This light cabbage soup is made with just five ingredients and is ready in under 30 minutes. It’s comforting, vegetable-forward, and perfect as a starter or as a light meal with a sandwich.
Cabbage Soup Recipe
This simple Cabbage Soup takes me right back to my childhood. My Czech dad always started dinner with soup—light, vegetable-packed broths like this one, similar to his classic cauliflower soup. What once felt ordinary now feels intentional: a comforting, nourishing way to add more vegetables and fiber. With the cold weather we’ve been having, this really hit the spot—and for a moment, it felt like Dad was right here in the kitchen with me.
Why This Cabbage Soup Recipe Works
I love cooking with cabbage. In my opinion, it’s underrated! This high-fiber, low- calorie vegetable is both filling and versatile. Lately I have been cooking a lot of my late Dads recipes and this was so simple and too good not to share.
- Short ingredient list: Just five ingredients!
- Quick and Easy: You can whip this up in under 30 minutes, and leftovers heat up great.
- Affordable: A head of cabbage gives you serious bang for your buck.
I have so many cabbage recipes on Skinnytaste – everything from slaws and salads to casseroles and soups like this one.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are the ingredients for this easy cabbage soup recipe. See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Butter: Sauté the onions in salted butter.
- Chopped Onions for depth
- Flour thickens the broth. Gluten-free flour like Cup4Cup works well too.
- Green Cabbage: Remove the core, then roughly chop the remaining cabbage.
- Liquid: I used water and Better Than Bouillon because that’s what my dad would use. You can use a cube of chicken bouillon, or use vegetable bouillon to keep the cabbage soup vegetarian.
- Salt and Pepper for seasoning if needed
How to Make Cabbage Soup
You can chop the vegetables a day or two ahead of time, so when it’s time to cook, everything is ready to go. See the recipe card at the bottom for printable directions.
- Sauté the onions in butter until soft. Then stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
- Simmer: Add the cabbage, water, and bouillon. Bring the water to a boil, cover the pot, and simmer over medium-low heat until the veggies are tender.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper.
More Cabbage Soup Recipes You’ll Love
Check out my Soup Recipes collection, including these four delicious cabbage soup recipes to inspire your next meal!
Yield: servings
Serving Size: 1 ½ cups
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In a large pot melt the butter and add the onion over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes.
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Add the flour and stir about 2 minutes, to cook out.
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Add the water, bouillon and cabbage and set heat to medium. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
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Adjust salt and pepper, if needed.
Last Step:
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- Dairy-free soup: Substitute olive oil for butter.
- Make it gluten-free by replacing all-purpose flour with a gluten-free multipurpose flour, like Cup4Cup.
- Add more vegetables such as carrots, celery, or potatoes.
- Broth options: Swap water and bouillon for vegetable broth, or use chicken bone broth to increase the protein, but you may need to adjust salt.
- Make it heartier: Add white beans, chopped chicken breasts or sliced sausage to the broth.
Serving: 1 ½ cups, Calories: 98.5 kcal, Carbohydrates: 14.5 g, Protein: 4 g, Fat: 4 g, Saturated Fat: 2.5 g, Cholesterol: 10 mg, Sodium: 1088 mg, Fiber: 4 g, Sugar: 7 g
Serving Suggestions
This healthy cabbage soup is the perfect starter for dinner or a quick, nutritious meal when paired with a simple salad or sandwich. I also like to soak up the broth with a good piece of bread for a light lunch.
Storage
- Refrigerate soup in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Can you freeze cabbage soup? Yes, it freezes well. Store it in an airtight container or in Souper Cubes. Leave some space at the top so the broth has room to expand as it freezes.
- How to reheat: Thaw the soup in the fridge the day before. Then, reheat in the microwave or on the stove until warm.
Variations
- Dairy-free soup: Substitute olive oil for butter.
- Make it gluten-free by replacing all-purpose flour with a gluten-free multipurpose flour, like Cup4Cup.
- Add more vegetables such as carrots, celery, or potatoes.
- Broth options: Swap water and bouillon for vegetable broth, or use chicken bone broth to increase the protein.
- Make it heartier: Add white beans, chopped chicken breasts or sliced sausage to the broth.
