Vegetarian Cabbage Soup

One of my favorite comfort foods is a pot of nourishing, brothy soup - my vegetarian minestrone soup is a staple - whether or not it's proper "soup season." Although this vegetarian cabbage soup is definitely one I indulge in on chilly late winter/early spring evenings.

Simple is best, yes? You don't need much for soup (case in point: my creamy vegetarian potato leek soup and asparagus and spinach soup recipes). This cozy little number features green cabbage, veggies, brown rice, garbanzo beans, and plenty of vegetable broth to create a super-slurpable bowl of hot soup. Add a side of gluten free honey cornbread muffins or no knead gluten free bread, and you're good to go.

What You'll Love

This is a really forgiving soup, and I love it for that. Easy to adjust to what's in the pantry, fridge, or mood. Highlights include:

• It's light but filling. Thanks to a little brown rice and chickpeas to balance the lighter vegetables, you won't be hungry after a bowl of this soup.
• So good for you. Count up all these goodies - plenty of vegetables, vegetarian protein, whole grains, and olive oil!
• Comforting and nourishing. Is there anything better? This is such a savory, brothy soup it brightens up even the gloomiest day.

Ingredients Needed

Here's a look at the delicious ingredients that go into this cabbage soup. Make sure to scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!

• Olive oil - I use extra-virgin olive oil.
• Onion
• Garlic - Feel free to use more garlic if you like a lot of garlic!
• Carrots
• Cabbage - You'll need 1 head of medium green cabbage for this soup.
• Broth - A good-quality vegetable broth helps build out the savory base of the soup. You can use water if that's all you have.
• Rice - I used short-grain brown rice, and you can use any rice you prefer.
• Chickpeas - Also known as garbanzo beans. You can try another bean variety, like navy or cannellini beans.
• Salt and pepper

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here's an overview in photos of how to make this soothing vegetarian cabbage soup:

1. Sauté base: Heat the olive oil in a large pot, then add the onion and cook, then add the garlic and carrots.
2. Add cabbage: Add the chopped cabbage and cook until soft.
3. Add broth and remaining ingredients: Pour in the broth, then add the rice. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the rice is tender. Stir in the chickpeas.

Tips & Recipe Notes

• Use cooked rice. This is a great soup for using up leftovers! Or, if you are making rice for another meal that week, set some aside to stir into this soup. You'll need about 1 cup of cooked rice.
• Omit the rice. For a lighter soup, feel free to leave out the rice. Or, if you have leftover rice from another meal, set a bit aside so you can decide in the moment if you want some. Place a few spoonfuls of rice in the bottom of a bowl, then ladle the hot soup over it.
• Other beans. Feel free to use other beans, like white beans, here.
• Add more veggies. Turn this into a more vegetable-rounded soup with chopped spinach or kale, frozen corn for a bit of crunch, chopped zucchini ...
• Try red cabbage. For a twist, swap red (purple) cabbage. Note that purple cabbage is a bit tougher than green cabbage due to its lower water content, so you may need to cook it a little bit longer, and it will retain more texture.

Storage & Reheating

• Fridge - Transfer cooled soup to an airtight container (I love glass storage containers, especially for soup!) and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• To Reheat - You can reheat soup in a bowl in the microwave, stirring after each minute, until hot. Or, place in a pot on the stove over medium heat and heat until hot.