Cabbage Soup Diet: soup recipe ideas

Part 2 of our four-part series on the Cabbage Soup Diet.

After years of trying and experimenting, we came up with what we think is the best Cabbage Soup Diet recipe. This tasty recipe is cooked in a 2-quart (1.89 liter) saucepan.

Total preparation time:  20-25 minutes

It is important to pre-cook the vegetables for the best taste.

You can cut, chop, shred the vegetables as they are cooking and add them one at a time

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoon olive oil
2-3 green onions, chopped
1 medium size carrot, grated or sliced
6-7 button mushrooms sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
½ green pepper, cut
1 stalk celery
1 can tomato paste, 5.5 fl oz (156 ml)
¼ medium size cabbage or 1 cup shredded cabbage
Salt, pepper
Dill, parsley, chopped
Hot water

Preparation:

Step 1:  Start boiling 1.5 liter of water in a kettle.
Step 2:  Heat olive oil on the bottom of a medium-size pot on medium heat setting.
Step 3:  Add green onions, stir.
Step 4:  Add carrots, stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Step 5:  Add green pepper, celery, mushrooms, garlic, cover and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Step 6:  Add tomato paste, mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 7:  Add cabbage, stir, cover and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 8:  Add boiling water, salt, pepper, and cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
Step 9:  About 2-3 minutes before done, add dill and parsley.

To avoid boredom try these variations of the cabbage soup diet recipe:

Borsch:
Ukrainian borsch is cooked by following the same recipe, but add about 1 medium peeled grated red beetroot to Step 4.  This will add darker red color and flavor.  Beets stimulate liver function and relieve constipation.

Add Indian flavor:
After Step 2, add about 1 teaspoon of curry powder to hot oil, and stir until cooked for 15-30 seconds.  Follow the steps.

Blend:
After the soup is cooked, blend it in a blender.  If blending, you can cut the vegetables in bigger pieces, pre-cooking is still recommended for better taste.

Take shortcuts:
Store-bought Coleslaw mix can be used to save time

Experiment with shapes:
We like cabbage shredded (easily done with mandolin slicer).  However, if you prefer, you can also cut it into small or large pieces.

Use spices:
Add cumin, grated ginger, coriander or chili powder.

Experiment with ratios:
Feel free to use more or less cabbage, depending on whether you like your soup thicker or thinner.

Substitute:
Feel free to add/eliminate any vegetables that you like/don’t like.

Instead of cabbage, you can use broccoli, cauliflower, or even Brussels sprouts.

For a change, make a white cabbage soup without tomato paste.

You can substitute tomato paste with fresh tomatoes, V8 juice, canned crushed tomatoes, or a jar of pasta sauce (such as Ragu brand).  This will add flavor and taste to the soup.  Watch out however for the higher sugar content in the commercial pasta sauces.

If you find the Cabbage Soup too acidic, use less tomato paste, or none at all.  You can also serve it with a small amount of fat free sour cream to neutralize the acidity.

As you can see, possibilities are endless.  Try to follow what your heart desires because you have to enjoy what you are eating!  Most importantly, remember that the cabbage soup doesn’t keep longer than 3 days, discard the batch after 3 days, make fresh cabbage soup as often as you can, and try to use fresh ingredients to fully benefit from all the vegetables that you are cooking with!

Related Articles:

Part 1: Cabbage Soup Diet: The Plan

Part 3: Cabbage Soup Diet: Why some people fail

Part 4: Cabbage Soup Diet: Tips for success