This hearty vegan cabbage soup is filled with leeks, carrots, green cabbage, creamy white beans, collard greens, and a vibrant golden broth! It's super satisfying, high-fiber, loaded with vegetables, easy to make in one pot, and it's ready to eat in 1 hour!
I feel like cabbage is one of the most underrated vegetables! It's inexpensive, it's so good for you, and it's delicious to eat in so many recipes like cabbage rolls, sesame ginger coleslaw, and cabbage steaks, but it's especially tasty in this soup!
Cabbage really bulks up the soup which keeps you feeling satisfied. Also, the combination of creamy white beans, tender carrots, leeks, and collard greens swimming in a beautiful golden broth is absolutely delicious!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- The soup is easy to make in one pot!
- It only takes about one hour to make it.
- It's an easy way to eat more vegetables!
- It can be made on the stovetop or in the slow cooker.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Leeks - Have such a delicious flavor, but you can use whatever onion you have on hand. Sweet or yellow onions are both good options.
- Carrots & Celery - Are the perfect base to many soups.
- Garlic - You can use fresh or dried garlic. If you use dried, start with 1 tsp and add more to taste.
- Dried Seasonings - Italian seasonings, smoked paprika, and chili pepper flakes is the perfect blend of flavor in this soup.
- Turmeric - This is what gives the soup its beautiful golden color!
- Broth - I used vegetable, but you could sub mushroom broth or water.
- Beans - Great northern beans add a good amount of plant based protein to the soup. Kidney, pinto, or chickpeas would also be great! If you want to use dried beans instead of canned, you'll need 1 cup of dried beans that have been soaked overnight and are cooked separately before being added to the soup.
- Cabbage - Green cabbage is my favorite to use for this soup, because red cabbage will change the color of the soup. Napa cabbage would also work well.
- Collard Greens - Fresh greens add a beautiful pop of color to the soup. Spinach or kale can also be used.
- Lemon - Add fresh lemon juice at the end to finish and brighten the soup flavor.
How To Make Cabbage Soup
Start by sauteing the leeks, carrots, and celery in a large dutch oven or pot for 10 minutes. Add the garlic, all of the dried seasonings, and the bay leaf. Stir to combine and let it cook for 2 minutes (Photo 1).
Next, add the chopped green cabbage, beans, collard greens, broth, and just enough water to cover the vegetables in the pot (Photos 2-4).
Bring it to a simmer, cover it, and reduce the heat. Let it cook until the carrots are soft and the cabbage has wilted. Stir in the fresh lemon juice, remove the bay leaf, and garnish it with chives right before serving.
What Goes With It
I like to serve bowls of this vegan soup with a couple slices of crusty whole wheat bread and a salad tossed in vegan ranch dressing. Any of the following side dishes would be delicious with it too.
Frequently Asked Questions
When the soup is done cooking, remove the bay leaf, and then use a stick blender to blend a little bit of the soup until you're happy with the texture. You could also add 4-5 small diced potatoes. As they cook, they break down and naturally make the broth thicker.
Yes. Put all of the ingredients (except the lemon juice) into a large slow cooker and set it to cook for 3-4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low. Remove the lid and stir in the lemon juice. Garnish with fresh or dried chives before serving.
Yes, you can freeze it for 2-3 months. When you're ready to reheat it, take the container out of the freezer and let it defrost in the fridge for 24 hours. Then you can warm it up in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Potatoes, mushrooms, or artichoke hearts would all be delicious additions!
Expert Tips
- Make sure to rinse the leeks very well. Dirt likes to hide in all the cracks and crevices. This guide will show you how to clean and cut leeks if you need it.
- This recipe only uses the light green and white part of the leek. Don't discard the dark green parts, you can freeze them to use for homemade vegetable broth.
- When you're grocery shopping, look for a small head of green cabbage or sometimes a large head will be cut in half and wrapped in plastic. If you can only find a large head, you can use the larger outer leaves to make lentil stuffed vegan cabbage rolls, and then you can chop up the leftover smaller leaves to use for this soup!
- Add enough liquid to just barely cover all the vegetables in the soup. The cabbage will look like a mountain when you first add it, but it will shrink down as it cooks.
- This soup is on the lighter side. To make it more filling, add 4-5 small diced potatoes when you add the cabbage.
Want More Vegan Soup Recipes?
- Vegan Lentil Stuffed Red Pepper Soup
- Creamy Vegan Lasagna Soup
- Vegan Mushroom Soup
- Vegan Spicy Cauliflower Soup
Vegan Cabbage Soup
Equipment
- 6-quart Dutch Oven or a Large Soup Pot
Ingredients
- 3 medium leeks sliced (white and light green parts only)
- 5 medium carrots peeled and sliced
- 2 ribs celery
- 4 medium garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp Italian seasonings
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp chili pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water (just enough to cover the vegetables)
- (2) 14 oz cans great northern beans rinsed and drained
- 6 cups green cabbage chopped
- 1 bunch collard greens thinly sliced (5-6 leaves)
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp chives (fresh or dried)
Instructions
- In a 6-quart dutch oven, saute the leeks, carrots, and celery over medium heat for 10 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic, Italian seasonings, paprika, chili pepper flakes, turmeric, salt, pepper, and the bay leaf. Stir to combine and let it cook for 2 minutes to toast the spices.
- Add the rinsed and drained beans, chopped cabbage, sliced collard greens, vegetable broth, and just enough water to cover the vegetables to the pot. Bring it to a simmer, cover it, and then reduce the heat to medium. Let it cook for 30 minutes or until the carrots are tender and the cabbage has softened.
- Stir in the fresh lemon juice and add more salt or seasonings to taste. Remove the bay leaf. Garnish with chives before serving.
Notes
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days or you can freeze it for 2-3 months.
I loved this recipe - it was a little on the spicy side but it was delicious and I will be keeping it and using it for a long time. I used a lime leaf in mine. I'm not sure what effect it had, but thought I'd share.
Thank you, Jonni! I'm so happy you enjoyed it!
Normally, when I eat cabbage, after I cut it I rinse it with warm water to avoid the symptom of flatulence. This recept looks really good. Can you provide some tips to enjoy this soup in my case?