if that’s what you have next time. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I cannot find the nutritional info for this soup. Could you please point me in the right direction? Thank you
I made your cabbage soup recipe with 2 minor adjustments, for my preference. I substituted cauliflower for the potatoes and used bone broth instead of vegetable broth. Absolutely delicious! Thank you!
I’m so glad you loved it!