This Weight Watchers cabbage soup recipe is a simpler version of minestrone. It’s a 45-year-old family favorite straight from my grandma’s recipe box, with a few extra vegetables added in.
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“This is the best vegetable soup!! I’ve made it three times already and have the ingredients to make it again this week!” -Melissa, FoodieCrush reader
This Soup Is Darn Good (and Good for You, Too!)
Back in the day, the Cabbage Soup Diet was the magic bullet many hoped was the surefire way to lose weight fast. Did it work? Possibly — for the short term. But cutting out every carb and eating zero calories doesn’t work for long-term health. So what is sustainable? Eating for better health, not just weight loss.
Chock full of vegetables in a supremely simple, light, Italian-leaning broth, this vegetarian cabbage soup has been in our family for over 50 years. My grandma had at least three variations of this recipe in her recipe box, with one titled “Weight Watchers minestrone.”
My favorite minestrone is tomato based and veggieful too, so I can see why there’s a comparison. Grandma’s recipe was pretty lean on the number of vegetables called for, but I knew that adding even more veggies wouldn’t downgrade the recipe. It could only make it better.
Essentially fat-free and low in calories, this 50-year-old recipe still fits the WW standards with zero points, yet plenty of flavors. Apparently, Grandma was a Weight Watchers follower, like me too.
Enjoy!
Ingredient Notes
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Onion + garlic — I don’t care what soup you’re making, you’ve got to add a few aromatics to build the flavor!
- Tomato juice — Unlike canned diced tomatoes, tomato juice adds a zippy tomato flavor to this soup that doesn’t depend on a lot of cooking time to develop. Use regular tomato juice, or V-8 vegetable juice blend if desired.
- Broth — I use my homemade chicken broth whenever possible, but if you need to keep this tomato-based cabbage soup vegetarian, feel free to use vegetable broth.
- Cabbage — I added a heaping cup of shredded cabbage, but you can certainly add more for a hardier soup. I suggest using Napa or green cabbage.
- Veggies — I threw in some zucchini, mushrooms, and carrot, but you can add pretty much anything you’ve got on hand.
- Beans — My home-cooked cannellini beans are a perfect protein addition to this soup (use 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups) and make it even more filling. Feel free to experiment with canned beans too, such as chickpeas, Great Northern, or even navy beans.
- Herbs — Any Mediterranean herb complements this soup. I used Italian seasoning, but you could try oregano, rosemary, basil, fennel, or marjoram in combination or on their own.
Heidi’s Tip: If you’re using this soup as part of a cleanse, omit the beans.
How to Make the Best Cabbage Soup
Heidi’s Tip: For added salt and depth of flavor, Grandma’s original Weight Watchers soup recipe called for 5 beef bouillon cubes. Sure it’s delicious that way, but I wanted to make this soup more vegetarian-friendly!
- Sauté the aromatics with cooking spray instead of olive oil. Browning the onion, garlic, and mushrooms in a spritz of cooking spray instead of tablespoons of oil saves fat and calories while still adding savory depth to the broth. Use a large pot or Dutch oven to make this soup.
- Add the raw vegetables and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Next, add the raw vegetables to the pot and simmer until the vegetables are tender and the broth is flavorful. The longer the simmer time, the more the broth will reduce and the more flavorful the soup will become.
- Add more salt and pepper, if needed. This is a simple soup, but that doesn’t mean it should taste bland! If yours does, it probably just needs more salt.
Ingredient Additions and Swaps
Try other complimentary Mediterranean ingredients in this soup, like:
- Yellow squash, or diced butternut squash
- Celery, kale, or spinach
- Broad beans or other white beans
- Potatoes or cauliflower
- Use vegetable, chicken, or beef broth
- Add heat with a pinch of red pepper flakes or some cayenne pepper
- Purple cabbage instead of napa or green cabbage
- Add bay leaf, for even more depth of flavor
- Try spicy tomato juice for an extra kick
- Garnish with fresh basil or fresh parsley
- If you wanted to increase the amount of protein, ground turkey, Italian sausage, or ground beef would be tasty additions
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Cabbage Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic , pressed or grated
- 1 cup mushrooms , sliced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups tomato juice
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas or cannellini beans , drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 small zucchini , quartered lengthwise and sliced ¼-inch thick
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- 1 large carrot , peeled and sliced into ¼ inch pieces
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics. Spray a stock pot or large Dutch oven with non-stick cooking spray and heat over medium. Add the chopped onion and garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the mushrooms. Stir in the mushrooms, season with the kosher salt, and continue cooking for 3-4 more minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients and simmer. Add the tomato juice and broth. Add the beans with the Italian seasoning and black pepper, and stir in the zucchini, cabbage, and carrot. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30-45 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Notes
Nutrition
More Healthy Vegetable Soup Recipes
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Melissa
This is the best vegetable soup!! I’ve made it three times already and have the ingredients to make it again this week!
Happy to hear you liked it Melissa!
Patti
Delicious
Kelly Powers
This soup looks very flavorful and yummy! I’m going to try it with some farro and a drizzle or two of high quality EVOO. Thanks for sharing!
Jean Owen
Love the addition of the mushrooms. I’m thinking about taking this in crockpot for a staff meeting. Any idea how many servings this is?
Great idea Jean! It makes about 6 servings but can easily be doubled. I think. you’ll love it.
Sabrina
this works, for me! thank you, love the cannellini and mushrooms too
Sheila. Armstrong
I really enjoy your recipes , simple and very tasty.