This nutritious chunky red cabbage soup is brimming with delicious winter vegetables and fresh herbs for added flavour. Simple to make it comes together in just over 40 minutes.
See also creamy cabbage soup!
This red cabbage soup is a medley of flavours and textures which work together in perfect harmony creating a deliciously hearty (but low in calories), nutritious dish.
Red cabbage tends to be associated with the holiday season when we braise it or turn into a seasonal Christmas salad. When I am not creating a seasonal red cabbage recipe I like to pickle red cabbage overnight and turn into a sweet and tangy slaw. I also like to juice red cabbage with different fruits and vegetables for a vitamin boost during dark winter months. Red cabbage also makes a great soup ingredient as it has a mildly sweetish flavour (when cooked) which makes it suitable to combine with lots of different vegetables and flavour combinations.
This chunky red cabbage soup contains typical hearty winter vegetables including carrots, celeriac, potatoes, leek and spinach. Herbs add freshness and complexity of flavour.
Red cabbage soup ingredients
- Red cabbage: Remove the tough middle bit (this can be added into a red cabbage juice) and chop the cabbage into 5 mm thick strips. You could also shred the cabbage thinly if you prefer.
- Balsamic vinegar: This will add a subtle tang and more flavour into the soup. Add 2 tablespoons to start with and perhaps a little more if you like after the soup has cooked. Be careful not to add too much as the flavour may become too overpowering.
- Spinach: It’s sufficient to wilt the spinach so add it towards the end of cooking.
- Garlic: I recommend adding it towards the end of cooking for a more intense flavour and a bit of bite.
- Herbs: For me the herbs are an integral part to this recipe adding flavour and freshness to this winter soup. If you don’t want to add all the recommended herbs simply omit the ones you aren’t keen on and add more of the ones you do like.
Equipment you’ll need
- Kitchen scale/measuring cup and spoon
- Chopping board and knife
- Vegetable peeler and grater
- Large pot and spoon
How to make red cabbage soup with vegetables: step-by-step
1.In the pot heat up 2 tablespoons of oil, add the bay leaf, allspice, onion, leek and red cabbage. Stir and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes stirring often.
2. Add the carrot, celeriac, potato, stock and balsamic vinegar, stir, cover and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes (or until the vegetables are fully cooked) stirring occasionally.
3. Add the spinach, herbs, garlic, butter and season to taste. Add a splash of water/stock if needed. Cook for 2 more minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and serve.
Top tips for making chunky red cabbage soup
- Red cabbage: Remove the tough middle, then chop the cabbage into 5 mm thick strips (or thinner).
- Make it vegan: swap regular butter for vegan butter or margarine.
- Spinach: For best results add it along with the herbs, crushed garlic and butter towards the end of cooking.
- Herbs: Add your favourite combination of the recommended herbs.
- Storing: Refrigerate leftover soup for up to 4 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
More chunky vegetable soups
- Simple Vegetarian Borscht Soup Recipe
- Roasted Root Vegetable Soup (Vegan)
- Polish Sauerkraut Soup Recipe (Kapusniak)
- Beet Greens Vegetable Soup
- Polish Dill Pickle Soup (Ogorkowa Zupa)
- Simple Chunky Leek and Potato Soup
You might also like this collection of over 12 creamy vegan soups.
Keep in touch!
If you make this simple red cabbage soup recipe I’d love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!
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Recipe
Red Cabbage Winter Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 10.58 ounces (300 g) red cabbage chopped into 5 mm thick strips, without the tough middle
- 8.82 ounces (250 g) potatoes peeled, cubed
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot peeled, diced
- 1.41 ounces (40 g) celery root/celeriac small piece, peeled, diced
- ½ leek cut lengthwise, finely chopped
- 1.76 ounces (50 g) spinach finely chopped
- 2-3 tablespoons each: parsley, dill and chives finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 allspice berries
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 garlic clove finely grated
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6¼ cups (1½ l) vegetable stock
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In the pot heat up 2 tablespoons of oil, add the bay leaf, allspice, onion, leek and red cabbage. Stir and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes stirring often.
- Add the carrot, celeriac, potato, stock and balsamic vinegar, stir, cover and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes (or until the vegetables are fully cooked) stirring occasionally.
- Add the spinach, herbs, garlic, butter and season to taste. Add a splash of water/stock if needed. Cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat and serve.
Notes
- Red cabbage: Remove the tough middle, then chop the cabbage into 5 mm thick strips (or thinner).
- Make it vegan: swap regular butter for vegan butter or margarine.
- Spinach: For best results add it along with the herbs, crushed garlic and butter towards the end of cooking.
- Herbs: Add your favourite combination of the recommended herbs.
- Storing: Refrigerate leftover soup for up to 4 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.
Recipe link parties
I am bringing this red cabbage vegetable soup recipe to #CookBlogShare.
Glen Eden says
Thanks for the recipe and for all the substitution ideas from readers.
It sounds simply delicious. I have Ukrainian relatives so borscht is familiar.
I just wanted a change tonight. Different herbs/spices will be fun to try.
Monika says
You are welcome! Here is a traditional Ukrainian borscht recipe you might also like: https://www.everydayhealthyrecipes.com/how-to-make-vegetarian-borscht/
Kate says
There is no list (that I can see) which tells you the actual ingredients other than reading through the recipe and hazarding a guess.
Monika says
The recipe card with ingredients and instructions is at the bottom of the post.
Marta Fudakowska says
I, too, am from a Polish background and I am delighted to have found your site through this soup that I am in the process of making! I’m sure it will be delicious!
Monika says
I hope you try some of my traditional Polish soups too:)
Jeanette & Walter Blonski says
My husband and I made this soup together tonight. We are both of Polish ancestry and loved it. We both had some after making it. Hubby couldn't resist having a second helping! We both love the flavor, thanks for sharing it with us. We bought a lovely red cabbage recently and I wanted to make something new with it so that is how we found you. I will spend some time in the next week or so to glance thru your other recipes. Looking forward to finding more tasty recipes here.
Monika says
Glad you and your husband enjoyed this soup, thank you for letting me know:) Hope you also like my traditional Polish recipes.
Marion Sansing says
Very good soup, great techniques. Used beets in place of celery root, since that's what I had on hand. Will make it again
Monika says
Thank you, beets are great with red cabbage so I am sure it was delicious!
john costello says
I have been making this weekly and love it. I have started adding a sweet potato and a few Yukon Gold potatoes. so yummy.
Monika says
Great! I need to try making it with sweet potato too, sounds delicious. Thank you for your feedback:)
Caryn Borger says
Meh at best. I needed to add a ton of salt and pepper and that only moderately improved the taste
Shannon says
Delicious healthy soup! I didn't even have all of the ingredients and it was still delicious. I added rotisserie chicken to mine.
Monika says
Thank you, glad you liked it:)
Claudia Kneebone says
Made this soup last week, - used chicken stock instead of veggie
I purchased too much red cabbage so I need to find some recipe that called for it.
It was so delicious! I loved that it turned everything in the soup purple. We now refer to it as the "purple soup"
This will be a recipe my family will enjoy for a long time.
Also - great with some sourdough bread!
Monika says
Glad you liked it! I also love the colour this soup produces, it's part of its appeal for me. I can imagine sourdough bread would go great with this soup. Thank you for your feedback:)
Paris Pettiford, Fulsom says
This soup was very tasty and beautiful. I woke up and made for my family at 2am this morning before I had to leave for work at 5:30am. I took some for my lunch at work. Very tasty and comforting! Thank you. Someone gave us 2 big red cabbages. I didn't know what to do with them. So thank you. Delicious!
Monika says
Glad you liked it and thanks for letting me know! I don't think I'd be able to cook anything successfully in the middle of the night, hats off to you:)
Krista says
Can this recipe be pressure canned? I have an abundance of red cabbage and this would be perfect to make in large batches!
Monika says
I don't know much about pressure canning but I think if there is acidity involved you shouldn't use this method. Perhaps omit the balsamic vinegar for pressure canning? You can always add it later.
Jacqui Bellefontaine says
I love red cabbage and this soup looks delicious I would be very happy with a bowl right now.
Monika says
Thank you!
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
What a tasting looking soup for winter!
Monika says
Thank you Kat:)
Donna gaskins says
Monika how many cups does this soup make
Monika says
Hi Donna! I'd say at least 8 cups, probably more but it's difficult to say exactly how many. Hope this helps.
Nancy says
Just made this soup and it was delicious!! I didn't have spinach so I used kale instead. I substituted the allspice berries (I didn't have any) with some cinamum powder, nutmeg and a pinch of ground clove and finally I replaced the dill with fresh thyme and didn't use any chives. I'll definitely do it again and I thank you so much.
Monika says
You are welcome! I like your substitutions:)
Corina Blum says
It sounds delicious! I love the addition of the balsamic vinegar to give it a little bit of a tang.