Cabbage Lentil Soup
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Published Oct 05, 2020, Updated Jan 10, 2025
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This cabbage lentil soup is warm, cozy and loaded with health boosting ingredients like miso and apple cider vinegar. It’s vegan and dairy-free, but still packed with flavor.
There’s nothing more cozy than a big pot of soup simmering on the stovetop on a chilly day. Especially one that feels satisfying and comforting, like a big warm hug, but that is also loaded with healthy, nourishing ingredients. That’s what this cabbage and lentil soup provides.
I’ll be completely honest and say that a cabbage lentil soup doesn’t sound that exciting and it’s not the most photogenic, but you have to trust me on this one… it’s delicious!
It has some additional veggies like onion, garlic and tomatoes, but what really takes this soup to the next level is the miso and apple cider vinegar. Not only do they amp up the health benefits of this soup, they also boost the flavor.
Ingredients Needed
- veggies: canned tomatoes, cabbage, onion and garlic
- flavor enhancers: apple cider vinegar, basil, bay leaf, white miso paste
- beans: green or brown lentils
- pantry staples: olive oil, vegetable stock, ground pepper, sea salt and sriracha
Adding Miso to Soup
Miso is a fermented soy paste that adds a salty, umami flavor to dishes. It is often found in Japanese cuisine, but I love having it on hand to amp up the flavor (and nutrition) of my dishes. For this soup recipe the miso adds a lovely umami flavor. I know it’s hard to justify buying a container of something that you only need 1 teaspoon of, but I strongly encourage you to pick up a tub of miso for this recipe. I’m sure you’ll find plenty of other ways to use it including my soba noodle salad and miso broiled salmon (so good)!
This is the brand of organic miso paste I usually buy. The great thing about miso is that it lasts forever (about a year) in the fridge… it won’t go bad per se, but the flavor will start diminishing after a year.
As I mention, it is a soy product, but there are soy-free miso options made with chickpeas if you don’t consume soy.
Of course, if you don’t have miso on hand, you can still make this soup, you might just need to add additional salt before serving.
Cooking the Lentils
To keep the prep super easy for this soup, I use precooked lentils that I has meal prepped, but you can also purchase cooked lentils from the produce section of the grocery store.
Here’s how to cook the lentils (you can do this 2-3 days in advance):
- Rinse 1/2 cup green or brown lentils in a fine mesh sieve and remove any bad lentils or small stones.
- Add the rinsed and drained lentils into a saucepan with 2 cups of water.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender, but not mushy. Drain the lentils and use in the recipe.
Another option is to cook the lentils right in with the soup. For this option, you only need to add 1/2 cup of uncooked lentils (that have been rinsed and sorted). Youโll want to add the lentils when you add the vegetable stock and let the soup simmer for 50-60 minutes or until the lentils are tender. You should also add more vegetable stock or water (around 2 cups) as the cooking lentils will soak up liquid.
Making This Soup in the Instant Pot
I haven’t tried making this soup in the Instant Pot or a pressure cooker, but I know some of you might want to make it this way so if I were to cook this soup in the Instant Pot, here’s what I would do:
- Use the Sauteฬ setting on the Instant Pot. Add oil. Once the hot is hot, add your onions, cook and stir until onion is tender and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, basil, salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 additional minutes. Add 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to deglaze the pot.
- Add stock, 1/2 cup uncooked (rinsed and sorted) lentils, tomatoes, cabbage and sriracha. Stir the mixture to combine, press the cabbage down with a spoon to make sure the mixture is below the maximum capacity line.
- Select the Cancel setting. Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook setting at high pressure and set the cook time to 15 minutes. Allow a natural pressure release.
- Once pressure has released, open the pot and stir in the remaining vinegar and miso. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper, if needed. Serve warm with a salad, bread or crackers.
What to Serve With Cabbage Lentil Soup
In my mind, soup naturally pairs well with a lovely salad, but bread or crackers work nicely with this soup because it gives you something to soak up the flavorful broth. For salads to pair with this, I recommend this Fuji apple salad or my beet salad with arugula. For bread and crackers, you could do pumpkin cornbread muffins, almond crackers or crusty bread.
More Lentil Recipes To Try
- Mediterranean Lentil Salad
- Lentil Tuna Salad
- Vegan Lentil Loaf (Vegan Meatloaf)
- Slow Cooker Red Lentil Stew with Butternut Squash
- Kale Sweet Potato Lentil Salad
- Lentil Meatballs
Popular Soup Recipes
- Cabbage Soup
- Detox Soup
- Classic Minestrone Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Quinoa Soup
- Tomato Basil Soup
- Mushroom Barley Soup
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a โญ star rating and let me know how it went in the ๐ comments below.
Cabbage Lentil Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar, divided
- 1 teaspoon dried basil, or 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt + more, to taste
- 1/4 ground pepper + more, to taste
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable stock
- 1 28 oz canned whole peeled tomatoes, broken up with your hands
- 1/2 head green or savoy cabbage
- 1/2 teaspoon sriracha, or more depending on how spicy you like things
- 1 1/3 cup cooked green or brown lentils*
- 1 teaspoon white miso paste*
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, cook and stir until onion is tender and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, basil, salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 additional minutes. Add 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to deglaze the pot.
- Add stock, canned tomatoes, cabbage and sriracha. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Add in cooked lentils and simmer for 20 additional minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the miso paste and and remaining apple cider vinegar.
- Taste and season with additional salt, pepper, if needed. Serve warm with a salad, bread or crackers.
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days or you can freeze the soup for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Mis0: You can use chickpea miso for a soy-free version of this recipe. If you don’t have miso, you can omit it from the recipe, however if you do you will likely find you need to add additional salt and pepper.
- Note about the lentils: I like to use previously cooked green lentils for this soup, but you could add 1/2 cup of uncooked lentils that have been rinsed and sorted right in with the soup. If you do this, youโll want to add the lentils, as well as, 2 additional cups of liquid (water or stock) when you add the tomatoes, cabbage and sriracha. Let the soup simmer for 50-60 minutes or until the lentils are cooked.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
When you say ‘half a cabbage’, how big a cabbage are we talking here? ‘Cuz my hubs just brought home a GIGANTIC (like… bigger than a basketball) head of cabbage. I’m wondering if a quarter of this beast will equate to what you call ‘half’. Can you advise on the weight or volume of cabbage to use instead?
Hi Kim! I would recommend using 1/2 -1 lb of cabbage. So it would most likely be 1/4 of the very large cabbage your husband brought home lol. Hope you love this soup!
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe.my family loved it.will be sharing this recipe with my friends.they will like it.
Yay! I’m glad this recipe was a hit, Helan. Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review, I appreciate it.
I recently made a cabbage soup with a mix of veggie broth and miso broth. Do you think doing the same thing here would work if I don’t have an miso paste on hand? Or does the paste really set it apart? I’ve never used it before. Can’t wait to try this soup!
Hi, Kelly. I haven’t tried that but I bet it would be good. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!
I wasnโt 100% sure what to expect with this but oh my GOODNESS it is soooo good! My carnivore chef boyfriend loved it and has requested us make it again. Super tasty, easy, budget friendly, and doesnโt leave you feeling heavy or bloated after eating! (For me at least ๐ !)
Woo!! So happy this soup was a hit, Sarah! Thanks so much for the review and star rating. I really appreciate it!
I used the instant pot recipe in my ninja foodi pressure cooker & it came out so good! I was worried the cabbage would be mush, but it was so perfect! Served with garlic toasties.
Woo!! This is so wonderful to hear, Emily! So glad this recipe was a hit. Thanks so much for the review!
How did you make it in the instant pot? How long did you put it for and did you dump it all in at once?
My kids love this soup! Itโs been on the menu twice in 2 weeks. I also have used this in the pressure cooker for a quick meal. Used red chili paste because I didnโt have sriracha on-hand, and increased the lentils slightly. Thank you, delicious!
Yay!! So glad this soup is a hit with your fam. Thanks for the review, I so appreciate it!
This was my first time enjoying cabbage and miso in lentil soup BUT IT WILL NOT BE MY LAST! I used fire roasted tomatoes, nearly tripled the miso, and topped with avocado. Delicious!
Ahh yay!! I’m so glad you loved this soup, Amanda. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
I was so nervous about the cabbage – but wanted to try something new and I’m so glad I did! This hit the spot. I’ve already made two pots.
Yay!! I’m so pumped you loved this soup, Melissa. ๐ Thanks for giving this recipe a try and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Can you give directions on making this either in a slow cooker or stovetop?
Hey Laura – the instructions are for the stovetop. ๐
Hey! Can you give these directions for the slow cooker?
Thank you!
Hi Bethany – I haven’t made this recipe in the slow cooker, but if I were going to here’s what I would do: Add oil to a skillet. Once the pan is hot, add your onions, cook and stir until onion is tender and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and saute for 1 more minute. Transfer this to a slow cooker with bay leaf, basil, salt, pepper, stock, 1/2 cup uncooked (rinsed and sorted) lentils, tomatoes, cabbage and sriracha. Stir the mixture to combine. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8 hours. Once the soup is done cooking and lentils are soft, stir in the vinegar and miso. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper, if needed. Serve warm with a salad, bread or crackers. You can also totally skip the sautรฉing of the onions and garlic and add them straight into your slow cooker. I just find that it just adds a nice flavor! Let me know if you end up making this and how it turns out!
I love this soup! It has so many complex flavours and is super satiating.