This easy-to-make crockpot cabbage soup recipe is healthy, flavorful, and absolutely delicious. It comes together so easily and makes a great meal for a busy weeknight.
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Crockpots and slow cookers are wonderful. Like my slow cooker vegetable soup, this soup is vegetarian-based and requires minimal prep time. When you get home, you can have a delicious, comforting soup waiting for you to enjoy.
This slow cooker cabbage soup in the crockpot is loaded with healthy vegetables and so many fragrant spices that your mouth will be watering. It is an easy meal made with nutritious ingredients and lots of flavor.
Making this soup is a great way to get more vegetables into your diet. It can also be adapted to your liking. If you’re looking for more cabbage recipes to enjoy, I suggest trying roasted cabbage steaks and golumpki stuffed cabbage rolls.
Reasons to Love
- Crockpot Meal. Crockpot meals give you time back. There is only 10 minutes of prep time for this meal, and the rest is done in the crockpot. You will have a filling, comforting, and nutritious soup just waiting for you to savor.
- Healthy and very Flavorful. Crockpot cabbage soup is vegetarian, vegan, low-carb, dairy-free, and gluten-free. It is loaded with so many vegetables and fragrant spices that you are sure to enjoy. The crockpot helps retain many of the nutrients and melds together the many flavors. It is low in calories but big in taste.
- Customizable. It's so easy to make cabbage soup on your own. It is wonderful as written but you can also add and switch out several ingredients. See the variation section for ideas on ways to adapt this soup to your preference.
Ingredients
With a handful of healthy ingredients, this soup is a must try.
Here's what you'll need to make the recipe:
- Olive oil. This is used to sauté the onions and garlic before transferring to crockpot.
- Aromatics. The garlic should be minced, and the onion finely chopped to sauté.
- Low sodium vegetable broth. Low sodium chicken broth can be used in place if you are not concerned about keeping the recipe vegetarian.
- Cabbage. Green or red cabbage is fine to use and chopped into 1-inch chunks.
- Carrot. These needs to be peeled and chopped before placing in crockpot.
- Celery. You will need a stalk that is thinly sliced.
- Tomatoes. A can of diced tomatoes or freshly chopped tomatoes can be used for this recipe. If you are using canned, don’t drain the liquid but pour into crockpot for added flavoring.
- Spices. The spices we are using to make this soup are dried oregano and smoked paprika. These will give this soup a bit of kick so make sure you adjust to your taste.
- Salt and Pepper. Always to taste and adjust to your liking.
Scroll down to the recipe card for quantities used.
Instructions
Grab those ingredients to prep. Once started, this crockpot soup will be ready in a few hours, ready for you to savor and enjoy!
In a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil, chopped onion, and minced garlic. Sauté until the onions are translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
Transfer the sautéed onions and garlic to the slow cooker. Add the chicken broth, salt, pepper, oregano, paprika, cabbage, carrots, celery, and tomatoes to the slow cooker.
Stir the ingredients well, ensuring even distribution. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours, or until the vegetables are tender. Before serving, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Hint: You should sauté onions and garlic before adding them to the slow cooker along with cabbage and other ingredients. This will enhance the taste of your soup.
Variations
You can easily modify this basic recipe to suit your own tastes. Here are a few suggestions you can experiment with:
- Add a vegetarian protein. Beans, chickpeas, and lentils can be added to bulk up the soup while still keeping it vegetarian.
- Add a meat protein. Ground beef, chicken, pork and Italian sausage are all excellent meats to add to this soup.
- Add different vegetables. Broccoli, spinach, green beans, peas and corn could be added, and these vegetables hold up well under the higher heat of a crockpot. You can also add chunks of zucchini a half hour before cooking is done.
- Add a starch. Noodles, rice, quinoa or potatoes can be added to this soup for more volume. If you are adding potatoes, make sure to use potatoes that will not go mushy in the crockpot such as Yukon gold.
- Make it creamy. Add in heavy whipping cream or coconut cream if you are making it dairy free to add a touch of creaminess to the soup.
- Make it spicier. Add in cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes or Cajun seasonings to take this soup up a notch in spicy flavors.
Sautéed cabbage and bacon is a fantastic flavor combination. Be sure to check out my Southern fried cabbage with bacon recipe, too.
Tips
Top tip: Sauté fragrant aromatics. Sautéing the aromatics in the olive oil before placing in the crockpot will make sure the flavors are released when cooked with the other ingredients. It adds loads of flavor to the soup.
- Use low sodium broth. You can use vegetable or chicken broth for this soup. Keeping it low sodium is not only a bit healthier but also allows you to adjust taste when using the other spices and seasonings.
- Adjust spices and seasonings. As mentioned above, adjusting the spices and seasonings can be very helpful in a soup recipe. Since this soup is using stronger spices, it is best to always taste before serving so you can adjust to your preference.
- Don’t drain canned tomatoes. Add those juices right to the crockpot if you are using canned tomatoes instead of fresh. This will add more flavors and liquid to the soup.
Serving suggestions
Whether you want to enjoy crock pot cabbage soup as a meal or side dish, there are many other dishes that pair well with it. There are so many options to choose from with this soup.
This soup goes great with a side of bread. The crunchiness of bread compliments the softness of the soup. Try it with my Italian Artisan Bread or Air Fryer Garlic Bread.
Soup and sandwiches are a popular combination. Try it with these Hawaiian Roll Sliders, or Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt.
Soup and salad is another great choice as the crispness of the salad is a perfect contrast to the warmth of the soup. If you are keeping it vegetarian, then this Broccoli Slaw Salad or Apple Salad are perfect.
If you want to add a meat protein, then this Salmon Salad or Broccoli Salad with Bacon are excellent options. You can also serve this soup as a side dish with Broccoli Tofu Stir Fry or Garlic Butter Steak Bites.
Storage
Once cooled, transfer the soup into an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer to keep it fresh. For short-term storage, you can keep the soup in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months, but make sure to thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating.
FAQs
What is the best type of cabbage to use for this soup?
Red or green cabbage that is chopped into 1-inch-thick chunks.
How do I cut and remove the core from the cabbage?
You will start by using a sharp knife. Cut the head of cabbage in half. Then cut those halves in half again. Cut out the core of each of the cabbage quarters using the tip of the sharp knife. Now, you are ready to cut the remaining ¼ of the cabbage to be used in this recipe into 1-inch chunks. You can store the remaining cabbage in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.
How do I make the soup a bit thinner?
Cabbage soup is typically a thinner broth-based soup so by adding more broth it will thin it out even more.
How do I make the soup thicker?
Just before serving, you can remove the lid of the crockpot until the soup starts to thicken up a bit. You can also stir in a tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken soup, if desired.
Related Recipes
Want to try more small-batch soup recipes? Here are a few more of our favorites:
- Fish and sausage stew combines savory flavors in a hearty broth.
- Homemade chicken gnocchi soup is better than most restaurant versions.
- Navy bean and ham soup is a delicious way to use up leftover ham.
- Vegetarian potato soup is the perfect dish for a meatless lunch.
- Chicken corn chowder has a hearty blend of meat and veggies.
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Recipe
Crock Pot Cabbage Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ t teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ head cabbage chopped into 1-inch chunks
- 1 medium carrot peeled and chopped
- 1 celery stalk sliced thinly
- ½ can 7 ounces chopped tomatoes, or ½ cup fresh tomatoes
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil, chopped onion, and minced garlic. Sauté until the onions are translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
- Transfer the sautéed onions and garlic to the slow cooker.
- Add the chicken broth, salt, pepper, oregano, paprika, cabbage, carrots, celery, and tomatoes to the slow cooker.
- Stir the ingredients well, ensuring even distribution.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours or until the vegetables are tender.
- Before serving, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. You can add a pinch of more smoked paprika.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and enjoy.
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