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This cabbage soup will be one of your new favorite soups to enjoy throughout soup season. It’s made with simple ingredients, in one pot, and is a great way to incorporate nutritious ingredients into your family’s diet. Make this healthy cabbage soup in 30 minutes!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Aromatics: This flavorful soup starts with a base of sautéed onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in olive oil. It’s simple but creates a flavorful broth.
- Tomato paste: Adds richness and depth of flavor to the easy soup recipe. If you find it challenging to use up a whole can of tomato paste as we do, purchase a resealable tube of tomato paste. It helps reduce waste and will store for months in the fridge!
- Broth: We used vegetable broth, but feel free to use a vegan chicken broth or vegan beef broth for a more savory, flavorful broth.
- Yukon gold potatoes: Chopped potatoes add heartiness and creaminess to the soup and help make it a complete meal. Yukon gold potatoes have a thin skin and don’t require peeling!
- Cabbage: Green, fresh cabbage is best for this recipe. We used 1/2 head of medium-sized cabbage. It will seem like a lot of cabbage, but it cooks immensely in the finished soup.
- Cannellini beans: Adds heartiness and protein and turns it into a main meal option. Our favorite is cannellini beans, but any white beans will do. You could even try chickpeas as an alternative.
- Lemon: A final squeeze of fresh lemon juice adds brightness and freshness to the flavor. For best results, use freshly squeezed lemon juice!
- Spices: A simple combination of red pepper flakes, dried thyme, bay leaves, and salt and pepper season this soup.
Equipment Needed
- Cutting board
- Kitchen knife
- Large pot
- Spatula or wooden spoon
- Measuring cups
How to Make Cabbage Soup
- Sauté the aromatics. In a large pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, diced carrot, celery, and salt. Sauté for 6 to 7 minutes or until softened and lightly browned.
- Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and thyme. Sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes, frequently stirring to prevent burning.
- Stir in tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute, constantly stirring, until the tomato paste darkens in color.
- Add vegetable broth, water potatoes, sliced carrots, green cabbage, cannellini beans, and bay leaf. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower it to a simmer and cover. Simmer for about 8 minutes or until the chopped potatoes are fork-tender.
- Season and serve. Add freshly squeezed lemon juice and salt and black pepper to taste. Ladle into serving bowls and serve warm with fresh parsley and add desired toppings. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
This cozy soup is an excellent easy lunch or dinner option. Because it’s made with white beans, it’s higher in protein and can be served as a standalone filling meal. Enjoy cabbage soup on its own or serve with one of our favorite side dishes such as Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad, Vegan Cobb Salad in a Jar, or crusty bread like our 4-Ingredient No Knead Bread or Easy Vegan Garlic Bread.
If you’d like to serve this Cabbage Soup as a side dish, enjoy it with a main dish such as Vegan Mushroom Caesar Salad Wraps or Oyster Mushroom Sandwiches (MLTA).
Add-ins and variations
- Extra veggies – The best part about cooking soup from scratch is you can adjust the vegetables included to suit what you have on hand or to your taste. Green beans, bell peppers, or diced tomatoes would make excellent additions.
- Add additional protein – If you’d like to turn this soup into a deconstructed cabbage roll soup, you can add 1 pound of vegan ground beef or vegan Italian sausage.
Storage Instructions
Leftover cabbage soup will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container. Allow the soup to cool completely at room temperature before covering and storing.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, cabbage soup can be frozen and will freeze well for up to 6 months. To do so, allow the soup to cool completely, then transfer the soup to a freezer-safe container, such as a glass mason jar, freezer bag, or freezer cubes, to freeze individual servings. If freezing soup in glass jars, make sure to keep the soup below the freezer line. Liquids expand when frozen, and if the jar is filled too high, it can crack in the freezer.
Absolutely! If you are on a liquid diet or prefer a smooth soup, this soup can be pureed. To do so, follow the recipe instructions through step 4, then use an immersion blender to blend smoothly. Once smooth, finish with recipe step 5.
Cabbage soup is an excellent source of dietary fiber, plant-based protein, and essential vitamins and minerals. Cabbage is exceptionally high in vitamin C, vitamin K, and magnesium. It has many health benefits and is an excellent addition to a healthy balanced diet.
More Healthy Soup Recipes You May Enjoy:
- Easy Sweet Potato Lentil Soup
- Easy Split Pea Soup (Andersen’s CopyCat)
- One-Pot Minestrone Soup (30-Minutes)
- Instant Pot Black Bean Soup (Vegan + 30-Minutes or Less)
- Easy 6-Ingredient Tomato Soup
- Butternut Squash Jalapeño Soup
Healthy Cabbage Soup
- Total Time: 33 minutes
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This cabbage soup is going to be one of your new favorite soups to enjoy throughout soup season. It’s made with simple ingredients, in one-pot, and a great way to incorporate nutritious ingredients into your family’s diet. Make this healthy cabbage soup in 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ onion, finely diced
- 1 rib of celery, finely diced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 3 cups of water
- 1 lb yukon gold potatoes, chopped into ½” cubes
- 2 carrots, sliced
- ½ cabbage, roughly chopped
- 1 (15.5 ounces) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 large bay leaf
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Chopped parsley
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Kitchen knife
- Large pot
- Spatula or wooden spoon
- Measuring cups
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, diced carrot, celery, and salt, and sauté until softened and lightly browned, 6-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and thyme and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and cook, constantly stirring, for 1 minute until the paste darkens in color.
- Add the vegetable broth, water, potatoes, cabbage, beans, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Simmer, covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 8 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper as needed. Top with fresh parsley, and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 23 minutes
- Category: Soup, Entree
- Method: Stovetop
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided should not be considered a substitute for a professional’s advice. This page may contain affiliate links, meaning we earn a commission if you purchase through those links, but your price remains the same. Thank you for supporting Sweet Simple Vegan!
What was I supposed to do with the reserved carrot in the cabbage soup recipe?