Cabbage soup is a great soup to make any time of the year. Every autumn, after harvesting cabbage from the garden or receiving cabbage from family, I make a large pot of cabbage soup.
It stores well if preserved properly. This soup cans and freezes easily. It will stay fresh in the fridge for a week.
Cabbage is an exceptionally healthy food that contains large amounts of vitamin C and K.
It helps to combat the risk of diseases, improves digestion, and can help with weight loss. This recipe would not be compatible with the cabbage soup diet because it contains the fat of chicken broth.
However, it’s incredibly nutritious on its own and contains many health benefits.
Cabbage is also an easy plant to grow in your garden, although you do need to start it indoors.
It’s a robust vegetable that isn’t very fussy. The biggest hurdle for cabbage is cabbage moths, which can really damage the plant.
The protective screen covers really help to protect the plants from damage.
Cabbage is also readily available at supermarkets, and is a less expensive vegetable.
Made with homegrown chicken stock, this hearty soup is a healthy, and budget-friendly addition to your meal plan.
Served with a piece of fresh bread and homemade butter, this healthy soup recipe will give you all the cozy fall feels.
The recipe card is at the bottom of this post.
Ingredients You Need To Make Cabbage Soup
12 cups chicken broth
1 large white onion, chopped
2 large carrots, shredded
1 cup chopped celery
1 large fresh cabbage, shredded
2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
2 tbsp salt, or to taste
2 cans of tomato soup
Spice Ball Ingredients
Place these three ingredients into a spice ball.
4 pieces Star Anise (4 seeds of star anise)
1 tbsp. Black Peppercorn
12 medium pieces of Bay Leaf
How To Make Cabbage Soup
The longest part of this process is making the chicken broth.
When butchering chicken, I like to separate bones into chicken soup bags.
You can also save chicken bones whenever you cook a chicken and save the bones in the freezer. Once you have enough, make this healthy cabbage soup.
Make Chicken Broth
Place a bag of chicken bones, some salt, and pepper into the Instant Pot.
Add about an inch of water to the bottom of the pot. Pressure cook for 50 minutes.
This gives an excellent broth and is the easiest way to make broth for this cabbage soup.
Using a pressure cooker to make the chicken broth makes an extra flavorful broth. You can also add in vegetables is you desire to make this even healthier.
Another option is to place chicken bones into a pot, cover with water, add salt and pepper, and cook for 2.5 hours, or until the bones fall apart.
If you don’t have chicken bones, use a medium-sized chicken. The meat added to the soup will make a heartier soup, and give extra protein.
Strain
Once the chicken bones are falling apart, strain the broth into a large soup pot. You need about 3 quarts (12 cups) of chicken broth. For this recipe an 8-10 quart pot is ideal.
Add Vegetables
Add one chopped onion, 1 cup chopped celery, 2 large shredded carrots, and salt to the pot.
Cook For 5 minutes
Cook the vegetables on medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add cabbage
Add green cabbage to the pot, stirring well.
Add enough water that the cabbage is just covered by water, no more. You don’t want to add too much, because then you will have a runnier soup. Add the prepared spice ball.
Cook For 10 minutes
Bring to a gentle boil, and cook for 10 minutes. Be sure to stir this occasionally.
It tends to want to run over if not stirred. If the cabbage is not soft and cooked by the end of ten minutes, cook for several more minutes.
The cooking time is slightly dependent on how large the prices of cabbage are. Larger pieces take more time.
Add the rest of the Ingredients
Add tomato soup, nutritional yeast, and more salt if needed.
A variation of this recipe would be to include diced tomatoes when adding tomato soup. If adding chopped chicken, add it to the soup now as well.
Bring to a boil, then immediately turn off.
Serve with Heavy Cream
Add a dollop of heavy or sour cream to your bowl of soup. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and enjoy. Serve with crackers, bread, or dinner rolls. Some enjoy this with cayenne pepper.
Ladle into hot sterilized jars, and store in the fridge. Leftover cabbage soup can be frozen or processed in a canner.
This finished soup contains simple yet nutritious ingredients and is a favorite in our home. It’s chock full of good stuff that has a wonderful flavor. Feel free to add in extra veggies if you want.
Cabbage soup is a low carb main meal or side dish. If you enjoy cooking seasonally, make this soup in the fall. Serve with fresh herbs and crusty bread for a wonderful treat.
Healthy Cabbage Soup
This nutritious and delicious cabbage soup is a healthy addition to your diet.
Ingredients
- 12 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 Large Onion chopped
- 2 large carrots, shredded
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 large cabbage, shredded
- 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp. salt
- 2 cans tomato soup
- 4 pieces star anise
- 1 tbsp. peppercorn
- 12 medium bay leaves
Instructions
Make Chicken Broth
Place a bag of chicken bones, some salt, and pepper into the Instant Pot.
Add about an inch of water to the bottom of the pot. Pressure cook for 50 minutes.
This gives an excellent broth and is the easiest way to make broth for this cabbage soup.
Using a pressure cooker to make the chicken broth makes an extra flavorful broth. You can also add in vegetables is you desire to make this even healthier.
Another option is to place chicken bones into a pot, cover with water, add salt and pepper, and cook for 2.5 hours, or until the bones fall apart.
If you don’t have chicken bones, use a medium-sized chicken. The meat added to the soup will make a heartier soup, and give extra protein.
2.Strain
Once the chicken bones are falling apart, strain the broth into a large soup pot. You need about 3 quarts (12 cups) of chicken broth. For this recipe an 8-10 quart pot is ideal.
3.Add Vegetables
Add one chopped onion, 1 cup chopped celery, 2 large shredded carrots, and salt to the pot.
4.Cook For 5 minutes
Cook the vegetables on medium heat for 5 minutes.
5.Add cabbage
Add green cabbage to the pot, stirring well.
Add enough water that the cabbage is just covered by water, no more. You don’t want to add too much, because then you will have a runnier soup. Add the prepared spice ball.
6.Cook For 10 minutes
Bring to a gentle boil, and cook for 10 minutes. Be sure to stir this occasionally.
It tends to want to run over if not stirred. If the cabbage is not soft and cooked by the end of ten minutes, cook for several more minutes.
The cooking time is slightly dependent on how large the prices of cabbage are. Larger pieces take more time.
7.Add the rest of the Ingredients
Add tomato soup, nutritional yeast, and more salt if needed.
A variation of this recipe would be to include diced tomatoes when adding tomato soup. If adding chopped chicken, add it to the soup now as well.
Bring to a boil, then immediately turn off.
8.Serve with Heavy Cream
Add a dollop of heavy or sour cream to your bowl of soup. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and enjoy. Serve with crackers, bread, or dinner rolls. Some enjoy this with cayenne pepper.
Sorry, but I don’t understand. How does “an inch of water” in the bottom of an instant pot with a bag of bones and salt and pepper create 3 quarts of broth?
Cooking or baking bones in a small amount of water will cause liquid to be extracted from the bones and meat on the bones. It is essential to cover the bones while cooking, to prevent evaportation.