Low Calorie Spicy Cabbage Soup – A delicious way to enjoy cabbage, made with lots of vegetables that help fight a bloated tummy.
Anyone else lose their mind when it’s a full moon?
I’ve noticed it for years now with myself. I don’t sleep as well, I have more of a tendency to feel ill, and my inner crabapple rears her ‘tude more often.
My husband and I have discussed it, each of us copping up to being a tad more…estrogenic, shall I say?…and this last week, in particular, it seemed to be going around our household.
Jade was coming home from school in a bad mood, Natalie got sick, Sammy was a fussy mess, and me and the hubs have been of the verge of having more than a few ridiculous arguments.
The other day, we were all on our way to Target to buy some household essentials, and I was literally at my wit’s end with everyone.
But really, I love them all.
Too much reality for a Monday morning?
Feel free to click off.
(You savvy boys and girls caught that.)
Any-hooty-hoo, all this madness calls for soup.
Cabbage soup for bloated bellies
You see, I was trying something a little different this week, this new phenomenon deemed ‘HCLF’, also known as, high carb, low fat.
Instagram sucked me in with all of their delicious breads and rices and beans, oh my!
Sadly, this does not suit my body well.
I only tried it for a few days and felt incredibly bloated.
I love carbs though, so I thought I’d give it go and see how I felt, but alas, starches and I are not as compatible as I had dreamed…or maybe, it was the moon…
In any case, I made this cabbage soup this weekend to sort of ‘reset’ myself and bring down some bloat.
It turned out so good that I wanted to share it here with you (and have it on record for next month’s satellite lunacy).
I truly felt great after eating this all weekend. After I cooked it the first day, I left the pot on the stove so that I could snack on it here and there when I got hungry.
It kept my tummy full without being uncomfortable, I felt energetic and happy, and it’s delicious!
Also, with low calorie soups like this one, I feel better about eating a big, fat cheese crisp alongside it (tortilla recipe here!) which is exactly what I did.
Carbs in moderation. 🙂
Low Calorie Spicy Cabbage Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion chopped
- 1/4 of a green bell pepper chopped
- 1 cup carrot chopped
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 head green cabbage (~3-4 cups), shredded
- 1/2 cup tomato puree (see Notes)
- 3 1/2 cup water (or broth of choice)
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley chopped
- lemon wedges for serving, optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot.
- Add in onion and bell pepper, and saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in carrot, celery, garlic, spices, and a sprinkle of salt.
- Cook another 2-3 minutes.
- Add in bay leaf, cabbage, tomato puree, and water or broth.
- Bring to a boil.
- Lower to a simmer, and cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Stir in parsley.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve and squeeze in some fresh lemon juice to taste (optional).
Notes
Nutrition
Notes:
Add red pepper flakes as desired for spicy-ness. I use 1/2 teaspoon, but my husband finds that a bit too much for him. Use your best judgment.
I use this tomato puree in this recipe, but I imagine tomato sauce would work well too.
Swapna says
I have seen this recipe after I prepared the soup though but good to read your story and health benefits. Good post
Tabatha says
What kind of beans do you think would be good in this soup?
leah says
Hi just wondering what T stands for ? Tablespoon or teaspoon? thanks
Lauren says
Tablespoon 🙂
Kinsey Dagsgard says
can you make this and freeze it for like a week then thaw it back out and eat it? or will it not be good? Thank you!!
Lauren says
Hi Kinsey,
I’ve not tried myself, but I found this online: https://www.successful-diet-cabbage-soup.com/freezing-cabbage.html
Deborah says
Can you please tell me the fiber grams per serving? And is a serving 1 cup or something different for this recipe?
Thank you.
Viki says
Hey I tried this recipe today and the soup was delicious! But i ended up adding just 1.5 cups of cabbage.
Lauren says
Thanks for your review Viki, I’m so happy you liked the soup!
Katia says
I have a large head of red cabbage on hand. How would substituting that for the green affect the outcome? I’m assuming it would turn the soup a bright reddish purple, but other than that…???
Lauren says
Hi Katia,
That should work, but red cabbage (to me) has a bit of a different taste, so it will vary from the original recipe. Depending on your taste, you may enjoy it more or less.
Karen says
I am counting my calories so I want to find out what the serving size is for the 67 calories that you have listed. Thanks for your help!
Btw…great soup recipe!!
Lauren says
Hi Karen,
Sorry for the delay! The calorie count is for 1/6 of the entire pot. 🙂
Aspen says
But how much is that?
Sab says
I like how you have the amount of cabbage needed for the recipe in cups because where I work, a head of cabbaae is easily bigger then a human head!! We do our cabbage salads on Mondays and often there is cabbage put on the side in totes and we’ll use it into a finer grind salad on wed. We’re allowed to take some home if we want and I often make lazy man cabbage rolls with the long cut. I look forward to trying the recipe out
Wayne fraser says
In recipe it says the ingredient followed with a c. Can you tell me what the c stands for. I’m not very good at this just trying out your recipe for cabbage soup. Thanks
Lauren says
Hi Wayne,
c stands for cup. 🙂
Mary Jo says
You mentioned the serving size was 6 bowls. Can you tell the serving amount for one bowl (i.e. 1 cup?)
Lauren says
I can’t say for sure the exact proportion, probably around 1-2 cups.
Mary Jo says
Hello. You mentioned the serving size was 6 bowls. Can you tell be the serving size for a bowl please?
Roberto says
This is the only cabbage soup recipe i will eat. I tip my hat to you and your great blog!
Skye says
Can I use a can of crushed tomatoes instead?
Lauren says
Hi Skye,
I haven’t tried, but you probably could if you enjoy the texture of them. I personally don’t like chunks of tomato.
Cat says
Pop ups keep blocking the recipe.
ED & DIANA PORTER says
I make one much like this my mom made and i use Sour Salt instead of the lemon…..its wonderful to add a bit of tartness and it is good for you!
Jean Hemingway Luberto says
I was wondering if you could add Kielbasa or Lean Ground Beef to this for a more substantial Dinner Soup;? Jean
Lauren says
I think you could Jean! 🙂
Angie says
I LOVE this soup!!! I’m vegetarian so I add vegan meatless crumbles to this and it is so delicious that even my carnivore hubby loves it too. :). It is so hearty and thick that it is a wonderful one dish meal. You could definitely add ground beef if you wanted.
Lauren says
Thank you Angie, I’m so glad you like it! 🙂
Pete McG says
Delicous!!
junie (@goodytooshoe) says
Looks and sounds good. I am going to try it today, I will add it to my recipe collection
CEL says
i follow hclf (but the raw version!) and the reason why you feel tired after sugar (as per you mentioned in previous posts) is because you have too much fat in your diet/body! fat prevents natural sugars from getting in and out of your cells therefore causing insulin spikes/crashes etc. you felt bloated because you still have fats/animals products in your system. it took me a few weeks/months to get over that and ‘detox’ my body. now I’ve been on it (vegan) 7 years (raw/high carb for 2 of them) and I’m healthier and leaner than ever! don’t give up if you want to give it a go again 🙂 our bodies and brains live and thrive off of carbs and natural sugars! just keep the fat super low (10%) and at the last meal of the day to ease digestion. look up tannyraw and high carb hannah on youtube!
@celinaeliz on IG xx
Lauren says
Hi Cel,
Thanks for your comment, but I’m actually really lean and feel much better eating fat and protein, especially with how hard I work out. I become bloated easily by certain starches in general, that’s just how my body operates. It’s cool to hear it works for you though! 🙂
rockmyvegansocks says
Great sounding soup! I love the lemon, it would really add a nice flavour.
I can’t say I’ve noticed anything different around a full moon. I have noticed I get moody for no good reason though, so maybe I should pay attention to the lunar cycle!
The meme cracked me up – I think we all feel like that sometimes ;p
Jean Hemingway Luberto says
I am affected by the full moon. Drives me crazy because the week leading up to it, I cannot sleep. Last night I got 2 hours sleep and as soon as the full moon gets here, I am fine. I have been like this for years, as was my Mother and now my daughter!
Alex from Sew, Simmer, and Share says
This soup looks excellent! Tomato and cabbage go so well together… I’m biased though, I love anything with cabbage.
Claudia says
You would like kimichi its similar and fermented so you would be adding loads of freindly bacteria at the same time, just take some out of a jar and add water. Going to give your recipe a go as I lve kimichi !
CTLady says
Yes, recently I’ve noticed I don’t sleep well during the full moon.