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.
We just made this today using leftover roasted cabbage and carrots we had from the night before. Delicious!
This was pretty good. I used Russet potatoes because that’s what I had. I also added a dash of red pepper flakes. And I added two cans of water, because there wasn’t enough liquid from just the broth. Not sure if the cabbage I got was too big or what.
Glad you enjoyed it, Julia! It makes sense that you needed extra water if you had a larger cabbage.
I added more broth the second time around just because it is so delicious!
Oh my, made this last night. It was so delicious I had seconds 🙂 – Just before serving I added a teaspoon of my homemade basil cubes that I freeze.
Hi Cristina, I’m so glad you loved the recipe! The basil addition sounds delicious.
I made this last night and it was so good my picky husband ate it and he is not a big vegetable fan. I was trying to recreate a food memory of cabbage soup my mom made in the 90s and this brought all those memories back. Will definitely make again. Thank you for the recipe!
Can you please send calorie info thank you
Hi Diana, I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup! Unfortunately, we don’t calculate nutrition facts for our recipes, but you could plug the recipe into an online nutrition calculator to get them.
Made this exactly as written but with 2 sprigs of fresh thyme and apple cider vinegar, grated a little parmesan on top to serve. Trying to use up our cabbage crop…it is a terrific, hearty fall soup and the recipe made a large batch with lots of leftovers. Definitely a keeper, love it!
I’m so glad you loved it, Julie!
Excellent!! Made just as the recipe instructs. Just found you, so will be checking out your other recipes. Thank you.
So glad you loved it, Sherrill! I hope you find more recipes you enjoy.
This was the only cabbage soup recipe that I’ve tried to recreate, and it was amazing! I did however add seasoned chicken to my soup and let the meat fall apart like a gumbo. Very good. The white wine vinegar adds a little zing and I love that.
I’m so glad you loved it, Kristina!
I would to try some or make it i love cabbage
Can you use purple cabbage in this recipe?
Just made this today! It came out OUTRAGEOUS!!!!! Thank you so much.
I also added fresh dill and some celery salt and a bit of unami powder! WOW WOW WOW!!!!!! Obsessed!
Hi. Well it is delicious, I used chickpeas instead of beans, only because I had no beans.
If someone remarked that it tasted like dishwater or worse then it can only be that person’s fault.
It is not possible that it could be tasteless, if one has used those veggies and followed the recipe
Maybe the saying “If it’s not nice don’t say it” suits the nasty complaint 😊
I’m so glad you loved it!
This was excellent and so easy. I had to substitute the white wine vinegar with what I had around (red wine vinegar), and also added a splash of white cooking wine at the same time. I also kept the garlic chunkier and added a bit of dried thyme in with the aromatics at the start (and the rest of the tsp later!)
I am baffled by the commenter who said this tasted like “dishwater or worse” (HUH?!)
Amazing soup recipe! I did ass some Italian herbs, Oregano, red pepper flakes, and smoked paprika. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Delicious on a cool night. Tasty.
I did not add the potatoes as I am low carb
Right now . I will make again too!!!
Fantastic and easy vegan soup recipe! My husband and I agree it does not indeed taste like dishwater (sorry, Jolene!). Tastes like garden veggies. Thank you, we will be making this again!
Delicious!!!! All the best stuff in here! Now my favorite cabbage soup recipe ?
Absolutely fabulous! We all LOVED this soup!!!! It deserves 10 stars in our book!
My passion is vegan cooking. I’m known for the delicious food I make, so I’m no novice here thinking a lousy soup was good. THIS WAS AMAZING! Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe!
I just made this recipe as written and it’s very good! I always use bouillon cubes with water when I make soup; next time I’ll add a little more bouillon because I do tend to like things on the saltier side. Otherwise I wouldn’t change anything and it’s going in the permanent recipe binder! I love a brothy, tomato-y soup with lots chunks of veggies.
Delicious recipe! I used broth that I froze when I made corned beef and cabbage. Delicious and low calorie. Will be saving this one!
Amazing! I don’t usually add vinegar towards the beginning like that but it really balanced it well. We had it with sourdough bread. Will definitely be making again
Hi Cait, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!