Vegetarian Cabbage Soup
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You’ll love this easy and healthy vegetarian cabbage soup. It packs incredible flavor, satisfying texture, and a great chili kick that warms you up. All this goodness with less than 150 calories per serving!
Published on Jan 2020 /Updated on September 2024
I first published this amazing low-calorie soup in 2020 and have loved it ever since. I wanted to create a vegetarian cabbage soup that was a terrific low-carb meal without sacrificing flavor and texture—not watery, not dull, nothing that resembled boiled cabbage.
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And the best cabbage soup I’ve ever had was born. It’s easy to make, economical, packed with health benefits, and amazingly delicious.
Once you try it, you’ll love it, too.
The recipe starts with carrots, onion, and celery sauteed in olive oil. Next, we stir in the garlic and a mix of chili flakes, paprika, and ground coriander. This combination creates a warming flavor base with a subtle kick that I LOVE. Seriously.
Then, we add the chopped cabbage, broth, and tomato passata, which makes a richer and more flavorsome broth. For extra texture, I add some cauliflower florets, my favorite low-carb substitute for potatoes. They are great for thickening the soup and adding more nutrition.
Today, I’m re-sharing this terrific soup recipe again to encourage you to make it. I’ve also added new photos and new notes to the recipe.
It’s a flavorful vegetarian cabbage soup with fewer calories and carbs, which is perfect if you are looking for a lighter meal that is filling and warming. And I promise that delightful spicy kick will make you come back for more!
List of the ingredients
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower or potato (optional)
- Tomato passata
- Onion, carrots, celery
- Garlic
- Herbs (bay leaves, parsley)
- Spices (paprika, chili flakes, ground coriander)
- Vegetable broth
- Olive oil, salt & pepper
How to make vegetarian cabbage soup
(Note: this is a quick description; the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- Saute onion, carrot, and celery for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and the spices, and cook for 1 more minute.
- Chop the cabbage and the cauliflower, if using it.
- Add the cabbage and the remaining ingredients to the pot.
- Cook for 20 minutes.
- Blend 2 or 3 cups of the soup and return it to the pot. Whizzing up the soup just a bit will give you a thicker texture.
- Stin the chopped parsley, taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Enjoy with a touch of lemon juice to brighten the flavors and crusty bread, my delicious Italian crostini, or croutons (if you don’t count the calories! 😂).
Recipe Notes
Cabbage soup ingredients
Veggies: We use the classic onion, carrot, celery, and garlic for extra flavor and nutrition. We also add some cauliflower florets, which have a texture similar to mashed potatoes but with fewer carbs and calories than potatoes. You can swap cauliflower for a medium-sized potato, making the soup thicker. Skip both if you wish.
Olive oil: To add flavor. We use it at the beginning to saute the veggies.
Cabbage: Green or red cabbage, whatever you like. Cabbage is part of the cruciferous vegetable family and has an outstanding nutritional profile. It’s exceptionally high in fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. Also, cabbage is extremely low in calories and carbs.
Tomatoes: Canned diced or whole tomatoes work, but I recommend using tomato passata, which has a thicker consistency and adds body to the broth.
Spices: The combination of paprika, coriander, and chili flakes makes the tomato broth amazing. If you don’t like chili flakes or spices, you might reduce them, but I recommend not skipping them altogether, as they make a huge difference in the flavor profile.
Herbs: I use bay leaves for the broth and fresh parsley to finish the soup. But you can use your favorite herbs here, including some Italian herb seasoning or a pinch of oregano.
Salt & pepper: As always, adjust the seasoning to your taste. I recommend serving it with lemon wedges, as a touch of freshly squeezed lemon juice will brighten the flavor.
Storage tips & leftovers
This vegetarian cabbage soup leftovers keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days. It freezes very well, too. To freeze it, let the soup cool completely and then transfer it to a freezer-safe container or multiple containers. Freeze for up to 2 months.
LIGHT and low-calorie SOUPs you’ll love
- Carrot celery soup
- Vegan cauliflower soup
- Carrot and ginger soup
- Spicy pumpkin soup
- Vegan spinach soup
And for all the soup lovers, don’t forget to check out my vegan soup recipes and my low-calorie soups. : )
If you try this delicious vegetarian cabbage soup, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or tag a photo #theclevermeal on Instagram.
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Best vegetarian cabbage soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced or chopped
- 2 celery ribs, diced or chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes (aka crushed pepper flakes)
- 14 oz (400 grams) tomato passata (or canned tomatoes)
- 1 (23oz/650 grams) head of green or red cabbage, chopped
- ½ lb (220 grams) cauliflower or potatoes, cut into chunks* (optional)
- 4 cups (960 ml) Low-sodium vegetable broth (add more for a thinner consistency)
- 3 bay leaves
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoon Fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- 4 Lemon wedges, to serve
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, chili flakes, paprika, and ground coriander and cook for an extra minute until fragrant.
- Add the tomato passata, the chopped cabbage, the cauliflower florets or potato (if using it), broth, and bay leaves.
- Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then cover the pot, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- When the soup is cooked remove the pot from heat, let it cool slightly, then remove the bay leaves.
- Blend about ⅓ of the soup with a blender or a stick blender and return it to the pot. Be careful; the soup is hot. Try to blend mainly the cauliflower (or the potato chunks, if you use potatoes).
- Taste and season with salt and pepper. (I usually add a pinch of salt at the beginning + ½ tsp at this stage). You might want to add more seasoning or more broth to make a thinner soup, according to your personal preferences. See notes)*
- Stir in the fresh parsley before serving, and enjoy with crusty bread and a touch of fresh lemon juice to add freshness and acidity. Enjoy!
I used Cauliflower and Chickpeas it was very good!
I’m so pleased, thanks for sharing! : )
I made this for my family last night and everyone loved it! I was anticipating a large amount of leftovers, as there are only 3 people in my family, but we ate all of it. I can’t wait to make this again. It is definitely a new family favorite. Is there a way to make it any thicker? Thank you!
I’m so glad you guys loved it, Sonya… thanks for sharing.
To make it thicker, reduce the amount of liquid and blend half of it. Enjoy! x
Thanks for your reply 🙂 I invested in a hand blender (since I also plan on making the carrot soup) This recipe turned out great! I am pleasantly surprised at the flavor with so little added spice! I added a little cilantro when I served it and it was a big hit! Healthy AND delilscious! THANK YOU!
That’s great to hear, Joy! Thanks so much for coming back to share your feedback, I appreciate it. : )
Enjoy your new hand blender and many delicious soups. xx
Really looking forward to making this – one problem is I have no blender! Will this make a huge difference? Should I leave out the cauliflower???
Hi Joy! If you don’t use a blender, the consistency will be thinner but you won’t miss the flavor.
I would use the cauliflower, it gives more texture, just make sure you cut it in very small florets (especially if you don’t blend the soup). Hope you enjoy it. : )
3 years later still no serving size must be a good soup if you haven’t even cook it by yourself for so long
Lovely sarcasm, thanks.
I will add the serving size here as soon as my work flow allows me.
Great recipe, please add in how much one serving is
Thanks for your comment, Nick! Will do an update of this recipe very soon. xx
Hello, I still don’t see anywhere on the recipe that indicates service size other than the recipe makes “4 servings”. I’ve noticed that on many online recipes and it makes it difficult when counting calories.
Thank you
Hello Mary! You’re right, many recipes don’t mention the serving size and it’s hard to have control on the calories. To be honest I started measuring soups in cups only lately, that’s why many of my old recipes (including this cabbage soup) don’t indicate them. I’m going to make this soup very soon in order to measure the single portions properly. Thanks so much for your comment. x
I was looking for a recipe to use up some vegetables that were left over from making other recipes and this soup just happened to call for everything I needed to use before it went bad. I used chopped fresh Campari tomatoes instead of canned and a bunch of chopped fresh parsley because those were among the vegetables I needed to use. My husband was skeptical and jokingly called it compost stew. It turned out delicious though! Oh, also used homemade chicken broth (we’re not vegetarian and we had it in the freezer). I’m sure it would be equally fantastic with vegetable broth, or even water in a pinch because the ingredients are so flavorful. Thanks for a yummy recipe to save an assortment of good but not perfect vegetables from ending up in the compost pile.
I’m so happy to hear that, Kate! Thanks so much for sharing your lovely feedback, and if you please can rate the recipe would be helpful for the other readers : )
Thanks again! x
I was soooooooo skeptical – but it was FABULOUS!!!! Making it again for the 2nd time, I went light on the spice, but in the end added a bit of hot sauce to finished product and it was amazing!
Thanks so much for the recipe- needed a good healthy go to meal!!!
I’m so pleased to hear that, Jeannie! Thanks so much for sharing your lovely feedback, you make me want to make this soup soon LOL. Have a nice weekend x
This is delicious, and I am glad it turned out to be more than 4 servings! I didn’t have any coriander, so left it out. I used Mexican style canned tomatoes because we really like spicy food. We try to stay low sodium, so used low sodium broth and added no salt. The spiciness from the tomatoes, chili flakes and paprika provided plenty of flavor. I did need to add about another cup of liquid to have it be “soupy” enough for me. It took me a lot longer than 5 minutes of prep time. Perhaps if one had prepackaged cauliflower and cabbage, it would be quicker. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks so much for your lovely feedback, Nancy! 🤩
Hello! I had come across your recipe, and being a huge soup fan, I eded up making it last night, and wow, very delicious! Soup is full of flavor, good spice, hearty, and perfect for the cold weather. I did add cooked navy beans for the extra protein, and 1 large cubed red potato. I had ran out of paprika so I added chili powder instead, and a bit more extra water. I also used fire roasted tomatoes, Very delicious, thank you for sharing!
You’re so welcome! Thanks for sharing your lovely feedback, I’m so glad you liked it x
This is absolutely amazing! My whole family likes it! But question, how much is just one serving? A cup? 3/4 cup? 1 cup and 1/2?
I’m so pleased to hear that and thanks for your lovely feedback, Hannah! Regarding your questions, I’ve realised I didn’t take note of the serving sizes. Sorry about that, I’m going to add it asap. x