Simple Cabbage Soup Recipe: Healthy Low-Calorie Dinner Idea (2024)

This simple cabbage soup recipe is a healthy, low-calorie dinner idea for winter. Learn how to make cabbage soup from scratch either on the stovetop or in a slow cooker with this easy, winter soup recipe.

I’ve always loved cabbage. Growing up I’d only eat it raw, much like turnips and mustard greens. However, my tastes have evolved with age and I now enjoy cabbage cooked. Not only does cabbage taste great, whether it’s shredded into salads or coleslaw, or cooked into a tasty dish, it’s also a healthy way to get the nutrients your body needs without adding a lot of extra calories. Keep reading to learn about the health benefits of cabbage, as well as how to make my simple cabbage soup recipe as a healthy, low-calorie dinner idea.

How to Make a Low-Calorie Cabbage Soup

Winter is soup season. Soups are great because they are easy to make, and they are easy on your grocery budget.

This easy winter soup takes about 15 minutes to make and simmers for half an hour. So you can get dinner on the table in under an hour. For busy families, that’s a major win for a weeknight.

This simple cabbage soup recipe is also a delicious way to eat more vegetables. It has cabbage, carrots, celery and tomatoes. So it’s a healthy alternative.

Perfect for meatless Mondays, this healthy cabbage soup can be made with a vegetable broth for a vegetarian version of this warming winter soup recipe. It’s easy to make on the stovetop. You can also make it in a slow cooker to save on time if your schedule tends to be chaotic.

What is Cabbage Soup Made Of?

Cabbage soup is easy to make. You’ll need cabbage, carrots, celery, tomatoes and some spices. It’s cooked in a base of chicken broth or vegetable broth for a vegetarian or vegan option.

Can I Freeze Soup With Cabbage In It?

Yes, in fact this simple cabbage soup recipe freezes very well. After you’ve made it for dinner, you can freeze single servings to enjoy for lunch or dinner later. This is another great way to save on time, as you can make meals ahead of time and freeze them for future use.

To freeze homemade cabbage soup, chill the soup completely in the refrigerator. Then package this healthy soup dinner in 8-ounce single serve freezer containers. You can also use larger containers for more than one serving if you have extra people in your household. Once frozen, this simple cabbage soup will be good for three months in the freezer.

When you’re ready to eat this healthy soup, just allow it thaw overnight in the fridge. Then heat and serve.

Does Cabbage Soup Burn Fat?

You may have heard of the cabbage soup diet. Some people claim that eating cabbage soup for several days will help them burn fat and slim down quickly.

Cabbage is a low calorie food, and this simple cabbage soup recipe is naturally low in calories and fat. Consuming fewer calories may help you lose weight.

Unfortunately, cabbage can’t “burn fat” from your body. If you eat this simple cabbage recipe every day, you may lose a few pounds just because you’re eating fewer calories.

Health Benefits of Cabbage

Cabbage is one of the cheapest fresh vegetables, and it’s available all year round. Besides coleslaw, I admit that I could add more cabbage to my diet for its health benefits.

A one-half cup serving of cabbage has almost one-third of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C. It’s also high in Vitamin A, Vitamin K, folate, fiber, potassium and magnesium.

In addition to the vitamins and minerals and their benefits, cabbage also has 1 grab of fiber for each 10 calories. This helps you feel fuller faster, so you eat less. This fiber can also help lower your LDL cholesterol (that’s the bad one that you want to lower) and help control your blood sugar.

Cabbage can help reduce swelling in your body naturally. Inflammation is linked to heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and diabetes.

How To Make Cabbage Soup With Ground Beef

This simple cabbage soup is delicious as a vegetarian or vegan recipe. However, if you prefer meat in your dishes, you can add cooked ground beef. To make cabbage soup with ground beef, I add one pound of cooked lean ground beef for a hearty soup for dinner.

If you want to add ground beef, you should cook it first. Then drain off the excess fat before adding the rest of the ingredients.

You can also add a pound of shredded chicken if you want to this simple cabbage soup recipe.

How to Make Cabbage Soup in the Slow Cooker

I usually cook this simple cabbage soup recipe on the stove in a Dutch oven, but it works very well in a slow cooker. I make it this way when I have extra time earlier in the day.

Simply make it as you normally would and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours.

Ingredients for a Healthy Low-Calorie Soup

Fresh Vegetables

I like to add onions, carrots, celery and tomatoes in addition to the cabbage. Sometimes I also add zucchini, green beans, peas, corn or green peppers.

It’s completely up to you and what you like. If I have a few bites of leftovers in the fridge or just a little bit of frozen vegetables left, I will throw them in this simple cabbage soup recipe.

If you want it to have more tomato flavor, add a few tablespoons of tomato paste or tomato sauce.

Low Sodium Broth

I’ve made this both with chicken broth and with vegetable broth. They are both delicious, but the chicken broth gives it a little more depth in flavor. If you want a vegetarian cabbage soup recipe, then use a vegetable broth.

Simple Cabbage Soup Recipe

My healthy, low-calorie cabbage soup recipe serves 8.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons avocado oil
1/2 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
8 cups low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
1/2 head cabbage
4 medium carrots
2 stalks celery
1 14.5 oz. can stewed tomatoes

Directions:

Prep the vegetables for the cabbage soup first. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Then chop half a head of cabbage into 1 1/2″ chunks. Peel the carrots and slice into circles. Thinly slice the celery stalks.

Once the vegetables have been prepped, add the add avocado oil to large pot. Heat over medium to medium-high heat, depending on the type of pot you have.

Add the onion and garlic to the oil once it’s hot. Then cook the onions and garlic, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, about 3-5 minutes.

Once the onions have softened, add the broth, thyme, salt, pepper, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, and celery to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer the cabbage soup on low for 30 minutes.

Taste test the soup, adding additional pepper if needed.

Serve the soup while hot with crackers or bread, as desired.

Yield: 8 servings

Cabbage Soup Recipe

This simple cabbage soup recipe is a healthy low-calorie dinner idea for winter. Made using low sodium, vegetable broth, this vegetarian cabbage soup is a great way to enjoy cabbage.

Prep Time5 minutes

Cook Time35 minutes

Total Time40 minutes

Ingredients

3 tablespoons avocado oil
1/2 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
8 cups low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
1/2 head cabbage
4 medium carrots
2 stalks celery
1 14.5 oz. can stewed tomatoes

Instructions

Prep the vegetables for the cabbage soup. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Then chop half a head of cabbage into 1 1/2″ chunks. Peel the carrots and slice into circles. Thinly slice the celery stalks.

While you prep, add the add avocado oil to large pot. Heat over medium to medium-high heat.

Add the onion and garlic to the oil once heated. Cook the onions and garlic, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, about 3-5 minutes.

Now add the broth, thyme, salt, pepper, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, and celery to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer the cabbage soup on low for 30 minutes.