Easy Healthy Cabbage Soup

This easy healthy cabbage soup is full of tender vegetables, potatoes and smoky tomato flavour. Vegan, filling and just 98 calories per serving.

This easy cabbage soup is full of tender vegetables, with cabbage and potatoes simmered in a smoky tomato broth. It's hearty enough for lunch, naturally vegan and has just 98 calories per generous serving.

If you've arrived looking for a weight loss cabbage soup or cabbage soup diet recipe, this has all the things you're probably after: plenty of vegetables, simple ingredients and relatively few calories. But I make it simply because it's a really good vegetable soup.

The potatoes make it more satisfying, while smoked paprika gives the broth a lovely savoury depth. Best of all, it's ready in just 30 minutes.

But if you want to make it a keto or low-carb cabbage soup recipe, then just leave out the potatoes.

This recipe, without the oil (use a non-stick pan and a splash of water to cook the onions), has just 98 calories per generous serving. If you leave out the potatoes too, that takes it down to just 38 calories per bowl!

For those following the Weight Watchers diet plan, this soup has 3 points with the potatoes and 2 points without. If you follow Slimming World, this soup is syn free.

For other hearty and healthy low calorie recipes, be sure to try Slow Cooker Ratatouille (149 calories per portion), or Spanish Beans with Tomatoes (125 calories).

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Recipe
• Easy Cabbage Soup
• Is Cabbage Soup Good for Weight Loss?
• What About the Cabbage Soup Diet?
• Cabbage
• Ingredients
• How to Make Cabbage Soup
• Recipe Tips
• Serving Suggestions
• Variations
• Special diets
• Storage 
• FAQs 
• More Healthy Soup Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• It's ready in about 30 minutes. The potatoes are cut fairly small so they cook quickly, while the cabbage is added later because it needs much less time.
• It's a generous soup for relatively few calories. The recipe has approximately 98 calories per serving based on the ingredients listed, while cabbage and potatoes give you plenty of texture in each bowl.
• The smoked paprika makes a real difference. Cabbage can be quite mild on its own, so smoky, slightly sweet paprika gives the broth much more character without making it spicy.
• It's inexpensive to make. Cabbage, potatoes, onion and tinned tomatoes are all budget-friendly ingredients, and the recipe turns them into four generous servings.
• It's filling without being heavy. Potatoes give the broth body and make the soup more substantial without needing cream or cheese.
• It's naturally vegan. There's no need for dairy or meat substitutes. Just make sure the vegetable stock you use suits your dietary requirements.
• It's excellent for using up cabbage. You don't need a pristine whole cabbage. This is exactly the sort of recipe I make when there's part of one waiting in the fridge.

Easy Cabbage Soup

Cabbage doesn't always get much attention, but it's one of those vegetables I find incredibly useful. It's inexpensive, keeps well in the fridge and a single cabbage goes a surprisingly long way.

This soup is one of my favourite ways to turn it into an actual meal.

Rather than making a plain cabbage broth, I use chopped tomatoes and smoked paprika to give the soup more depth.

The paprika is important here. It gives the tomato broth a gentle smokiness without making it spicy, and works particularly well with the slight sweetness of the cooked cabbage.

I also add potatoes. You can make cabbage soup without them (and then it's only 38 calories!), but I prefer the texture and substance they give it. They become tender in the broth and release a little starch as they cook, which gives the soup more body.

The other thing I've found makes a difference is when the cabbage goes into the pot. The potatoes need longer, so I let them simmer in the tomato broth first and add the cabbage for just the final few minutes. This way, the cabbage becomes tender but still has some bite rather than cooking down until it's mushy.

It's a simple soup, and that's really its appeal. There's no blending, no cream and very little preparation. From chopping the vegetables to putting a bowl on the table takes around half an hour.

I often make a batch for lunch because it reheats well, but it's just as useful for an easy dinner with bread, salad, a sandwich or something more substantial alongside it. And if you have half a cabbage sitting in the fridge with no particular plans for it, this is a very good answer.

Is Cabbage Soup Good for Weight Loss?

Cabbage soup is often associated with weight-loss diets because cabbage and other vegetables can make a generous bowl of soup for relatively few calories.

This recipe has approximately 98 calories per serving, based on the ingredients in the recipe card. That doesn't mean cabbage soup itself causes weight loss, and you certainly don't need to be following a diet to enjoy it.

I've deliberately included potatoes because I find they make the soup considerably more satisfying.

If you're specifically looking for a lower-carbohydrate cabbage soup, you can leave them out, although the finished soup will be thinner and less substantial.

Rather than thinking of this as a "miracle" weight-loss soup, I think it's more useful to see it for what it is: a simple, vegetable-rich soup that happens to be very low in calories!

What About the Cabbage Soup Diet?

You may know cabbage soup from the so-called cabbage soup diet, a short-term eating plan centred around eating cabbage soup alongside a restricted selection of other foods.

You don't need to follow the cabbage soup diet to make this recipe. I prefer to treat it as an ordinary vegetable soup and serve it as part of a varied meal.

If you've been searching for a cabbage soup diet recipe, however, this simple version may be what you're looking for.

It's made with cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, onion, vegetable stock and spices, and you can leave out the potatoes if they don't suit the version you're following.

Each bowl has only 98 calories, or 38 calories if you omit the potatoes.

Cabbage

Cabbage is obviously the main event here, but the type you use can change the soup slightly.

I usually use green or white cabbage because it holds its shape well and has a mild flavour that works nicely with the tomato and smoked paprika broth. Savoy cabbage is also excellent and has a slightly softer, crinkled texture.

Pointed cabbage works too. Its leaves are more tender, so keep an eye on it towards the end of cooking as it can soften more quickly.

I wouldn't chop the cabbage too finely. Fairly chunky, bite-sized pieces give the finished soup much better texture, and remember that the cabbage will shrink considerably once it hits the hot broth.

The biggest mistake is simply cooking it for too long. That's why I don't add it at the same time as the potatoes. Five minutes gives you cabbage that's tender but still has some texture. If you prefer yours very soft, just give it another few minutes.

Ingredients

Cabbage - Green, white, Savoy or pointed cabbage all work well. Cut it into bite-sized pieces rather than very thin shreds so it doesn't disappear into the broth as it cooks.

Potatoes - These make the soup more filling and give the broth a little extra body. Most varieties are fine here. Cut them into small, evenly sized chunks so they become tender in the short cooking time.

Chopped Tomatoes - Tinned chopped tomatoes form the base of the broth and give the soup acidity, colour and a little sweetness. Whole plum tomatoes are fine too, but break them up with your spoon as they cook.

Vegetable Stock - This provides much of the seasoning, so use one you like the flavour of. Stock cubes, stock pots or homemade vegetable stock are all suitable. If your stock is particularly salty, wait until the end before adding any extra salt.

Onion - Cooking the onion first gives the broth a sweeter, more savoury base. Yellow, brown or white onions are all fine.

Smoked Paprika - This is what gives my cabbage soup its distinctive smoky flavour. Make sure you're using smoked rather than ordinary sweet paprika if you want the same result.

Oil - You only need a small amount to soften the onion. Olive oil or another neutral cooking oil works well.

Water - I use water alongside the stock so the broth isn't overpowering. You can adjust the amount slightly at the end if you prefer a more brothy or chunky soup.

Black Pepper - Freshly ground black pepper works particularly well with cabbage and smoked paprika. Add it to taste once the soup has simmered.

How to Make Cabbage Soup

Follow these simple steps for a chunky cabbage soup with tender potatoes and cabbage that still has a little texture. The full quantities and instructions are in the recipe card below.

1. Soften the onion

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has softened and turned translucent.

There's no need to brown it. You're looking for a soft, sweet onion base rather than the stronger flavour you'd get from caramelising it.

2. Add the potatoes

Add the chopped potatoes and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring them around the pan.

Try to cut the potato into fairly even, bite-sized pieces. Large chunks will take considerably longer to become tender and can leave you waiting while everything else is ready.

3. Add the smoked paprika

Stir in the smoked paprika and cook for about 1 minute.

Cooking the spice briefly in the hot pan helps release its smoky aroma, but keep stirring. Paprika can catch on the bottom of the pan and taste bitter if it burns.

4. Make the tomato broth

Pour in the vegetable stock and water, then stir in the chopped tomatoes.

Bring everything to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

At this point, test one of the larger pieces of potato with the point of a knife. It should be almost tender before the cabbage goes in.

5. Add the cabbage

Stir in the chopped cabbage and black pepper and simmer for another 5 minutes.

The cabbage will look like quite a lot when it first goes into the pan, but it quickly wilts into the broth. I prefer to stop cooking while it still has a little texture. If you like very soft cabbage, simply simmer it for a few minutes longer.

6. Taste and serve

Taste the broth before adding any salt. Depending on your vegetable stock, you may not need much, or any, extra seasoning.

If the soup seems thicker than you'd like, add a splash of hot water or stock. Ladle into bowls and serve hot.

Recipe Tips

• For the best leftovers, don't overcook the cabbage initially. It will soften a little more when the soup is reheated the following day.
• Cut the potatoes fairly small. The soup cooks quickly, so large potato chunks won't have enough time to soften before the cabbage is ready.
• Don't add the cabbage too early. Potatoes need considerably longer to cook. Adding the cabbage later stops it from becoming overly soft.
• Cook the paprika briefly before adding the liquid. A minute in the pan helps release its smoky aroma, but keep stirring so it doesn't scorch.
• Season after adding the stock. Vegetable stocks vary enormously in saltiness. Taste at the end rather than automatically adding salt at the beginning.
• Adjust the broth to suit you. Cabbage releases some water as it cooks, so I wouldn't add extra liquid until the end. It's easy to thin the soup but harder to fix an overly watery broth.
• Don't worry when the pot initially looks full of cabbage. It collapses quickly once stirred into the hot broth.
• To make this recipe completely oil free, use a non-stick soup pan to saute the onion and potatoes in a splash of water.

Serving Suggestions

Serve with a glass of this anti-inflammatory Turmeric Tonic. 

If you're not watching your calories soak up the soup with a delicious piece of crusty Naan Bread. 

Sprinkle in some Vegan Chicken Seasoning for additional flavor. Or use it to make Vegan Chicken Broth instead of vegetable stock.

Make dinner a soup and salad combo by adding a side of this Strawberry Spinach Salad. It would be great with Green Salad with pumpkin seed dressing too.

Variations

• Add white beans. Stir in a drained tin of cannellini or butter beans with the cabbage for extra protein and a more substantial meal.
• Add chickpeas. Their firmer texture works well with the tender cabbage and potatoes.
• Make it spicy. Add chilli flakes, cayenne or a finely chopped fresh chilli along with the smoked paprika.
• Add carrots and celery. Cook diced carrot and celery with the onion for an even more vegetable-filled soup.
• Add garlic. Stir two crushed garlic cloves into the onions for the final minute of cooking.
• Try fresh herbs. Parsley gives the finished soup freshness, while thyme or rosemary can be simmered in the broth.
• Add lemon. A squeeze of lemon just before serving brightens the tomato broth particularly well.

Special diets

To Make it Gluten Free: This vegetable soup is naturally gluten free but make sure you check your labels for any gluten containing ingredients. Double check your vegetable stock and paprika just in case. 

To Make Vegan Cabbage Soup: This soup recipe is made with 100% vegan and vegetarian ingredients. Ensure you use vegan stock.

NOTE: I am not a certified nutritionist and make no claims to the contrary. If you have a food allergy or intolerance you should determine whether the ingredients in each recipe are suitable for you.

Storage 

Storing: This soup will store well in the fridge if it is stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Freezing: This soup can be frozen if it's cooled completely and poured into a freezer-safe container or bags. Be sure to leave room in the container for it to expand. Freezes well for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop after thawing completely in the fridge.

FAQs 

More Healthy Soup Recipes

If you enjoyed this cabbage soup, here are a few more easy vegetable soups to try next.

Lentil Soup - A hearty, easy lentil soup made with simple storecupboard ingredients.

Potato Leek Soup - A creamy vegetable soup that's another great way to turn inexpensive ingredients into a satisfying lunch.

Tomato Soup - A simple homemade tomato soup that's ready in just 20 minutes.

Mexican Bean Soup - A quick, hearty bean soup for when you want something with a little more spice.

If you make this cabbage soup, I'd love to know how it turned out. Leave a comment and recipe rating below, and let me know if you added anything to yours.

Check out my list of the 25 Best Vegan Soup Recipes

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