Purple cabbage soup with carrots in a tomato base broth is vegan, nourishing and rich in powerful antioxidants! This soup's vibrant purple color is fun for kids, Whole30 and Paleo diet approved, and ready in as little as 30 minutes in one pot.
This soup is a knock off of this cabbage soup diet recipe made in the slow cooker. For more one-pot bowls try my hearty vegetable soup and spicy ginger zoodle soup.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 20 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 4 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 157kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Tangy tomato and apple cider vinegar broth with sweet carrots, basil and oregano
- ✋ Difficulty: Chop, dump in one pot, boil, simmer. Pairs with gluten-free cornbread muffins.
Quick Answer
Add 4 cups low sodium broth, 1 finely chopped large purple cabbage, a 15 ounce can of stewed tomatoes, 3 diced carrots, onion powder, minced garlic, dry basil and oregano, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, a bay leaf, 1 cup chopped kale and pepper to a large pot. Cover, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium and cook for 20-30 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro and add salt to taste.
Jump to:
I am always seeking out on a mission to find healing vegetable infused soups that my husband and kids would like. Mission accomplished! And I hope you are not sick of soup recipes quite yet- because this is a good one with little calories and is ready in as little as 30 minutes! It is one SOUP my kids TOTALLY LOVED and the hubby too!
The other night both C's ate these entire bowls you are seeing packed with nutritional veggies and they drank all the broth! The Hubs and I went for seconds, with little calories per serving, seconds is a no brainer (not that I'm counting calories). I have been having such a hard time too getting my kiddos to eat vegetables. I think its the winter months and we just want comfort food. The only way I found I can get them to eat veggies in the winter is in soup or my homemade muffins.
Two weekends ago I was on a huge hunt for basil to make this gluten free pizza. Oh my gosh was it hard to find basil! Since it is not in season- it was nowhere to be found. I went to Smart & Final, then to Albertsons next door. Nothing. Drove farther to Trader Joe's where I finally got basil and then totally forgot to pick up yeast for the recipe! Uggh! One more store on my mad hunt for basil. Last stop- a small convenient market that carries local produce and organic goodies. Well, when I walked in their produce shelves were almost empty! ALMOST completely gone I tell ya! When I asked what happened they said they sold the place but all the remaining produce is FREE!!!!
Well hello food blog creative juices - get flowing! I grabbed everything (I mean EVERYTHING) left on the shelves which included tons of leeks, about four purple cabbages, four green cabbages, seven onions, a GINORMOUS bag of organic carrots, yellow squash, apples and asian pears. We looked like we were actually doing the Whole30 diet or something...lol! I came home and started cooking away making tons of soup to use up all the vegetables! The purple cabbage ended up in tacos, this ginger soup, and the leftovers turned into cabbage soup- mainly because I had so much!
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Everything goes in one pot at once. The cabbage, carrots and kale all cook to tender in the same 20-30 minutes, so there is no sauteing step.
- Stewed tomatoes make the broth. A can of stewed tomatoes plus low sodium broth gives a tomato base without simmering for hours.
- Apple cider vinegar brightens the cabbage. A quarter cup keeps the purple cabbage vivid and adds a tang that balances the sweet carrots.
- Onion powder hides the onion. I go for onion powder so when the kids are picky they can't say there are onions in it.
- Fine chop for picky eaters. Nobody likes large strings of cabbage anyway, smaller chops work best for picky eaters.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Little calories, big bowls. 157 calories a serving, so seconds is a no brainer.
- Vegan, Whole30 and Paleo approved with vegetable broth.
- Fun for kids. The gorgeous purple color combined with bright orange carrots is beautiful and makes this soup fun for kids!
- Ready in 30 minutes. One pot, no sauteing.
- Endless lunches. I have enjoyed it for endless lunches and even indulge in a second helping! It reheats as well as my vegetarian tortilla soup.
Key Ingredients
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth - vegetable keeps it vegan.
- 1 large purple cabbage head, finely chopped. The finer the better for kids.
- 1 can (15 ounce) stewed tomatoes - the tomato base.
- 3 large carrots, halved or quartered then diced.
- 1 teaspoon onion powder or ½ sweet onion, finely diced.
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon dry basil, 1 teaspoon dry oregano and 1 bay leaf.
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar - the tang. Try homemade apple cider vinegar if you make your own.
- 1 cup kale, finely chopped, plus pepper and cilantro for garnish.
Full recipe ingredients and measurements are in the recipe card below.
Variations
- Spicy - the Hubs and I like our soup super spicy with hot sauce in it. My kids like it plain with the cabbage chopped very fine.
- Green cabbage - I add onions to my green cabbage soup and use onion powder in this one. The nice thing about green cabbage is diced onions blend right into looking like cabbage!
- Extra greens - add whatever extra spices or spinach and greens you want.
- Add protein - browned ground turkey turns it into a chili-style bowl like my turkey sweet potato chili.
- Slow cooker - use the cabbage soup diet recipe method and let it go all day.
- Use up the cabbage - the rest of the head goes into thai peanut cabbage bowls or stir fry vegetables.
How to Make Purple Cabbage Soup
1Finely chop the cabbage and kale and dice the carrots. Smaller chops work best for picky eaters.
2Add all the ingredients to a large pot, cover and turn the heat to high to boil.
3Once it starts to boil turn the heat down to medium (if it starts to boil again turn the heat down). Cook for about 20-30 minutes until the cabbage and carrots are tender.
4Remove the bay leaf. Serve and garnish with fresh cilantro and add salt to taste.
As always, be sure to check out the full recipe details in the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
- Chop small. Nobody likes large strings of cabbage anyway, smaller chops work best for picky eaters.
- Salt at the end. The broth and tomatoes carry salt; taste after simmering and adjust.
- Cater it to your family. Feel free to cater our purple cabbage soup to your family members by adding additional spices.
- 5 health benefits of red (purple) cabbage. Cardiovascular protection and decreases type 2 Diabetes. Rich in antioxidants thanks to high amounts of vitamin C, manganese and polyphenols (the primary factor in cabbage's overall antioxidant capacity). Prevents cancer. Cabbage contains glucosinolates which provide anti-cancer health benefits. It can be converted into isothiocyanate compounds that aid to prevent different cancers, including bladder cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, and prostate cancer. Reduces inflammation. Helps support a healthy digestive tract.
- The cabbage soup diet. The cabbage soup diet is actually a thing! People used to just eat this kind of soup for a week straight to lose weight. I don't think I could eat cabbage soup for a full week, but we just love to eat it for the health benefits.
- Freezer friendly. Cool and freeze in portions for up to 3 months, the way I do my chicken tortilla soup.
Serving Ideas
Serve it with gluten-free cornbread muffins or a slice of gluten free pizza crust for dunking, and a chopped kale detox salad on the side. When you want a different bowl in the rotation, try my tomato basil soup, roasted butternut squash apple soup or mushroom zucchini tomato soup.
Purple Cabbage Soup FAQs
Yes. With vegetable or chicken broth and no added sugar it is Whole30 and Paleo diet approved, and vegan when made with vegetable broth.
Yes. Green cabbage works the same way; I add diced onions to my green cabbage soup since they blend right into looking like cabbage.
The ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar. It keeps the purple color vivid and balances the sweet carrots and tomatoes. Use less if you prefer a milder broth.
Refrigerate for up to 5 days in an airtight container, or freeze in portions for up to 3 months. The cabbage softens a little more on reheating.
It is a knock off of my slow cooker cabbage soup diet recipe with purple cabbage, kale and apple cider vinegar. People used to eat this kind of soup for a week straight to lose weight; we just love it for the health benefits.
Chop the cabbage very fine, use onion powder instead of diced onion, and let the purple and orange colors do the work. Both of my kids drank the entire bowl, broth and all.
Purple Cabbage Soup
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Ingredients
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 large purple cabbage head finely chopped
- 15 ounce stewed tomatoes 1 can
- 3 large carrots halved or quartered then diced
- 1 teaspoon onion powder or ½ sweet onion finely diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon basil dry
- 1 teaspoon oregano dry
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup kale finely chopped
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a large pot, cover and turn the heat to high to boil. Once it starts to boil turn the heat down to medium (if it starts to boil turn the heat down). Cook for about 20-30 minutes. Serve and garnish with fresh cilantro and add salt to taste.
Lori says
Can I make this soup in the instant pot IP-Lux?
Danielle Fahrenkrug says
Yes you can, just use the soup setting.