Cabbage Mushroom Soup (Oil-Free)
Cozy and loaded with veggies, this Cabbage Mushroom Soup is a nutrient-dense low calorie side dish that’s warming and easy to make. You can customize this soup to make it a full meal with grains, beans, or pasta, but on it’s own its a light side or snack that’s hydrating and comforting.
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I think I’ve made this cabbage mushroom soup at least six times this winter. Which is a lot, considering the pot lasts me a week. So for at least six weeks this winter I’ve had this soup. Maybe even more?
I make a lot of veggie soups, to be honest. Basically just using veggies that I have in my fridge. Are they always amazing? Nope.
But is this soup amazing? Yes. That’s why I’ve gone back to it several times. Something about the combination of veggies is just so delicious.
I LOVE the broth—it’s made up of fire roasted crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and low sodium or unsalted veggie broth. Plus the spices? SO GOOD.
The thing I love about veggie soups is that they are so versatile, you can literally do anything you want with them. However, if you’re new to soup-making, I do suggest you try following my recipe the first time. If you enjoy it and want to mess around with it next time, go ahead! But try it as written once first. That’s it, I’ll stop yammering now.
Ingredients
See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list (with amounts) and instructions.
- Onion, Carrots, Celery: These are the classic ingredients of a mirepoix, which is a flavor base for soups and stews. They may vary between cultures, but onions, carrots, and celery make up the base flavor of our cabbage mushroom soup and they’re what I start almost every soup with.
- Mushrooms: Well, mushrooms are IN the name of this mushroom cabbage soup, so we need them! We usually use white button mushrooms or Baby Bella mushrooms for this soup.
- Oregano, Thyme, Fennel, and Smoked Paprika: These are the spices I chose for this soup. Fennel is lovely and lends an earthy, almost sweet taste. If you like, grind the fennel seeds in a spice grinder first, but I never bother.
- Garlic: Gives good flavor in this recipe.
- Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes and Diced Tomatoes: I love the combination of these, and together they make up a good part of the broth of our soup.
- Green Cabbage: I used about half a large head in this soup (this recipe is pretty forgiving).
- Low Sodium or Unsalted Vegetable Broth: Veggie broth makes up the rest of our soup base. I try to go for unsalted when I can find it. You can also make your own from veggie scraps!
- Yellow or White Miso Paste, Optional: This takes the place of salt, and I recommend dissolving your miso paste in 2-3 tablespoons of warm (not hot) water, since putting it directly in steaming hot soup can kill the fermentation benefits. Let your soup cool a little bit before stirring in the miso. I just do it on a per bowl basis so you don’t kill the fermentation when you reheat your soup the next day.
- Black Pepper: Season with black pepper and of course any other spices that you like. I always recommend fresh ground black pepper over buying ground. The flavor is completely different in my opinion. I started using an electric pepper mill because with a mild disability in my hand, I have a hard time using a manual one. It’s become very useful!
Substitutions
- Onion, Carrots, Celery: If you can’t have one of the vegetables in this recipe, simply leave it out. You can add other vegetables such as peppers, if you like.
- Mushrooms: Any mushrooms should work, though I tend to use white button mushrooms or Baby Bella mushrooms in this recipe.
- Oregano, Thyme, Fennel, and Smoked Paprika: If you want to use different spices, go ahead!
- Garlic: I usually prefer fresh minced garlic, but if jarred or granulated garlic is all you have, use it.
- Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes and Diced Tomatoes: It can be challenging to find no salted added fire roasted canned tomatoes. If sodium matters more to you, use non-fire roasted varieties. The soup will still be delicious.
- Green Cabbage: I used regular green cabbage but other types of cabbage should work. You could also use greens like kale or collards, but I would separate the stems from the leaves and add them at different times. Personally, I would dice the stems and add them with the onion, carrots, and celery. I would add the leaves in the last few minutes of cooking.
- Low Sodium or Unsalted Vegetable Broth: You can use any broth you’d like, or you can use water.
- Yellow or White Miso Paste, Optional: I love the flavor of miso paste but there’s another reason I use it instead of salt. Per Dr. Michael Greger of NutritionFacts.org, the soy in miso has a protective effect so the sodium in miso paste will not affect us negatively. Please feel free to omit or use a pinch of salt if that is what you prefer.
- Black Pepper: For more spice, try crushed red pepper flakes! Use any other spices you like in your cabbage mushroom soup.
How to Make Cabbage Mushroom Soup
- Cook the mirepoix: Start by sautéing the onion, carrots, and celery in a large, non-stick pot (at least 4 quarts) over medium high heat. When the veggies start to stick a little, add a tablespoon or two of water and stir. Cook 4-5 minutes, or until softened.
- Cook the mushrooms: Add the mushrooms and spices and stir. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add broth and simmer: Add the tomatoes, cabbage, and veggie broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer, covered, for 5-7 minutes or until cabbage is tender to your liking. Remove from heat once cooked.
- Serving: To serve, ladle soup into a bowl. Dissolve ½ to 1 teaspoon yellow or white miso paste in 2 tablespoons warm water. Use a whisk or a fork to mix until dissolved, then add to slightly cooled soup. Season with fresh cracked pepper to taste and enjoy. I often will add dark kidney beans to my bowl to make it more satisfying, but I do like to keep the soup as just veggies so I can make the decision each day based on what else is in the meal and how hungry I am. Vary the add-ins and flavorings to your own tastes!
- Tip: If you’re feeling adventurous, drizzle a tiny bit of sweet balsamic vinegar in your bowl. I love mine with a dash of California Balsamic Fig Vinegar.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the soup for up to 3 months when packed in a freezer-safe container. I like to freeze my soup in this 1-cup silicone freezer tray and then I transfer them to a reusable food storage bag.
Expert Tips
- Swap out the spices: You can use any spices you like in cabbage mushroom soup! Caraway goes well with cabbage, for example. I chose oregano, thyme, smoked paprika, and fennel because I love the combination of flavors for this soup, but you’re welcome to experiment.
- Use different veggies: I love vegetable soups because they’re so versatile. Often I make veggie soup just using up veggies that I have in my fridge. I made a corn poblano soup that way once and it was so good I started buying poblanos just so I could make that soup again. I’ll have to write that recipe up too.
- Check on it once all the ingredients are in: The cabbage can cook pretty fast once the soup has been brought to a boil, even when you reduce the heat. I usually only cook the soup for 4-6 minutes after bringing it to a boil.
- If you add starch: If you add a starch like noodles or rice, keep in mind that they can continue to absorb the broth once the soup is stored in the fridge. This is one of the reasons I don’t typically put starch in my vegetable soups. You can easily still add it by cooking the starch separately and storing it in a separate container in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat soup leftovers, simply fill a bowl with soup and throw in a serving of the cooked starch and heat as normal.
Serving Suggestions
This soup makes an excellent side. I love it alongside a salad like my Kale Sweet Potato Salad or Chickpea Tuna Salad. It would also go quite well with my Portobello Pizzas!
Serving cabbage mushroom soup as a main dish? Add cooked beans or legumes like kidney beans, chickpeas, or lentils. Or, serve over a grain like cooked rice, oat groats, farro, or whole grain pasta. I actually love serving this soup over chopped up cooked potatoes! Maybe it sounds a little weird but I love it.
More Plant Based Recipes to Try
- Potato and Cauliflower Soup
- Butter Bean Hummus
- Spinach Artichoke Hummus
- Chocolate Cherry Overnight Oats
- 3-Ingredient Plant-Based Chocolate Sauce
- Date Energy Balls
- Or check out my free Meal Prep Staples guide with 10 plant-based recipes!
Cabbage Mushroom Soup Recipe
Cabbage Mushroom Soup
Cozy and loaded with veggies, this Cabbage Mushroom Soup is a nutrient-dense low calorie side dish that's warming and easy to make. You can customize this soup to make it a full meal with grains, beans, or pasta, but on it's own its a light side or snack that's hydrating and comforting.
Equipment
- 1 Large Pot Nonstick preferred, at least 4 quart capacity
- 1 Soup Ladle
- 1 Jar or Small Cup
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, finely diced
- 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
- 12-16 ounces white or Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced or diced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon fennel seed, grind if you wish but I don’t
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, if you don't have smoked paprika, regular sweet paprika will work
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 ounces crushed fire roasted tomatoes, no-salt-added preferred (if sodium-free is important to you, regular no-salt-added crushed tomatoes are fine as opposed to the fire roasted)
- 14 ounces diced fire roasted tomatoes, no-salt-added preferred (if sodium-free is important to you, regular no-salt-added diced tomatoes are fine as opposed to the fire roasted)
- ½ medium green cabbage, cored and diced in 1″ pieces
- 4 cups unsalted or low sodium vegetable broth, depending on how much broth in your soup you like, you may need more
- Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
- ½ teaspoon white or yellow miso paste, per person and to taste, dissolved in 1-2 tablespoons warm water (or use salt if you’re comfortable; read my notes section below for more information)
Instructions
- Cook the mirepoix: Start by sautéing the onion, carrots, and celery in a large, non-stick pot (at least 4 quarts) over medium high heat. When the veggies start to stick a little, add a tablespoon or two of water and stir. Cook 4-5 minutes, or until softened.
- Cook the mushrooms: Add the mushrooms and spices and stir. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add broth and simmer: Add the tomatoes, cabbage, and veggie broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer, covered, for 5-7 minutes or until cabbage is tender to your liking. Remove from heat once cooked.
- Serving: To serve, ladle soup into a bowl. Dissolve ½ to 1 teaspoon yellow or white miso paste in 2 tablespoons warm water. Use a whisk or a fork to mix until dissolved, then add to slightly cooled soup. Season with fresh cracked pepper to taste and enjoy. I often will add dark kidney beans to my bowl to make it more satisfying, but I do like to keep the soup as just veggies so I can make the decision each day based on what else is in the meal and how hungry I am. Vary the add-ins and flavorings to your own tastes!
- Tip: If you’re feeling adventurous, drizzle a tiny bit of sweet balsamic vinegar in your bowl. I love mine with a dash of California Balsamic Fig Vinegar.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the soup for up to 3 months when packed in a freezer-safe container. I like to freeze my soup in this 1-cup silicone freezer tray and then I transfer them to a reusable food storage bag.
Notes
- Sodium: You can drastically lower the sodium by using no-salt-added canned tomatoes. I chose to use fire roasted for this recipe which I cannot find in a no salt variety. Also use unsalted vegetable stock, and you can forgo the miso if you wish. I will say, a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar in this soup is a lovely no-sodium addition.
- Green Cabbage: I used regular green cabbage but other types of cabbage should work. You could also use greens like kale or collards, but I would separate the stems from the leaves and add them at different times. Personally, I would dice the stems and add them with the onion, carrots, and celery. I would add the leaves in the last few minutes of cooking.
- Yellow or White Miso Paste, Optional: I love the flavor of miso paste but there’s another reason I use it instead of salt. Per Dr. Michael Greger of NutritionFacts.org, the soy in miso has a protective effect so the sodium in miso paste will not affect us negatively. Please feel free to omit or use a pinch of salt if that is what you prefer.
- If you add starch: If you add a starch like noodles or rice, keep in mind that they can continue to absorb the broth once the soup is stored in the fridge. This is one of the reasons I don’t typically put starch in my vegetable soups. You can easily still add it by cooking the starch separately and storing it in a separate container in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat soup leftovers, simply fill a bowl with soup and throw in a serving of the cooked starch and heat as normal.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bowlCalories: 100kcalCarbohydrates: 21.8gProtein: 4.6gFat: 0.2gSodium: 420mg
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