While we tend to opt for lighter dishes in the summer, savory soups and stews taste especially good in the fall and winter months. Whether it’s sauerkraut salad as a side dish with meat, stuffed cabbage rolls or in a casserole with minced meat – preparing white cabbage has a long tradition in German cuisine and can be used to conjure up a variety of delicacies. Crunchy vegetables are packed with vitamins and nutrients and it’s hard to imagine our table without them. In today’s article, we want to introduce you to another classic German experience from our childhood, the best cabbage soup recipe. Grandma’s style, French cabbage soup or from Thermomix – the assortment of cabbage soup is really huge and the recipes warm our souls. what are you waiting for? Read on and go to the stove!
Is cabbage soup healthy?
White cabbage is one of the most popular varieties of cabbage in Europe, and it is in season from June to April. Crunchy vegetables are a true superfood and provide us with many health-promoting ingredients like Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Folic Acid, Potassium and Selenium during the cold season. It also strengthens our immune system, has an anti-inflammatory effect and gets only 22 calories per 100 grams. Cabbage soup is also known in the United States as “magic soup” – or in German “magic cabbage soup”. You may have heard of the Cabbage Soup Diet, which is said to help us lose 10 to 15 pounds in no time. This is because the body has to work harder to digest fiber-rich ingredients and vegetables, thus burning more calories than it takes in. Although cabbage soup is healthy, the diet is very strict and the amount of daily calories is very low. As you know, such extreme diets are not recommended and you should instead focus on a balanced diet.
Grandma’s cabbage soup recipe
Whether it’s a juicy Skyr bun or quick 3-ingredient snacks – as amateur chefs, we love trying new dishes. But even the classics, like our recipe for Grandma’s Cabbage Soup, taste great and bring back great childhood memories. Full of flavor and irresistibly delicious – perfect for a light dinner!
Ingredients for broth:
- 1 cube beef broth
- 250 gm beef soup – breast meat
- 1 liter of water
- 1 small onion coarsely chopped
- Handful of vegetable soup, washed and coarsely chopped
- Salt and Pepper
Cabbage soup:
- 1 small head of white cabbage
- 1 small onion
- 300 grams peeled tomatoes
- 3 Vienna sausages or Mettendchen
- 30 grams butter
- 100gm cooked pork (optional, but recommended)
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons sugar or honey
- Some fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
Prepare:
- For meat broth, boil water with meat broth and add vegetables, onions and beef.
- Season with salt and pepper, reduce heat and simmer for 1.5 hours. Stir occasionally.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Saute onions with sugar and bay leaf for 15 minutes, until translucent.
- Add the cooked pork, tomatoes and cumin and simmer in the uncovered pot for another 15 minutes.
- Then add some meat broth and let it simmer for another 30 minutes.
- Clean the cabbage well, remove the stem and cut it into thin slices.
- Sift the broth through a sieve and collect the liquid. Cut the meat into cubes approximately.
- Bring the beef broth to a boil and cook with white cabbage, beef brisket, sausage and parsley for 15 minutes.
- Then add the soup, stir well and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper and garnish with a little sour cream if you like. And voila – this is Grandma’s best cabbage soup recipe!
French cabbage soup “Louis de Funes”
Do you want to cook something delicious and special for dinner? Then you should definitely remember our Louis de Funes French cabbage soup recipe! The classic was best known as “La soup auc choux” in German “Louis and Cabbage Extraterrestrial” and has been increasingly popular ever since. However, the movie does not provide a recipe for cabbage soup, which leaves plenty of room for your own experiments.
Ingredients:
- 1 large white cabbage
- 300 grams of beef slices
- 200gm smoked bacon
- 500gm potatoes, roughly cut into cubes
- 500 grams finely chopped onions
- 300g carrots, cut into small pieces
- 7 garlic cloves
- 1 small tomato
- A piece of French bread or brown bread of your choice
- 4 liters of water
- 1 liter of white wine
- 1 liter sweet cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
Prepare:
- Peel the white cabbage, remove the stem and outer leaves, and chop them into small pieces.
- Put the water and cabbage in the pot and bring to a boil.
- Add onions, carrots and stems, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
- Then add the potatoes and cloves.
- Season with salt and pepper and leave for another 30 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and stir well.
- Remove the pot from the heat and garnish the French cabbage soup with bacon.
- Serve with bread and enjoy!
Cabbage soup recipe for weight loss
Do you want to lose a few extra kilos? Then you will love this cabbage soup recipe for weight loss! With only 150 calories per serving and still very tasty – perfect for a light, low-calorie dinner! And what about the best? Feel free to experiment with the ingredients and use other vegetables of your choice.
Ingredients for 8 servings:
- 1 medium head of white cabbage
- 1 bundle finely chopped celery
- 2 red bell peppers, finely chopped
- 2 small chopped carrots
- 1 large onion diced
- 100 grams of green beans
- 2 cans chopped tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 liters of water
- Salt and Pepper
Prepare:
- Heat the olive oil on a medium high heat.
- Saute onion, carrot, pepper and celery for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add cabbage, green beans, bay leaves and stir.
- Cook with diced tomatoes and water and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 40-45 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper and low-calorie cabbage soup for weight loss is ready!
Lentil soup with quinoa and cabbage
And finally, a great cabbage soup recipe with a difference. A delicious blend of quinoa and lentils, full of flavor and only 270 calories per serving – the perfect fall dinner!
Ingredients:
- 1 medium head of white cabbage
- 1 large onion diced
- 3 small garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cans chopped tomatoes
- 150 grams of lentils
- 90 grams of quinoa
- 1 liter water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- Salt and Pepper
Prepare:
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and sauté onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes.
- Add cabbage and cook for another 5 minutes, until tender.
- Add lentils and water and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the quinoa, tomatoes, soy sauce and vinegar and simmer for another 20 minutes.
- Remove the cabbage soup from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with fresh parsley, if you like, and enjoy!
