The trick that turns cabbage soup into an actual dinner
It wasn’t until a few years ago that I truly fell in love with cabbage.
From Sautéed Cabbage, to the more traditional Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (and even Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls!), we simply couldn’t get enough of this tasty cruciferous vegetable.
And when I discovered that you could use this highly underrated ingredient to bulk up an otherwise thin and brothy soup, I had to give it a try!
Going the more traditional route, I opted to load up this cabbage soup with plenty of vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes. Left to simmer away with a little bit of seasoning and a few herbs tossed in, the final result was out-of-this-world delicious.
What actually makes it filling enough for dinner though isn’t the vegetables. It’s the white beans and Yukon gold potatoes for body, plus a tablespoon of Worcestershire that keeps the broth from tasting like plain tomato.
What’s more, the process for making it couldn’t be easier!
Made this recipe this evening, and it turned out fantastic! Love it! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
– Marc
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card below.
- Cabbage: Green cabbage is what you want, cut into 1-inch pieces rather than shredded so it keeps some texture in the broth. Here’s How to Shred Cabbage for the easiest way to core and cut one down.
- Carrots: Any variety will work, but they should be peeled and cut into ½-inch slices to ensure cooking all the way through.
- Celery: For a softer texture, the celery should be finely chopped; for bigger bites with a bit of crunch to them, cut them larger.
- Onion: Either a sweet variety (like Vidalia) or white onion is recommended, finely diced to avoid any raw pieces remaining. See How to Cut an Onion for the fastest way through one.
- Potatoes: Yukon Gold or red potatoes are recommended for their firm texture, which holds up well to use in soups and stews.
- Tomatoes: Both the canned sauce and diced varieties are used, and plain, unseasoned tomato sauce gives you full control over the seasoning. Crushed tomatoes can be substituted for the sauce, but it will create a more chunky texture in the broth.
- Beans: A variety of white beans, such as Great Northern, navy, or cannellini, is ideal. Make sure to fully rinse and drain the beans before adding them to the soup.
- Vegetable broth: Low-sodium is the one I’d reach for, since the recipe already calls for salt and it lets you season at the end instead of chasing it. Chicken broth works too if you aren’t keeping this vegetarian.
- Worcestershire sauce: Adding this in is imperative for developing a lovely depth of flavor.
- Seasonings: Dried oregano, dried thyme, and paprika are used here, but other herbs may be used or substituted, to taste.
How to make cabbage soup
For the full instructions, ingredient amounts, and a printable version, jump to the recipe card below.
Sauté the mirepoix.
Warm the oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat, then add the onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, just until they start to soften, then stir in the garlic for one more minute.
The garlic goes in last on purpose. It burns faster than the rest of the mirepoix, so one minute is all it needs.
It saves SO much time!
Since it’s super important to get the garlic pretty small for this recipe, a garlic press like this one is a lifesaver!
It’s easy to use, finely minces the garlic, and does it in a fraction of the time as chopping it up by hand.
Build the broth.
Pour in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the Worcestershire, thyme, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper, then stir until everything is combined.
Taste it now, and don’t panic if it reads a little salty. The beans and cabbage soak up a lot of that once they go in.
Prep the beans, potatoes, and cabbage.
Rinse and thoroughly drain the beans. Cut the potatoes into ½-inch cubes, then core the cabbage and cut it into 1-inch pieces.
Add everything to the pot.
Stir in the beans, potatoes, and cabbage until it’s all mixed together. It’s fine if the cabbage isn’t fully submerged, since it shrinks down a lot once it starts cooking.
The Slow Cooker I L❤️VE!
Not all slow cookers are created the same. I’ve used and loved my Crockpot 6-quart one for YEARS. It holds heat great, is easy to use, and the lock and carry lid is so handy!
Boil, then simmer.
Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cover the pot. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes and cabbage are tender.
A squeeze of lemon right at the end is worth trying. It isn’t in the recipe, but a little acid at the finish brightens the tomato base and keeps the pot from tasting flat.
Oops! What went wrong with my cabbage soup?
My soup tastes bland.
Nine times out of ten it just needs more salt. The second thing to check is the Worcestershire, since it’s the ingredient doing the savory work in an otherwise all-vegetable pot.
The cabbage is still crunchy.
Give it another 5 to 10 minutes with the lid on. Pieces cut much bigger than an inch take noticeably longer to soften.
The broth is too thin.
Stir in a few extra spoonfuls of tomato sauce or a little tomato paste. A cornstarch slurry in the last few minutes also works, and How to Thicken Soup walks through the ratios.
It came out too salty.
That’s usually regular-sodium broth stacking on top of the salt in the recipe. Add a splash of water or a few more potato cubes and simmer a bit longer, then reach for low-sodium broth next time.
FAQs
Green cabbage is the one to use here. It holds its shape through a 25-minute simmer and turns sweet as it softens instead of sulfury. Savoy will work if that’s what you have, though it goes tender faster, so start checking it early. Skip red cabbage, since it bleeds purple into the broth and turns the whole pot a dull gray color.
No, and this is one worth being careful about. Neither the USDA nor the National Center for Home Food Preservation has a tested recipe for canning cabbage on its own, which means it can’t be part of a safely home-canned soup either.
Freeze it instead. This soup holds up well in the freezer, and the storage section above walks through how.
You can, and the soup still works. You’ll lose some of the body that makes this feel like a meal, so add a second can of white beans to make up for it.
Bell peppers, green beans, corn, and zucchini all work in here. For more protein, stir in shredded chicken or swap the vegetable broth for chicken broth.
Red pepper flakes, a dash of hot sauce, or a pinch of cayenne all do the job. Start small and add it at the end so you can taste as you go.
This dish will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 to 5 days. It freezes for up to 3 months, though the potatoes come back softer and a little grainy. Scoop the chunks out before freezing if that would bother you, and How to Freeze Soup has more on portioning it out.
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Cabbage Soup with Vegetables Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 small sweet onion diced
- 3 medium carrots cut into ½-inch slices
- 3 stalks celery finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic finely minced
- 8 ounces can diced tomatoes canned
- 8 ounces tomato sauce canned
- 6 cups vegetable broth regular sodium
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon thyme dried
- ½ teaspoon oregano dried
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 15 ounces can white beans cannellini, Northern, or navy, rinsed and drained
- ¾ pound Yukon gold potatoes cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 small head cabbage cut into 1-inch pieces, about 8-10 cups
Instructions
- Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a dutch oven or large pot, over medium heat. Sauté onion, carrots, and celery for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and continue sautéing for an additional minute.2 tablespoons oil, 1 small sweet onion, 3 medium carrots, 3 stalks celery, 4 cloves garlic
- Pour in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.8 ounces can diced tomatoes, 8 ounces tomato sauce, 6 cups vegetable broth, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon paprika, 2 teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Rinse and thoroughly drain the beans, rinse and cut the potatoes into ½-inch cubes, and prepare the cabbage by coring it and then cutting it into 1-inch pieces.15 ounces can white beans, ¾ pound Yukon gold potatoes, 1 small head cabbage
- Add these ingredients to the pot and stir until everything is well incorporated. It’s OK if the cabbage is not completely submerged, it will shrink down once it starts cooking.
- Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Serve immediately with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and enjoy!
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Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What to serve with cabbage soup
This is a brothy, tomato-forward pot, so what it really wants is something to sop it all up with. Honey Jalapeño Cornbread is my pick, and that little kick of heat is great against the sweetness in the cabbage.
If the kids are eating too, Mini Cornbread Muffins are easier to hand out and there’s no slicing involved.
For something green on the side, a Lemon Arugula Salad takes about five minutes and the lemon does the same brightening job as a squeeze over the soup.
And if you want to turn it into a bigger meal, a soup-and-sandwich night with a Turkey Salad Sandwich is hard to beat.
More cabbage recipes
Bought a whole head and only needed half? These are the ones that use up the rest.
Cabbage Roll Soup
50 mins
Fried Cabbage with Bacon
30 mins
Sautéed Cabbage
20 mins
Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
30 mins
Made this recipe this evening, and it turned out fantastic! Love it! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Marc! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!