Easy Cabbage Soup

When it comes to healthy, easy dinner recipes, this Mediterranean cabbage soup always makes the cut. It’s loaded with veggies, warming spices like turmeric and ginger, and only requires 10 minutes of hands-on time.

Key Ingredients

Aside from its super-ingredients, this soup is comforting, aromatic, and, most importantly, a delicious recipe you’ll want to make on repeat. I call it my detox cabbage soup because everything in it is so good for you! 

• Olive oil: Use a high-quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor and antioxidant-boost.  
• Vegetables: Onion and garlic, green cabbage, celery, carrots, canned diced tomato
• Spices turmeric, cumin, coriander, fresh ginger, lemon, parsley, and green onion add complex peppery, earthy, savory, and bright flavors. 
• Aleppo pepper adds a mild and bright kick. You can substitute with Urfa biber or red pepper flakes. 
• Vegetable broth: Make your own with leftover veggie scraps, use a high-quality store-bought variety, or substitute with chicken stock or broth.

How to Make this Cabbage Soup Recipe

With a vibrant blend of spices and punchy aromatics like garlic and ginger, you can develop a deep flavor in 40 minutes. Here’s how:  

• Prep the vegetables. Chop 1 onion. Mince 3 garlic cloves (see my tips for how to mince garlic). Core and chop one head of green cabbage. Chop 2 celery sticks. Slice 2 carrots into thin rounds.  
• Sauté the aromatics. In a large Dutch oven or cooking pot with a lid, set over medium high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring regularly, until fragrant (adjust the heat down to make sure the garlic does not burn). 
• Soften the veggies. Add the cabbage, celery, carrots, and a big pinch of kosher salt and black pepper (about 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon each). Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. It helps to cover the pot partway so that the cabbage will wilt easily. 
• Season. Add 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and 1 teaspoon cumin, coriander, and Aleppo pepper. Toss to coat the vegetables with the spices.  
• Simmer. Add a (28-ounce) can of diced tomatoes (with their juices) and 3 cups vegetable broth. Bring to a boil for about 5 minutes, then turn the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot part way allowing just a small opening at the top. Simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. 
• Finish and Serve. While the soup simmers, slice 3 green onions (both white and green parts). Chop 1 cup parsley, peel and finely grate a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger. Zest a large lemon, then slice it in half and capture its juice. Turn the heat off and stir in the remaining ingredients. 

Ways to Make this Recipe Your Own

• Swap green cabbage with Napa cabbage or savoy cabbage. I would avoid red cabbage as it has a pronounced peppery flavor, and the red color will leach into the soup.
• Add a can of chickpeas or white beans like cannellini or navy beans for a boost of fiber and plant-based protein.
• Substitute canned whole tomatoes for a more rustic vibe. Just crush them with the back of a spoon.
• Add shredded poached chicken for extra protein (rotisserie chicken would work well.)

What to Serve with Cabbage Soup

This vegan cabbage soup is hearty enough on its own; you don’t need any sides. But soup, salad, and bread are a classic combination.

• Bread: A quick-rising fresh bread, like simit or challah, is a special treat, but something rich like Rosemary Focaccia or crusty like French baguettes or even Olive Bread are good for dipping.
• Salads: I love a good salad, but the cabbage soup has loads of vegetables in it, so I like to keep my salads simple. Caesar Salad is always at the top of my list, but this butter lettuce salad is a new favorite. If I don’t add beans to the soup, sometimes I will pair the soup with this wilted spinach salad just to get in some extra fiber and dark leafy greens.

I Have a Thing for Cabbage Recipes

If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you already know how much I love cabbage. It’s an underappreciated vegetable, so I do what I can to put it front and center. It’s endlessly versatile, totally affordable, and easy to stretch a meal made with cabbage to feed a crowd. If you love this simple cruciferous vegetable as much as I do, try these recipes (after you’ve made the cabbage soup, of course!):

• “Sexy” Roasted Cabbage with Dukkah and Tahini (That’s right! I think cabbage is sexy!)
• Cacio e Pepe Cabbage
• Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
• Greek Cabbage Rice
• Cabbage Steaks with Chermoula and Toasted Nuts
• Sauteed Cabbage with Garlic and Lime

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*This post has recently been updated with new information for the readers’ benefit.