This easy cabbage soup is loaded with tender veggies, potatoes, and a light, flavorful broth. Seasoned with zippy lemon juice and fresh dill, it’s delicious and super comforting. Pair it up with crusty bread, and it’s perfect for a weeknight winter dinner!
I grew up in the nineties, so I have some feelings about cabbage soup. They’re not good. I’m great with cabbage in soups like vegan borscht, cabbage roll soup, curry cabbage soup, and cabbage bean soup. But unfortunately, the cabbage soup diet was a thing during my impressionable years, and the whole concept of a basic, brothy soup where cabbage was the main ingredient was completely ruined for me. Can anyone relate?
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Today I’m here to save cabbage soup — for myself, and for anyone else who had the unfortunate experience of spending a week eating soup made from nothing but water, cabbage, and a packet of onion soup mix. This soup is not that! It’s light and on the healthy side, but it’s packed with veggies, hearty potatoes (such a no-no for cabbage soup dieters), juicy tomatoes, and flavored with fresh dill and a touch of lemon. This soup is pure comfort.
It’s really easy to make, too, and infinitely customizable. The recipe makes a lot of soup (and you’ll still have extra cabbage to use up), so you can pack up the leftovers and enjoy it for days, preferably paired up with crusty bread for soaking up all that zesty broth!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Below you’ll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Olive oil. Feel free to replace this with any high-heat neutral oil you like to cook with.
- Onion.
- Carrots.
- Celery.
- Garlic.
- Vegetable broth.
- Cabbage. The recipe calls for basic, green cabbage, but you could certainly substitute other varieties of cabbage, if preferred. Napa, savoy, and even red cabbage are all options — just keep in mind that red cabbage will alter the color of your soup.
- Potatoes. Likewise, the recipe specifies yellow potatoes (such as Yukon gold), but red potatoes and russets are also good options.
- Canned diced tomatoes.
- Lemon juice. Make sure you’re using freshly squeezed juice for the best flavor.
- Fresh herbs. We’re using fresh dill and chives.
- Salt and pepper.
How It’s Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Cook the vegetables. Heat your oil in a large pot, then add diced onion, sliced carrots, and sliced celery. Cook the mixture until it begins to soften, which will take about 10 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook it for another minute.
Step 2: Simmer. Add the broth, potatoes, cabbage, and bay leaf. Turn the heat up just to bring the soup to a boil, then lower it and let it simmer for a while. Get all of the veggies nice and tender.
Step 3: Add tomatoes. Tomatoes go in after the veggies are cooked, because their acid could otherwise prevent the potato from softening. Simmer the soup for a few minutes more after adding them.
Step 4: Finish the soup. Take the pot off of heat, then remove and discard the bay leaf. Add lemon juice, dill, salt, and pepper.
Step 5: Serve. Ladle your cabbage soup into bowls, then top each with a sprinkle of fresh chives. It’s also great with some vegan sour cream or cashew cream. Dig in!
Variations
- Add beans. Make this soup extra hearty by adding a can or two of chickpeas, cannellini beans, butter beans, or lentils.
- Add pasta. Small cooked pasta is another great way to bulk up this soup. Try ditalini, small shells, elbows, or orzo.
- More tomato. This soup is light and brothy with just a bit of tomato. If you like lots of tomato in your cabbage soup, add a second can of diced tomatoes and/or some tomato paste.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it certainly is!
Most of the sodium comes from the broth and tomatoes. Use reduced-sodium varieties of each.
Store leftover cabbage soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Not at all! It’s relatively low in calories, but in no way intended to be a diet recipe. It’s a balanced, comforting soup recipe that’s meant to be enjoyed as part of a balanced meal.
More Soup Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Cabbage Soup
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, sliced
- 2 medium celery stalks, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 6 cups chopped green cabbage
- 2 medium yellow potatoes (about 10 ounces total), chopped (½-inch)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 (14 ounce/397 gram) can diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ cup chopped fresh dill
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Chopped fresh chives, for serving
Instructions
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Coat the bottom of a large pot with the oil and place it over medium heat. Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook the vegetables for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook it with the vegetables for about 1 minute, until very fragrant, stirring constantly.
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Stir in the broth, cabbage, potatoes, and bay leaf. Raise the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil, then lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the broth has reduced a bit.
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Stir in the tomatoes and let the soup continue simmering for 5 minutes longer.
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Remove the pot from heat. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the lemon juice and dill, then season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
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Ladle into bowls, sprinkle each with fresh chives, and serve.
Nutrition
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