Cabbage Soup with Vegetables (Printable)

Hearty vegetable soup with tender cabbage, carrots, and celery in aromatic broth. Ready in under an hour.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 small green cabbage (about 1.5 lbs), cored and chopped
02 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
03 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
04 - 1 medium onion, diced
05 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
07 - 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
08 - 1 small zucchini, diced (optional)

→ Broth & Seasonings

09 - 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
10 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
11 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
12 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
13 - 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
14 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
15 - 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
16 - Juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)
17 - Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

# Directions:

01 - Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery; sauté for 5 minutes until slightly softened.
02 - Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add the bell pepper, zucchini if using, and cabbage. Sauté for another 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
04 - Pour in the diced tomatoes and vegetable broth. Add thyme, oregano, black pepper, salt, and chili flakes if using.
05 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until all vegetables are tender.
06 - Adjust seasoning to taste. Stir in lemon juice if desired.
07 - Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's the kind of meal that tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen when you actually only spent fifteen minutes prepping.
  • Your body feels genuinely nourished afterward, not heavy or sluggish like some soups leave you.
  • The ingredient list is so simple you probably have most of it already, and what you don't buy costs almost nothing.
02 -
  • The longer this soup sits in the refrigerator, the better it gets—the vegetables soften further and the flavors deepen, so making it a day ahead is actually a brilliant move.
  • Don't skip the lemon juice or fresh parsley at the end; they're what transform a simple vegetable soup into something that tastes intentional and alive.
03 -
  • Chop everything roughly the same size so it cooks evenly and the soup feels cohesive rather than chaotic when you eat it.
  • If your broth is salty, use half vegetable broth and half water to give yourself more control over the final seasoning.
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