A delicious, healthy, and easy cabbage soup recipe that’s ready in under 15 minutes. Some time saving ingredients give great flavor.
Cabbage Soup is a bit of an acquired taste. I didn’t like it as a kid but I love it now. Especially versions that have sauerkraut in them. That salty briny cabbage is one of my favorite things.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
Ingredients
This quick cooking cabbage soup gets the cabbage in two different ways. We’re using a coleslaw mix to save time on shredding the cabbage and carrots and we’re also using sauerkraut which provides wonderful flavor.
You can use either chicken or vegetable broth for the base of the soup. Then all you need is an onion, some garlic, salt, pepper, and caraway seeds. Short ingredient list, quick cook time? Yes, please!
What Are Caraway Seeds?
This soup also has caraway seeds, which I love. In fact, I love caraway seeds so much that I’ve been known to sprinkle them onto slices of buttered rye bread to make that flavor stronger. If you’ve ever had rye bread, you’ll recognize the taste of caraway.
Caraway seeds taste especially good with cabbage which is why I decided to add them here. Caraway has an earthy flavor with a slight licorice taste like anise seed or fennel. It’s slightly sweet, nutty, and fragrant and equally good in baked goods as it is in a variety of savory dishes.
Making Cabbage Soup Quicker
This soup is really really quickly. One of the main reasons is that it uses a packaged coleslaw mix. Using the coleslaw mixture is great for two reasons. First, you don’t have to do anything to prep the cabbage and carrots other than open the bag. Second, it’s all very thinly sliced so it cooks really quickly. (FYI, if that sliced cabbage mixture is on BOGO, use the extra bag to make this delicious coleslaw recipe!).
This soup is cabbage based and so it uses a lot of the coleslaw mix (a whole bag). But you can add a smaller amount to any soup to boost its healthy vegetable component. It’s great in tomato-based soups. For instance, it would be really wonderful added to this Bean and Bacon Soup or added to this Hearty Tomato Potato Soup.
I really do love that bagged cabbage mix. So convenient in so many things. And it means I can make cabbage soup whenever I want!
The other reason that this soup is so quick is that the broth is heated in the microwave while the cabbage and onions start cooking. If you’d rather not use the microwave, it’s not a problem. Simply wait until after you’ve added the garlic, caraway, salt and pepper to the soup, and then add in the unheated broth. Heat it to a boil and then continue with recipe as instructed.
More Great Soup Recipes
If you want a heartier cabbage soup, try my Stuffed Cabbage Soup recipe with ground beef and rice in it. Or check out some of these other delicious soup recipes.
Podcast Episode: Making Quick Cabbage Soup
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this soup, along with some other great tips, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
PrintQuick Cabbage Soup Recipe
- Prep Time: 0 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
A delicious, healthy and easy cabbage soup recipe that’s ready in under 15 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 16 oz. shredded coleslaw mix (with green cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 6 cups low or no-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. caraway seeds
- 1/2 tsp. coarse black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 1/2 cups drained sauerkraut
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once warmed, add in the coleslaw mix and the onion. Stir and cover.
- Measure the chicken broth into a large microwave-safe bowl and put it in the microwave for 6 minutes.*
- Add the garlic to the onion and coleslaw in the pot, along with the caraway seeds, pepper, and salt. Stir and cover, continuing to let it cook until the broth has finished heating in the microwave.
- Add the hot broth to the cabbage mixture. Increase heat to high. Stir and cover until it comes to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer. Stir in the sauerkraut. Continue to simmer the soup until the cabbage is tender, about 5 more minutes. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.
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Notes
*Alternatively, you can wait until after adding the garlic, caraway, pepper, and salt to the pot and then stir in the unheated broth and heat to a boil. Proceed with Step #5 from there. The only reason for microwaving the broth is to speed up the recipe so that it is ready more quickly. If you add unheated broth to the cabbage, the soup will take 5-7 minutes more to make, that’s all.
This post originally appeared in January 2015 and was revised and republished in February 2024.