A bowl of spicy cabbage soup is sure to warm you up on chilly days! This soup is also a great way to use up a lot of extra cabbage in your fridge.
❤️ Why you'll love it
If you're a fan of spicy food, you'll love this spicy cabbage soup. The cayenne pepper gives the soup a nice kick, while the smoked paprika adds a delicious smoky flavor.
Thanks to the cabbage, this soup is low-carb and packed with fiber. So, not only is it delicious, but it's also good for you!
🧾 Ingredients Used
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- Vegetables: Chopped green cabbage, onions, red bell pepper, and garlic.
- Ground beef: You can also use ground turkey.
- Olive oil: You can substitute with avocado oil or your favorite cooking oil.
- Beef broth: I use beef broth, but you can use chicken broth or even vegetable broth.
- Diced tomatoes: I like diced tomatoes for convenience. If you don't have any, you can use one whole tomato, but you might need to add a little extra water if it gets too thick.
- Spices: Smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, bouillon powder, salt.
🔪 How To Make Spicy Cabbage Stew
- Add the ground beef to a large pot and cook until it is done. Drain some of the excess oil.
- If you don't have enough oil, add some olive oil. If not, just use the grease from the ground beef.
- When the oil gets hot, add the onions, garlic, and red bell pepper, and sauté for a few minutes.
- Add the ground beef, spices, and diced tomatoes, and simmer for about 5 minutes on medium-high heat.
- Pour in the beef broth, bring to a boil, and let simmer for a few minutes.
- Add the chopped cabbage and stir.
- Cook for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are softened. Add more beef broth as needed.
🥫 Storing and Reheating
This spicy cabbage soup stores well in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months as long as it's kept in an airtight container. To reheat, simply thaw the soup in the fridge overnight and then heat it on the stovetop or microwave.
💭 Tips and Variations
- Add more cayenne pepper if you want your soup to be even more spicy, or omit the pepper to make it less spicy.
- You can add more protein, such as pork chops or chicken. Simply cook the meat in the pan before adding the rest of the ingredients.
- If you want a thinner soup, add more beef broth. If you want it thicker, reduce the broth.
- This soup is also great for batch cooking. Simply double or triple the recipe and freeze the extra soup in airtight containers for another day.
- Use your favorite all-purpose or creole seasoning for even more flavor!
🍽️ What Can I Eat This Recipe With?
Spicy cabbage soup is so filling and can be a complete meal by itself. It can also be paired with extra protein, like chicken skewers, chicken hearts, or cod fish. For something new, try it with this Harissa chicken or Berbere chicken.
And if you're looking for a more filling soup, you can add some broccoli, asparagus, or shrimp. Whichever way you choose to eat it, this soup is sure to please!
👩🍳 Frequently Asked Questions
Can you freeze cabbage soup?
To retain the ingredients' integrity and ensure that the soup doesn't spend too much time in the "danger zone," allow the soup to cool completely before freezing. Then, put the soup in a freezer-friendly container or smaller containers to freeze.
Can you leave cabbage soup out overnight?
The USDA recommends discarding any soup or stew that has been left out overnight. The poisons the bacteria may have created may still be present in food, even after it has been heated to kill microorganisms. This is true whether the soup or stew has meat in it or not.
📚 Related Recipes
Enjoy these other delicious soup recipes!
📖 Recipe
Spicy Cabbage Soup
Ingredients
- ½ head of cabbage chopped
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 can diced tomatoes 14oz
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon bouillon powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructions
- Add the ground beef to a large pot and cook till it is done. Then drain some of the excess oil.1 lb ground beef
- If you don't have enough oil, add some olive oil. If not, just use the grease from the ground beef.2 tablespoon olive oil
- When heated, add the onions, garlic, and red bell pepper and sauté for a few minutes.1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 red bell pepper
- Add the ground beef, spices, and diced tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes.1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon bouillon powder, ¼ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 can diced tomatoes
- Pour in the beef broth, bring to a boil and let simmer for a few minutes.3 cups beef broth
- Add the chopped cabbage and stir.½ head of cabbage
- Cook for about 10 mins or until the vegetables are softened.
- Add more beef broth as needed.
Notes
- Add more cayenne pepper if you want your soup to be even more spicy, or omit the pepper to make it less spicy.
- You can add more protein, such as pork chops or chicken. Simply cook the meat in the pan before adding the rest of the ingredients.
- If you want a thinner soup, add more beef broth. If you want it thicker, reduce the broth.
- This soup is also great for batch cooking. Simply double or triple the recipe and freeze the extra soup in airtight containers for another day.
- Use your favorite all-purpose or creole seasoning for even more flavor!
Nutrition
Tayo Oredola is the founder of Low Carb Africa, where she shares healthy, low carb dishes with global flavors. She is passionate about teaching people how to cook drool-worthy dishes while losing weight and living their best lives. Tayo’s recipes have been featured on MSN, Women’s Health, Parade, Yahoo News, Pure Wow, Essence, and other online publications.
Easy, filling and oh so delicious! I love the spices you use; gives it such a savory flavor! The only thing I changed was using Better than Bouillon in place of the bouillon powder since I couldn’t find any. Love your recipes, thank you so much!
Thanks for your feedback, Lani. I'm so glad you love my recipes!
growing up , my great grandmother made a polish soup. This recipe tastes exactually like hers! My husband can't get enough of it! What a delicious recipe. Thanks for the delicious childhood memory.
Awww, you're welcome, Lu-Ann! I'm so glad this soup brings back warm memories!
Love this recipe. I have ventured out from the recipe and add mushrooms, carrots and okra….delicious touch!!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Anne!
So excited to make this! I can't see how it wouldn't work! <3
I have a beef roast in my freezer I want to use in a non meat-and-potatoes way for my Father in Law, and I think this may be it. He HAS to like it!
I plan to cube the roast into ~1inch pieces and use purple cabbage to get some of the polyphenols from the purple-ness.
I'm very excited to try adding ACV at the end. I've never done that with a soup!
Hi Madison, I hope you and your father-in-law both enjoy the recipe. There is no ACV used in this recipe and it turns out amazing without it!
Baby Girl, you need your OWN cooking show on Foodnetwork.
Thanks Peggy 🙂 Maybe sometime in the future.
I’ve made this several times and I keep coming back to this recipe. I brown the hamburger and then do the dump-and-go crock pot thing. Soooooo good, I add the cabbage in the last hour and it’s perfect!
It's so easy to make and is a favorite in my house too 🙂
I love love love this dish just made it for Easter omg my family loves it!
Thanks for the feedback, Yaminah!