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This vegetable soup with cabbage is healthy and delicious. It uses wholesome, simple ingredients and is easy to make and nourishing!
Obsessed with cabbage as much as I am? You’ll adore this Easy Egg Roll in a Bowl recipe.
Why you’ll love it
Cabbage soup definitely doesn’t have to be boring or something you only make on a diet! This healthy vegetable soup with cabbage is savory, overflowing with tender vegetables, and made with real, everyday ingredients that are inexpensive too. You’re going to be pleasantly surprised at just how tasty it is.
This soup happens to be vegetarian as well. Actually, it’s a vegan vegetable soup! But I can tell you that it has loads of fantastic flavors and makes a light yet filling meatless meal that’s low in calories.
What goes into this soup
- Olive oil – the best oil for sautéing the onions, celery, and garlic
- Onions and celery – two of my favorite ingredients for creating a flavorful base for any soup
- Cabbage – it’s the star of this soup because of its beautiful texture!
- Garlic – everyone loves a touch of subtle garlic flavor
- Tomato sauce – canned tomato sauce is a hassle-free way to add depth to soups
- Vegetable broth – enhances the taste of the soup broth
- Carrots, potato, corn, zucchini – this was my hearty veggie combo, but you can sub with whatever you’ve got on hand
- Italian seasoning – grab a jar of this dried herb blend in the spice aisle of your grocery store to take the flavor over the top
- Spinach – adding fresh spinach at the end of cooking gives this another burst of goodness
What is tomato sauce?
- For my UK and Australian readers, tomato sauce is similar to what’s known as passata internationally. Or you can simply use canned crushed tomatoes.
How to make vegetable soup with cabbage
This is an overview, and full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Sauté the onions, celery, and cabbage in a soup pot for 7-10 minutes. Let it start to lightly brown, then stir in the garlic.
- Add in the tomato sauce, veggie broth, carrots, potatoes, corn, zucchini, and Italian seasoning. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes and vegetables are tender.
- Stir in the spinach, season it, and dish it up.
Substitutions and variations
- This soup is very flexible! Feel free to add what you’ve got in the fridge/need to use up/what’s in season. You could add in some canned beans if you want more protein in here. Try cannellini beans or chickpeas.
- You can sub the frozen corn with fresh corn if you happen to have some or use canned corn.
- Kale would work in place of the spinach, but you will need to add it in a bit sooner since it’ll take a little more time to cook/wilt.
- You could add in some Cooked Shredded Chicken towards the end of cooking if you would like to add some meat. Just let it warm through.
What to serve with this vegetable soup
- It’s super hearty and makes a complete meal on its own, but a dinner roll or slice of French bread is always a welcome pairing.
- Craving a side salad? Make one with my Olive Garden Italian Dressing or this Homemade Creamy Balsamic Dressing and spring mix.
Leftovers and storage
- This soup will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container in your fridge no problem.
- Heat on the stove over a low heat.
- This soup will freeze well. Just make sure it has cooled before putting into containers for the freezer.
Questions about this cabbage and vegetable soup recipe? Let me know in the comments below! I’d love it if you left a review. You can find me on Instagram as well.
Vegetable Soup with Cabbage
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 sticks celery chopped
- 2 cups cabbage chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (14 fluid ounce) can tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 3 medium carrots peeled & sliced
- 1 Russet potato peeled & chopped
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 small zucchini chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the oil, onion, celery, and cabbage to a soup pot and sauté for 7-10 minutes (stop when it's starting to lightly brown).
- Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, broth, carrots, potato, corn, zucchini, and Italian seasoning. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil.
- Once the soup is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover with the lid slightly open. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes and veggies are tender.
- Season with salt & pepper as needed and stir in the spinach.
Notes
- This soup is very flexible! You can change up the veggies if you wish depending on what you’ve got in stock/your taste preferences.
- Serves 4-6 depending on portion size.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Loved this soup. I, too, used more vegetables and thus added a second can of diced tomatoes and more chicken broth. I also added a can of garbanzo beans. Delicious and filling.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this last night and it was really great. I added larger quantities of the vegetables so I doubled the canned tomatoes and broth. I also added ground turkey. This took a long time for me to prep (my knife skills are beginner level, so that’s on me) and then cook. Next time I want to try it in the slowcooker and will definitely make it one of my weekend go-to meals.
Soup season always makes me happy, thank you! 🙂
I’m thrilled it was a hit!! You’re very welcome, Angela! 😀
Sounds Delicious
Thank you, Connie! Let me know if you try it. 🙂
Thank you for this recipe I’m going to try it, I hope I do it right.
Hope you enjoy it, Daryl!!
Simple and delicious
Fantastic to hear, Tessa! Thanks so much for your review. 🙂
Could you add stew meat to this veg soup?
You could, but to get the meat tender you’d likely have to cook it for quite a while. So, you may need to add more broth and then add the veggies in a bit later.
Could I can this in a pressure canner?
Hello! I haven’t ever used one, so I’d use your best judgement.
I can’t wait to make this…nothing additional, just planning to follow your recipe! Tell me, when do I add the fresh baby spinach? There’s no mention of it in the instructions. (Thinking maybe near the end of cook time?) Thanks so much!
Hi Debbie! It’s in step 5 🙂 Correct, you just stir it in at the end. Let us know how the soup goes!!
This was so delicious! Perfect, healthy, warming winter meal. I used kidney beans because I forgot the corn and had those on hand, and it was fabulous! I also chose the tomato sauce (I typically go for crushed or diced tomatoes in soups), and I really liked it in this recipe because there are so many other vegetables that it allows to stand out. Good call! Thank you for such flavourful, easy recipes! You’re my favorite blog and I enjoy your recipes all the time. 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 Thanks so much for your sweet review, Deana. I’m so happy you’re enjoying my recipes! 😀
Been looking for a good veg soup for a while and this one fits the bill! I did change a few things. Instead of tomato sauce I used hot spice V8 juice and I added hot Italian ground sausage as well. I will be making this soup a lot, thanks Natasha for a great recipe.
So pleased you enjoyed it, Daniel!! 🙂 Love the sausage addition! I’m glad you found it easy to tweak.