HOW to Make Old Fashioned Cabbage Soup [Italian Style]

Is This Dish a Fat Burning Soup?

Cabbage is one of the superfoods loaded with essential nutrients for your body. Old fashioned cabbage soup is among the easiest weight loss soups to prepare. However, most people seek to understand this dish: Is this dish a fat-burning soup? Well, the answer is YES! Like other leafy green vegetables, ham and cabbage soup are low in calories and carbohydrates.

Cabbage soup is also referred to as diet soup due to its low calorie and sugar content. If you need to shed some weight or improve your diet, this fat-burning soup will make an excellent starting point.

Cabbage soup

What is Cabbage Soup?

Cabbage soup is a group of soups prepared using different cabbages as the main ingredient. Depending on your taste, you can prepare this sumptuous meal using green, red, white cabbage, or Sauerkraut (Fermented, frozen cabbage). 

Cabbages retain their crunchy texture even when cooked for long periods; this adds flavor and taste to the soup. Different cabbages contain different flavors; the cabbage used will determine the taste of the soup, whereas red brings a sweet taste, white and green are milder. 

Sauerkraut, on the other hand, brightens and adds a tangy flavor to your otherwise rich, thick soup!

What is In Old Fashioned Cabbage Soup?

Old fashioned cabbage soup is prepared using cabbage as the vital ingredient; this is one of the simplest and least expensive meals to cook. To spice it up, you may add your favorite spices and steak. In addition, herbs and spices such as rosemary, onions, lemon juice, caraway seeds, bell pepper, salt, sugar, and chili will add a great taste to your soup.

Whereas most people prefer using chicken breast and polished sausages to prepare old-fashioned cabbage soup, you can also use turkey or pork chops to prepare this delicacy. In addition, you can use red, green, white cabbage, or Sauerkraut, depending on your preference.

Well-prepared old-fashioned cabbage soup will have a savory, peppery taste with a smoked tomato flavor. Whereas some people prefer to serve it fresh after cooking, others love it cooked and refrigerated overnight and then warmed.

Old fashioned cabbage soup

The Different Types of Italian Cabbage Soup

Many dishes around the globe contain simmered cabbage combined with other vegetables such as kales, coriander, celery, and sometimes chicken, meatballs, or sausages. Here are some of the Italian cabbage soups that you can try out:

Cabbage Roll Soup 

This type of cabbage soup is similar to the typical European cabbage rolls. The main ingredients are rice, ground beef, and a tomato-based sauce.

Italian Cabbage Soup

This soup mainly features chicken or vegetable stew enriched with tomato paste and Italian seasonings such as bay leaf and dried oregano. Other stew vegetables used to prepare this broth include zucchini, celery, white beans, and carrots. Italian sausage can be considered in place of chicken when preparing this soup.

Summer Vegetable Cabbage Soup

Summer cabbage vegetable soup is prepared using canned tomatoes, grilled bell peppers, halved green beans, and finely chopped zucchini. When cooking this cabbage soup, fire-roasted tomatoes work best; they provide a smoky undertone to the broth.

Russian Shchi

As the name suggests, this delicious cabbage soup originated in Russia. The key ingredients used to prepare this soup are cabbage, potatoes, celery, and chopped tomatoes. In addition, Russian Shchi is prepared using Sauerkraut which gives it a sour taste. You can also add dry mushrooms to spice up this soup.

Swedish Cabbage Soup

To make the most of Swedish cabbage vegetable soup, you need potatoes and fresh herbs combined with vegetable or chicken broth. Use caraway seeds to enhance the flavor. Once in a while, this broth may feature meatballs from minced beef or turkey.

Polish Cabbage Soup

Polish cabbage vegetable soup can be prepared in different ways, whereas some are entirely vegetarian. Others may incorporate chicken, sausage, turkey, or pork slices.

The Best Cabbage Soup Recipe

There are different ways to prepare cabbage vegetable soup. If you are a beginner, then the one question in your mind right now would be how to make cabbage soup. Here is one of the best cabbage soup recipes you can try out!

Old Fashioned Cabbage Soup

Time: Ready in 45 Minutes

Servings: 2-4 Serves

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 35 Minutes

Nutrition Info

Serving size: 1

Serving per recipe: 2

AMT PER SERVING                                  %DAILY VALUE

  • Calories: 325.9g (11.5 oz)
  • Calories from fat: 28g (0.99 oz)                           
  • Total fat: 4.4g (0.16 oz)                                   4%
  • Saturated fat: 0.6g (0.21 oz)                           4%
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg                                            0%
  • Sodium: 2542.5mg                                        114%
  • Total Carbohydrate: 58.8g (2.1 oz)                19%
  • Dietary fiber: 10.1g (0.37 oz)                         40%
  • Sugars: 14.6g (0.51 oz)                                 58%
  • Protein: 17.9g (1.59 oz)                                 35%

Equipment Needed

  • Soup bowl & spoon
  • Big cooking pot
  • Long-handled spoon
  • Grater
  • Knife
  • Soup ladle

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons floor 
  • 1 Small chopped onion 
  • ½ Head cabbage, chopped
  • 1 Large potato, cubed
  • 4 Cups of chicken broth (948 ml)
  • 16” (4.06 cm) Polished sausage 
  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • 1 Teaspoon sugar 
  • ½ Teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons sausage drippings (29.78 ml)

Directions

  1. Put the well-chopped cabbages in a cooking pot and add the potato cubes.
  2. Put water (474 ml) ( or chicken broth) to fill the pot halfway up the cabbage and boil until tender.
  3. In the meantime, cut the sausage into smaller pieces and pan-fry it. Drain the excess water and add the sausage pieces to the soup.
  4. Add water (474 ml) (or chicken broth) gradually to thicken the soup. Add the finely chopped onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.  
  5. Mix the soup, add salt, pepper, and sugar to season the soup. Let it simmer for 4 minutes as you stir continually. Taste the seasonings and serve warm with freshly baked bread.

Tips for Making Cabbage Soup

Cabbage soup is one of the tasty yet effortless meals to prepare. Here are a few tips to factor when preparing this delicacy:

Experiment with Texture

There are several ways to slice your cabbage when preparing ham and cabbage soup. The size of the slices will determine the thickness of the soup. Whereas thinly sliced cabbage will give you a thick mushy soup, the roughly chopped ones mingle well with other ingredients and are crunchier.

Incorporate Leftovers

Like many other broths, the ingredients used to prepare vegetable soup are determined mainly by your preference as well as what you have in your fridge. For example, you can throw in a handful of beans, lentils, or pearl barley to thicken the soup. You can also add leftover chicken or replace waxy potatoes with sweet potatoes to add more flavor.

Change the Cooking Method

The time available for preparations can also determine the kind of cabbage soup you will prepare. You may consider preparing your soup on a slow cooker or a pressure cooker instead of the stovetop if you have enough time. Spare some shredded cabbage and add it into the broth just before serving to maintain the crunchiness.

Storage

Like any other meal, ham and cabbage soup taste best when served fresh! However, if you need to store your broth, let it cool down, put it in an airtight container, and freeze it. The good news is that this broth can maintain its flavor for as long as six months.

Traditional Russian Soup with Cabbage

Summary

Old fashioned cabbage soup is easy to prepare and super delicious! Like many other vegetable stews, this meal is affordable and is well loaded with essential micronutrients. In addition, cabbage soup is perfect for cold weather. 

If you are cutting down on calories or trying a new vegetable soup recipe with cabbage, then be sure to try out the above cabbage soup recipe for a finger-licking delicacy!