Cabbage Soup

Last updated: May 7, 2023 · Recipes developed by Vered DeLeeuw and nutritionally reviewed by Rachel Benight MS, RD · This website generates income via ads and uses cookies.

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This thick, hearty, and spicy cabbage soup gets an extra kick from cajun andouille sausage.

While it makes a wonderful first course, it's so substantial and filling, that you can easily serve it as the main course.

There's nothing quite like a hot, comforting bowl of soup when it's cold outside. It's the quintessential winter experience (I suppose hot chocolate is another good example).

A few of my favorite soup recipes include onion soup, egg drop soup, pumpkin curry soup, and creamy cauliflower soup.

This hearty cabbage soup is an especially lovely way to keep warm on a cold winter night. It is rich and flavorful, and the addition of spicy sausage turns it into a complete and very filling meal.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Expert tip
Frequently asked questions
Variations
Serving suggestions
Storing leftovers
Related recipes
Recipe Card

Ingredients

You'll only need a few ingredients to make this tasty soup. The exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

Olive oil: This is by far my favorite oil to cook with. But if you prefer an oil with a high smoke point, you can use avocado oil instead.

Onion: I use yellow onion. White onion works too.

Spicy andouille sausage: Or use your favorite sausage. You can also use small homemade meatballs instead of sausage.

Spices: I use garlic, coriander, cumin, and black pepper. Make sure the spices you use are fresh. A stale spice can easily ruin a dish.

Shredded cabbage: I sometimes make life easy by buying it already washed and shredded. But it's not difficult to shred it yourself with a sharp chef's knife.

Diced tomatoes: Leave them undrained. It's best to use petite-diced tomatoes if you can.

Beef stock: Not reduced-sodium. Store-bought is fine - just check the ingredients to make sure they look OK.

Instructions

Making this tasty cabbage soup is easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:

Your first step is to heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. When it's heated, you add the oil and the onion. Cook until the onion is tender, stirring often.

Next, add the sausage and cook it until lightly browned.

Now add the garlic, coriander, and cumin. Cook, stirring, for just 30 seconds, until the spices are fragrant.

Next, you add the shredded cabbage. You might need to do so in batches. Cook until the cabbage is just tender.

The final step is to stir in the tomatoes, black pepper, and beef broth. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

A six-photo collage showing the steps for making a cabbage soup.

Expert tip

I prefer to use salted broth in this recipe rather than low-sodium broth. I find that low-sodium broth lacks flavor. But you can use it if you'd like, then taste the soup and decide if it needs more salt.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make a vegetarian cabbage soup?

Sure. Simply omit the sausage and use vegetable broth instead of beef broth.

Is this soup very spicy?

It's not. If you'd like it to be truly spicy, you can experiment with adding a pinch of cayenne pepper together with the other spices.

Can I freeze this soup?

Yes. I sometimes freeze individual servings in mugs, then quickly reheat them in the microwave. Cover the mugs with a couple layers of plastic wrap.

Variations

I love this recipe as is and almost always make it as written. But in case you'd like to vary the basic recipe, here are a few ideas for you:

As mentioned above, you can cook the onions in any fat you like, including avocado oil, ghee, or bacon fat.
Smoked paprika is a nice addition to this soup - start with ½ teaspoon and taste.
You can omit the sausage and add small meatballs to the soup instead. Beef meatballs are especially hearty, but chicken or turkey meatballs are also good. If using cooked meatballs, they should be added to the hot soup after it has finished cooking. If they're raw, add them to the soup right before you boil it.
It's fine to replace the beef broth with chicken broth.

Serving suggestions

This tasty soup, containing meat and vegetables, is a complete meal. It's very filling! So there's really no need to serve anything with it. Although you can certainly serve it to six as a first course if you'd like.

Sometimes I serve it with thick slices of buttered almond flour bread or with these cheese biscuits on the side.

Storing leftovers

Leftovers keep well for 3-4 days in the fridge, in an airtight container. In fact, the soup gets even more flavorful the second day! I gently reheat bowls or mugs of it, covered, in the microwave on 50% power.