Healthy Cabbage Soup
Looking for a healthy and tasty soup recipe? Grab a head of cabbage! This Healthy Cabbage Soup is a great way to warm up on a cold day!
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Cabbage is a powerhouse of a vegetable. Cabbage is low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and it’s high in fiber and vitamins. It’s a great bang for your buck when it comes to eating healthy! Winter is soup season in our house, and it also happens to be holiday detox season. This Healthy Cabbage Soup is a favorite – tasty and it won’t break the calorie tracker app.
Aside from it’s nutritional value, cabbage also keeps your head cool…well at least according to Babe Ruth. The legendary baseball player used to put a cabbage leaf under his ballcap to keep his head cool. And he’d change it halfway through the game! Now that’s a different way to use cabbage.
Healthy Cabbage Soup
The thing about cabbage is that one head yields a lot. Think about it. That head of cabbage might look small in the store, but it feels like a bowling ball when you pick it up! Back home, once you start slicing, you realize that you have more cabbage than you know what to do with.
This Healthy Cabbage Soup is a great way to use up an extra half head of cabbage. And if you picked up a whole head to make this soup? Well then make some coleslaw with the other half! Or you could make two batches of this soup. (Be warned, though – that would be a lot of soup. Make sure you have friends who like soup…or space in the freezer!)
This soup starts with a classic combination of onions, celery and carrots. (I added a diced red bell pepper in there for fun…and because we had an extra one in the fridge.)
The key to this soup is the diced tomatoes. Sure, there are a bunch of seasonings in there that really help, too, but the tomatoes bring the acidity that helps balance the flavor in this soup. I highly suggest using canned fire-roasted tomatoes here instead of ‘regular’ diced tomatoes. That extra fire-roasted flavor really comes through in the finished soup. It’ll cost you a slight bit more (maybe $1), but it’s worth it!
Once you’ve got all of the ingredients in the pot, just let it simmer away for 45 minutes to an hour. The cabbage will soften up during that time, and you’ll be left with a tasty pot of soup! Like all soups, this one will taste better on Day #2. In fact, when we make this soup, we don’t eat it fresh. Instead we let it cool and send it off to the fridge overnight.
Storing Leftover Cabbage Soup
To store leftover cabbage soup, let the soup cool to room temperature and then place in an airtight container. Leftovers can then be refrigerated for up to a week. Another option is freezing leftovers. Just place the soup in an airtight container (leave space at the top as the liquid will expand as it freezes) and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let soup thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating on stove top or in microwave.
Additions
Cabbage is not a significant source of protein, so feel free to add a cup of green peas, beans, artichokes, mushrooms or Brussels sprouts – all of these veggies pack a protein punch! As this soup is low in calories, it’s perfect for adding other options like diced potatoes, ground beef, ground turkey or even crumbled Italian sausage for boosted flavor.
If you’re looking for an easy cabbage soup recipe, then this one is a winner! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do around our house. Cheers!
Did you make a batch of this soup at home? Leave a comment or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Healthy Cabbage Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 medium carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 14.5-oz cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
- 8 oz. green beans fresh or frozen
- ½ medium green cabbage halved and chopped into 1” pieces (~6 cups)
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1½ Tbsp lemon juice
- {For garnish} fresh Italian parsley chopped
Instructions
- Using a large pot or Dutch oven, add olive oil and place over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions, carrots, celery and bell pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes, or until onions have softened.
- Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, dried thyme, salt and pepper; stir until well combined. Continue sauteing for 1 more minute.
- Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, green beans, cabbage and broth; stir until well combined.
- Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and let simmer for 40-45 minutes, or until cabbage is tender.
- Stir in lemon juice and garnish with freshly chopped Italian parsley before serving.
Looking for more healthy soup recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Cant wait to make this soon for me can i use vegetable broth i never had healthy cabbage soup before also it is raining here in Singapore everyday perfect for raining days in Singapore and after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
You can definitely use vegetable broth for this recipe, Ramya! I do hope you enjoy this one – it’s super easy to make and very flavorful. Cheers!
Wait, how did you know this is exactly what I’m craving? haha…we all need this kind of nutritious, reviving soup this time of year!
Haha – we’re all about soup season right now! I have to say that this one is pretty fantastic – perfect for offsetting some of those extra holiday snacks we ate. Haha!
I like cabbage, but I really love it in soup! Great recipe.
Thanks, Mimi! I have to say that this is a favorite soup for cold winter days. It’s packed with flavor!!
definite cabbage fans in this household. I like to make my own sauerkraut each winter! A bit too hot and humid for soup atm but when winter comes…
I keep saying I want to make my own sauerkraut, but we’ve never actually done it. When soup season rolls around down there, you should definitely make this one!
that was me! The ‘s’ is for sherry.
Haha – I figured it out! 🙂 I was like, “Now who could ‘s’ be?” And then I realized it was Sherry! (Of course, the link helped a little bit, too…haha.)
Such a deliciously hearty soup, David! We love cabbage so I know we’ll love this soup. Perfect for this cold weather we’ve been having. I don’t know if I’d be able to wait until the next day to eat it though. It looks too good not to dig into a big bowl right then and there, lol. Have a wonderful weekend, my friend. 🙂
This soup is so flavorful and easy to make, Dawn! It’s become a winter staple around our house. Stay warm up there!!
A warm and comforting, healthy soup to reset for the new year! Really should be eating more cabbage, and this is a great way to do so!
I have to admit that a cabbage soup might not sound that appetizer…but just trust me here! It’s delicious!!
That’s a great soup for the time of year David. So healthy, nutrious and delicious too. Great for the New Year kick start!
This soup has become one of our go-to’s for the New Year kick start season. We make a batch on Sunday afternoon, and that becomes our lunches for the week. Hope you and Lynne are staying warm over there!
Uh, David, of course I’m going to love a cabbage soup! Sounds delicious and so warming. So I’m sure you’ve noticed how cold and snowy it’s been in your old northern stomping grounds. I’ll bet you’re enjoying the warmer climate!
Haha – I had no doubt that you would be ALL over this soup, Jeff! Honestly, it’s delicious. And, yes, I have noticed all the snow up there in the northeast lately. And I’m not missing it one bit! Robbie keeps wanting to see snow down here…I’m sure it’ll happen at some point, but not yet. 🙂
David, you’ve got me convinced I need a giant pot of this Healthy Cabbage Soup! It’s like you read my mind – I’m always on the lookout for delicious and nutritious winter warmers, so come winter time I will just whip up this list of recipes I collected and start enjoying them. We love soups!
Definitely keep this one on the radar for when the temperatures fall! It’s easy and packed with flavor!