This healthy ham and cabbage soup is a mix of carrots, celery, bell pepper, onion, cabbage and ham, all simmered together in a savory broth. A quick and easy comforting meal that’s full of flavor!
When I’m looking for an easy, cozy recipe idea, I turn to veggie loaded soups like cauliflower soup, chicken vegetable soup, slow cooker sweet potato soup and this simple yet satisfying ham and cabbage soup.
There’s nothing better than a hearty soup loaded with veggies, and this Polish ham and cabbage soup is always a great bet. It’s satisfying, packed with nutrition and is ready in about 45 minutes. It’s just like the one Grandma makes! Ham and cabbage soup is the perfect lunch or dinner for when you’re wanting something hearty and comforting.
INGREDIENTS FOR HAM AND CABBAGE SOUP
The beauty of this soup is you can really customize it to fit whatever vegetables and protein you already have in the fridge. See suggestions at the end of the post. Here is a list of the ingredients that I typically use when I’m cooking it up.
- Butter
- Green Bell Pepper
- Onion
- Celery
- Carrots
- Flour
- Chicken Broth
- Cabbage
- Ham
- Salt & White Pepper (I prefer using white pepper for your soup due to appearance. If you don’t have any, black pepper is fine too!)
HOW DO YOU MAKE HAM AND CABBAGE SOUP?
This soup starts with green pepper, onion, celery and carrots which are sautéed in a little butter in a large pot.
Once the veggies are soft, add flour into pot, stirring to coat the vegetables.
Then, add chicken broth and cook on medium-high until boiling.
Now, add cabbage, ham, salt and pepper. Stir until boiling and then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes is up, the soup is ready to serve in bowls and now it’s my favorite part – time to eat!
TIPS
- Cut all of the vegetables into similar sizes, so that they cook at the same rate. I prefer to have my veggies in large chunks for a heartier soup.
- I typically make this soup with chicken broth, but you can also make it with vegetable broth or beef broth.
- This soup keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days which makes it perfect for meal prep.
Soup Variations
My family absolutely loves this soup as is, but you can add other ingredients, depending on your taste preferences or what you already have in the fridge.
- Protein: Try this soup with shredded chicken, smoked sausage, ground turkey or extra lean ground beef.
- Starches: Add some potatoes, pasta, beans, brown rice or quinoa to the soup.
- Vegetables: You can use your favorite veggies for this soup, some great options include corn, zucchini, butternut squash, broccoli, mushrooms, leeks and spinach.
Is This Recipe Healthy?
Ham and cabbage soup is a great way to get in your veggies and also happens to be a lower-calorie soup. This soup is only 250 calories a serving.
Any broth based vegetable soup would be a nice choice if you’re trying to eat healthier. Steer clear of soups that contain higher calorie ingredients such as cream, cream cheese, pasta and cheese.
I eat this soup all the time, it’s the absolute best way to get a hefty dose of veggies into your day and it also happens to taste great! Make a batch today and enjoy it all week long for a healthy boost.
How to Cook in the Slow Cooker
This recipe can easily be adapted for use in the slow cooker. Place all of the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 3-4 hours or high for 2 hours. Serve with crusty bread and/or a side salad.
too much cabbage?
Don’t let cabbage go to waste! My favorite cabbage recipes are Cabbage and Noodles, Polish Cabbage Rolls, Cabbage Roll Casserole , Cabbage Soup and Slow Cooker Sausage and Cabbage.
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Ham and Cabbage Soup
PrintIngredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup green pepper chopped
- 1/2 cup onion chopped
- 1/2 cup celery chopped
- 1/2 cup carrots chopped
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups cabbage shredded
- 2 cups chopped ham cooked
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper (black pepper is fine too)
Instructions
- Add butter to large soup pot. Once melted add green pepper, onion, celery and carrots and sauté until softened, about 10 minutes.
- Add flour into pot, stirring to coat the vegetables.
- Add chicken broth to the pot and cook on medium high until the soup is boiling.
- Add cabbage, ham, salt and pepper. Stir until boiling and then simmer for 30 minutes. Serve in bowls and enjoy!
John says
Bravo!
I also tried the more Hungarian Jersey style (Grandmoms). No butter. Half a head of cabbage, water to cover cabbage, paprika about one tablespoon, 10 heaping tablespoons of sourkraut, an eighth of a teaspoon of black pepper, three hands full of baby carrots, eight ounces of cut green beans, one can of corn and two pounds of cooked ham (cubed). Bring the mixture to a boil in large cooking pot then ‘bubble’ simmer for about 55 to 65 minutes until the carrots (which are the ‘tester’) are soft. The cabbage has a slight ‘crunchy’ texture. Served hot or cold. It is better with a good piece of bread dipped in light olive oil ‘as a side’ which is always welcomed to dip in the soup -jfh3
Pamela Reed says
So happy you liked it John! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Candy D Reckard says
I love this soup it was really easy to make and the family loved it thank you
Kobie says
Made it exactly as stated. My entire family loves it. Lots of flavor and was a very comforting meal. We even ate it for breakfast with no dairy cheese toast. So yummy and addicting. Thank you so much for sharing.
Kathryn Vosnos says
This is terrific! I quadrupled the recipe as we love soup and because my husband recently had open-heart surgery I’m trying to cook as healthy as possible. I also added broccoli, potatoes, and corn as suggested. I didn’t add salt but it wasn’t needed at all. This is definitely a keeper! Thank you so much, Pamela, for this great recipe.
DangerJess says
Great recipe. I modified it slightly… added small red potatoes and substituted better than bullion ham base for the chicken stock. Had to double the broth because of adding the potatoes, but it turned out amazing. I never would have thought to add bell pepper but it adds a flavor complexity to the dish that works so well. Thanks for sharing. This one is a keeper!
Phebe says
This recipe was so good! I substituted the celery for leek and it was absolutely gorgeous! I’m so glad I found this recipe in time for soup season :))
Olivia says
This was amazingly delicious! Easy to make and full of flavour. Will definitely be making this again.
Pamela says
So happy you liked this soup, thanks for commenting Olivia!
Janis Carter says
Delicious
phyllis says
i like this recipe .going to try it
Jeff Hunter says
Very good…. liked it a lot. Mine came out a bit salty. I wouldn’t add any additional salt to the ham itself and the broth.
Vicki says
Oh my, this soup is SOOOOO good! I doubled the recipe….had a ham steak that yielded almost 4c. of cubes, plus a single big carrot and I wanted to use all the green pepper too. My husband is doing mostly low carb and the flour doesn’t add that many carbs….around 37 g. for the whole pot of soup, that’s with doubling the recipe. Love it!!
Kelly says
If I don’t have butter on hand, what can I substitute with? Or can I just go on without it?
Marisa says
I make this every year, many times…. the butter is not necessary. we don’t use the green pepper either, but to each their own
Rox B says
Got this recipe cooking now. I didn’t have any peppers, and I seasoned it with some garlic powder, sage, thyme, and going to put some dry mustard in now. Smells good. I love making soups and trying new soup recipes. Thanks!
AmyT says
DELICIOUS!! I added garlic of course because I love garlic in everything, but otherwise this recipe was spot on superbly delicious as is. A perfect way to use up all the leftover ham and veggies in my fridge. I even tossed in a little leftover riced cauliflower I had.
Pamela says
Thanks for commenting Amy, I’m so happy to hear you liked this soup! I love the addition of riced cauliflower – yum! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Debbie says
This was excellent! I used xanthan gum instead of flour to thicken it to keep the carbs down on it. Also used small amount of cajun seasoning instead of salt.
Patty Singh says
I loved it but it was too salty for me, I would cut the salt in half next time.
Marisa says
I never EVER add salt to ham dishes. it salts itself 000
Viva Penny says
This recipe is a keeper! So good! I only put one cup of ham to reduce the salt content and added a can of northern white beans to add more protein. My family loved it!
Choo says
Great recipe! I was looking for something different to do with the holiday ham bone besides ham and beam soup. This worked perfect!
Char Fromm says
Wow great soup. My daughter who is not a cabbage lover ate it and loved it. It is a good comfort food recipe. Thanks for sharing.
June says
So delicious and chock full of veggies. Added some frozen corn. Will be making this again. Thank you!
Pamela says
Hey June, thanks for commenting! I love the addition of corn!
June says
Pamela – I wanted to let you know that a year later, I’m still making this soup regularly (most recently was tonight). Thanks for sharing this delicious creation.
Barbara says
Just made this. Love the hint to add some flour to veggies before adding broth. Thickened it up just enough. I have a bad habit of over seasoning my foods so I hold off, but once I had a bowl of this I thought a small, small drop of mustard would work, and it did. Used Dijon but a hearty grain one would also work. This is a very satisfying soup. Thank you
Pamela says
Hey Barbara, I’m so happy to hear you liked this soup. Thank you for commenting!
Sheila says
Yummy i just made this soup glad to have the receipt. Going to make this often
Pamela says
Hey Sheila, thanks for commenting! I’m so happy you liked this soup! 🙂
Ira razon says
Wonderful and delicious! Thank you!! 🙂
Pamela says
Glad you liked it – thanks for commenting Ira!