Keto Cabbage Soup Recipe
Keto Cabbage Soup Recipe – very quick and easy to make, nutritious and delicious soup made with cabbage, ground beef and tomatoes.
Hearty, one pot, a family favorite, perfect for the cold weather. Instant pot option and video available.
As a child, I never liked cabbage soup.
I wouldn’t even smell it.
But ever since I made this Keto Cabbage Soup, this soup has turned into a “go to” weekday meal.
Fortunately, my little guy loves all kinds of soups, this is why I feel obligated to make different soups, 3-4 times a week.
Have you heard about the cabbage soup diet though?
It is not a diet I support and its popularity has faded lately. Instead I prefer a balanced low-carb diet.
Looking for low-carb options, I decided to try making a cabbage soup with meat.
You can use chopped beef, instead of ground beef, if this is what you have and prefer.
In order for you to like this soup, you need to use the right seasoning.
While cabbage is nutritious and low-calorie, it doesn’t have a ton of flavor of its own.
This is why, a simple combination of salt, pepper, thyme, paprika and bay leaf works well in this recipe.
Cabbage is very popular in my home country and I cook a lot with is. I use it in salad, stews, sautee it or make stuffed cabbage leaves.
What recipe can I make with cabbage and ground beef?
You can make stuffed cabbage leaves or cabbage and ground beef soup.
Another option is to sautee the cabbage with the ground beef together for a simple and effortless meal.
You can also make a taco style cabbage salad with ground beef.
Ingredients for Keto cabbage soup:
- olive oil
- cabbage
- ground beef
- tomatoes
- onion
- garlic
- salt
- black pepper
- bone broth, preferably beef
- thyme
- paprika
- oregano
- bay leaf (optional)
How to make homemade cabbage soup?
Keep in mind that you may see the exact same soup recipe under different names like:
Stuffed cabbage soup, Unstuffed Cabbage Soup, Cabbage Roll Soup, Cabage and Ground Beef Soup.
There are different ways to make it – on the stove top, in the crock pot or in an Instant Pot.
I personally prefer the stove top version, because it doesn’t take very long time to make.
It is ready in 30 minutes.
STOVE TOP:
- Heat olive oil in a large pot.
- Add chopped onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic, ground beef, salt and pepper.
- Cook on medium-high, breaking the meat apart with a wooden spatula, until crumbled for 7-8 minutes.
- Add canned tomatoes, cabbage, Bay leaf, thyme, oregano, paprika and broth.
- Simmer for 25 minutes, until the cabbage is cooked and tender.
- Season with more salt and black pepper.
Serve this cabbage soup with a slice of this amazing Keto Cornbread from Cassidy’s Craveable Creations.
How many calories are in this soup with cabbage ?
This cabbage soup recipe makes 12 one-cup servings and each has 145 calories and 5 net carbs.
How do you make cabbage soup taste better?
Since the beef or cabbage have a ton or flavor, you need to add some seasoning.
I like the combination of oregano and thyme and I also add bay leaf.
You may want to use Italian Seasoning or even taco seasoning, depending on what you like.
Just follow the same directions, but use different seasoning.
Using a good bone broth will make the soup taste even better.
Can you have cabbage on Keto?
Absolutely! Cabbage soup is perfect for Keto. Just make sure you make it with ground beef for the extra fat and protein. This Keto Cabbage Soup Recipe is perfect for Keto meal planning.
Can this Keto Cabbage Soup Recipe be made in a Slow Cooker or Instant Pot?
Yes, you can make this Keto Cabbage Soup Recipe in a Slow Cooker or and Instant Pot.
I rarely use both of these devices, since most of my soup recipes come together in 30 minutes or less.
Instant Pot Keto Cabbage Soup Instructions:
The ingredients are the same.
- Set the Instant Pot to “sautee” (15 minutes), wait until it is hot.
- Add the oil (optional) and the ground beef. Cook the beef until no longer pink (5 minutes).
- Add the onion and garlic, cook for 2 minutes.
- Next add the tomatoes, stock (or bone broth), seasoning, salt, pepper and bay leaf.
- Add cabbage on top.
- Close, set the valve to seal and set to 20 minutes on high pressure.
- You don’t need to do any natural release of the air, just set the valve to venting, after the vapor is released, open the lid.
- Remove the bay leaf, add more salt if needed.
- Serve hot.
More Keto recipes:
- Spicy Keto Carnitas from Cassidy’s Craveable Creations – are simple to make, fall-apart tender with crispy edges, and ridiculously flavorful for the ultimate taco experience. They can be made in the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker.
- Low-Carb Cabbage With Chicken
- Corned Beef And Cabbage Recipe
Keto Cabbage Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 6 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 lb ground beef
- 15 oz canned tomatoes — diced
- 1 large onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tspblack pepper
- 5 cups bone broth — preferably beef
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1 bay leaf — optional
Instructions
-
Heat olive iil in a large pot. Add chopped onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic, ground beef, salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high, breaking the meat apart with a wooden spatula, until crumbled for 7-8 minutes.
-
Add canned tomatoes, cabbage, Bay leaf, thyme, oregano, paprika and broth.
-
Simmer for 25 minutes, until the cabbage is cooked and tender.
-
Season with more salt and black pepper.
Recipe Notes
- Set the Instant Pot to "sautee" (15 minutes), wait until it is hot.
- Add the oil (optional) and the ground beef. Cook the beef until no longer pink (5 minutes).
- Add the onion and garlic, cook for 2 minutes.
- Next add the tomatoes, stock (or bone broth), seasoning, salt, pepper and bay leaf.
- Add cabbage on top.
- Close, set the valve to sealing and set to 20 minutes on high pressure.
- You don't need to do any natural release of the air, just set the valve to venting, then open the lid. Remove the bay leaf, add more salt if needed.
- Serve hot.
I made this soup and can’t wait to make it again. So delicious!
I don’t have a single complaint about this soup, it was absolutely delicious. I will definitely be making this again, and even if I wasn’t on keto this will still be one of my favs!
Can I use ground turkey instead of ground meat? Will I still get sufficient fat? Thanks!
Hi Lori, usually ground turkey has 1/2 of the amount of fat of lean ground beef. It is up to you if you decide to use it, it will taste delicious, but probably won’t have sufficient amount of fat for Keto.
I know my response is about a year and nine months too late, but for anyone wondering, if you wanted to use ground turkey, since this is for a keto diet, what I’d do is just add in some other source of fat. For instance you could simply add in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to the pot, or possibly bacon drippings, butter or coconut oil, or you could simply enjoy half of an avocado along with your bowl of soup, which I think would be a great addition. Avocado goes great with pretty much any soup containing tomatoes.
Great response! Thank you Ryan!
I don’t have a instant pot. So what do you recommend for a slow cooker or stove top?
The recipe card has a stove top option. For Crock Pot, cook for 4 hours on high heat, (The beef should be browned before adding to the Crock Pot).
Whats the serving size for the nutritional value?
1/2 CUP
My batch of this soup isn’t even done yet but I tasted the broth and it is really delicious! Can’t wait til the cabbage is cooked. Dying to try it. I’ve been sick for a week & am tired of chicken soup. I’m on the upswing & need beef!!!!
Hi Iris, so glad you like it! Feel better! i personally prefer overcooked cabbage for this soup, instead of crunchy 🙂
Tasty and satisfying.
Great! Glad you liked it Julia!
It that carbs for a cup or bowl or 8oz ?
5 grams total carbs – 1 gram fiber = 4 grams net carbs
My favorite soup! This stuff is delicious! I am on my 5th batch in 3 weeks! Love love love it!
This soup is delicious! I am on my 5th batch in 3 weeks! Definitely a keeper recipe! Love love love it!
Thanks Gwen! So glad to hear that you liked it!
I made this today and it is amazing!!! I’ll definitely be making it again ?
So glad to see this recipe is Keto approved!! I’ve been making it this way for years and I’ve been on Keto for a little over a month and was just wondering about this recipe on my diet! I’ll be making a big batch soon!!
tried this soup and i love it. Thanks for this great recipe 😉
I absolutely LOVED this recipe! First timer making cabbage soup. Will definitely make again. The best pat…my little ones enjoyed it as well. Thanks for sharing!
So glad you liked it!
I made this soup for dinner tonight. I had everything in my kitchen to make it, so I thought. When I went to my pantry to get canned tomatoes there were none. I did have a can of rotel, tomatoes and green chiles, so I through those in instead. They added a perfect amount of spice. This is a great recipe. Perfect for a rainy night. Thank you.
Made recipe but added kale and a can of corn. Went well with cabbage.
What is the serving size?
1.5 cups
This soup is soooo good! Thanks for the recipe.
Loved this recipe. How many servings does it yield total?
Hi Amanda, it yields 12 one cup servings.
I have been making this soup for years, it’s my go to favorite. Instead of ground beef, I use bulk sausage. I also add bell peppers and sometimes a jalapeño. The sausage really adds a lot of flavor as well as the peppers.
Can you usechicken broth instead of beef?
Yes, chicken broth will work
Even cutting this recipe in 1/2 I was able to make enough for myself and 4 friends with leftovers for them to take small containers home with them. So, so filling and DELICIOUS!!!! After the first bite, they all demanded the recipe. Right then and there. No joke.
I had added a bit more garlic, left out the bay leaf (did not have on hand) and cheated terribly (oh, the shame ?) and used bags of already shredded cabbage. I also, wait for it…had to use beef broth and beef stock (gasp! ?) as those were what I had in the pantry at the time.
So, even with those swaps, this soup was exceptional and is a most definite ‘frequent flyer’ recipe! ?
What time frame and setting would you recommend for cooking this soup in a crockpot?
I’d say 4 hours on high or 6 on low heat.
Great!! Thanks so much!! I’m going to try it out for meal prep this week!! ???
You say to do . . .Add canned tomatoes, cabbage, Bay leaf, thyme, oregano, paprika and broth. to the beef/garlic/olive oil and onion mixture.
Does that mean you leave the juices from the ground beef?
I usually use the ground beef juices, yes.
Can you use purple cabbage instead of green? I feel this would be more keto in my opinion i could be wrong as im steal learning.
They are both Keto, just purple contains more antioxidants and vitamins.
This recipe is perfect for any day! I made it for my fiancé who is always skeptical about any soup and he LOVED it as much as I did! ? I have now made it many times because he craves it.
It is so hearty and if you follow the recipe you will have no problems as far as flavor. I recommend it to anyone looking for a new and delicious soup. ☺️
I am currently making this soup and can’t wait to have a bowl. I did add some dried shiitake mushrooms because, well, I had some :). Can I post a picture somewhere?.
Great! You can post a picture here, email it to me at kdmlsl67@gmail.com or on Instagram and tag @cookinglsl! I’m sure you’ll love the soup!
I loved your basic recipe. I didn’t have ground beef, so I used ground turkey. Only had Rotel diced tomatoes with jalapenos, but that gave it an extra boost. The spices were perfect. I did add a teaspoon of sour cream to my “taster” bowl and it was hard to stop eating more!!
Silly question but do you drain the beef?
I usually don’t, but you know, sometimes it is extra greasy and you can drain it if you’d like.
I made this tonight for dinner. It really hit the spot for a good big bowl of soup. Thanks!
Can you freeze this?
yes, up to 2 months
Can i use polish sausage & still be keto?
I believe you can
So easy, I cooked the stovetop method! Yumm….! I didn’t have bone broth so I used low sodium beef broth!
Can I add peppers?
Yes, you can.
This soup is sooo delicious!! Thank you so much. I added a tiny bit of siracha sauce to give it a little kick as we like our food spicy…so yummy!! My husband loves it as well. Will be a quick go to for sure!
That looks wonderful!
Wow just wow. I have been reluctant making this soup. I like cabbage but my family isn’t the largest fans. Well I don’t even care if they don’t like it, because it was simply delicious. Glad to find a staple on the keto diet that is actual filling and doesn’t taste like I’m on the keto diet. Definitely saving this for diet times or not.
So happy to hear you liked it 🙂
I made this soup tonight. I didn’t have any broth on hand so I put in a can of tomato paste and added 4 cups of water. I added more seasoning. It was so delicious. I will definitely make it again.
“453.59 g ground beef”
Would it be ok to use 500g or should I stick with this ridiculous measurement?
Hi,
Sorry you found this measurement “ridiculous’!
My main audience is in the United States, this is why, my recipes are written in pounds/lb, but there is an option to convert to grams and this is how you got to this: 1 lb=453 grams of ground beef.
Yes, you can use 500 grams!
You are so much nicer than I would have been.
Thank you!
Thinking of adding a little heavy cream for more richness
Yes, you can do it.
This was hearty, quick, and delish. I added a bit of Kashmiri pepper, Worcestershire, tomato paste and a dash of balsamic. But that’s just for my taste.
Hello, should I simmer covered or uncovered?
Hi, simmer uncovered, stirring frequently.
So simple yet so fabulous! I used all the ingredients as listed, but only 1/2 pound beef. Delicious!
Glad you liked it!
Tried this today and it is sooo good. Easy to make too.
This looks great, but I think 20 min on high pressure in the instant pot is too much, especially since the beef is already cooked. I think it should be no more than 5 min tops.
We love all things cabbage. Can’t wait to try this out for lunch.
Yes my favorite soup
Just double checking…. so a serving size for the 4g carb count is 1/2 cup? Thanks.
Yes, this is correct.
I made this once weeks ago and haven’t stopped thinking about how good it was, so I’m making it for dinner again tonight. Absolutely delicious and I love the low carb count. Thanks for the recipe.
Glad you liked it ! Thanks!
This recipe is a keeper. My husband and I loved it. I used ground Italian sausage instead of ground beef, and added riced cauliflower and chopped zucchini. Delicious! Will definitely make again.
Thank you Kathy!
Can you substitute the beef for sausage, kielbasa, or chicken?
Yes, any of these works.
Make this soup! If you like cabbage, you are going to love it. I made it last month and just made it again. The recipe is easy to follow and it makes a lot. Yummy in my tummy! 😁
Delicious soup!!! (there is a spelling error in the instructions though…it says iil instead of oil 😉 )
Deliouses! My whole family loved it😊
Really good. I think this kind of cabbage soup (with protein & fat as well as vegetables) is much better for weight loss than the more basic “cabbage and water” versions. I used ground pork just because that’s what I had in the fridge, and added habanero peppers and curry powder because my tastes lean more that way than Italian seasoning.
I also added some celery stalks because I came here from a “5 day cabbage soup diet” page and forgot that the celery sticks were for snacks not the soup. D’oh !!