There are plenty of cabbage soup diet recipes out there and all of them have one (obvious) ingredient in common: cabbage. Cabbage is low in calories and offers plenty of fiber that can help fill you up and keep you feeling satisfied. From a culinary perspective, cabbage is fairly mild compared to some of its cruciferous cousins like kale and broccoli. That makes it the perfect addition to a low-calorie soup, along with other nonstarchy veggies like peppers, celery and carrots. To keep the calories down even further, cabbage soup diet recipes like this one feature a brothy base. The sodium in this recipe is kept in check by using low-sodium broth and a small amount of added salt. White-wine vinegar adds just a touch of tanginess which helps balance the flavors.
Can I Make Weight-Loss Cabbage Soup Ahead?
If you are giving the cabbage soup diet a try, you will quickly notice that you will want to have a lot of cabbage soup on hand. Luckily, it is easily made ahead. The soup can be made 4 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator or frozen for up to 3 months. You can portion it out into individual serving sizes before storing it so it’s ready to just grab and go.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 medium head green cabbage, halved and sliced
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- 2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
Directions
- Step 1
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, 6 to 8 minutes. Add bell pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning, pepper and salt and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
- Step 2Add broth, cabbage and tomato; increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, partially cover and cook until all the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size:
about 2 cups
Per Serving:
133 calories; protein 3g; carbohydrates 19.8g; dietary fiber 7g; sugars 11g; fat 5.2g; saturated fat 0.7g; vitamin a iu 4480.2IU; vitamin c 88.2mg; folate 91mcg; calcium 110.7mg; iron 1.5mg; magnesium 30.2mg; potassium 504.1mg; sodium 451.1mg; thiamin 0.1mg.
Exchanges:
4 vegetable, 1 fat