Strips of cabbage stand in for noodles and chickpeas for chicken in this low-fat, gluten-free vegan cabbage soup that is reminiscent of chicken noodle soup.
One of my daughter E’s favorite soups is a “Chick’n” Noodle Soup that starts with Imagine’s No-Chicken broth and includes, besides pasta, either Soy Curls or another packaged chicken substitute such as Lightlife Smart Strips. It’s one of those dishes that feel comforting on a chilly night or whenever our spirits need a lift, so my family asks for it a lot.
As someone who is trying to cut down on sodium and processed foods, I know in my head that this family favorite isn’t the most nutritious soup in the world, but I’m not immune to its charms. The stuff is addictive! Nevertheless, when I found myself craving it recently, I decided it was time to give it a nutrition-boosting makeover.
My new version uses no broth (the vegetables and seasonings create their own), substitutes chickpeas for “Chick’n,” and replaces the noodles with strips of cabbage. Though E still demands actual pasta in her soup, I found this a satisfying stand-in and almost as comforting as the original at a fraction of the calories.
Best of all, if you’re following Weight Watchers, one bowl is zero points under the Freestyle program (you’d have to eat 2 of them before it counts as 1 point.) And if you follow Eat to Live, this is perfect, except possibly for the salt and miso. But if you’d like to make it heartier, fell free to add pasta, as my daughter does, or potatoes. And extra veggies, such as green beans, can only make it more delicious.
For more cabbage goodness, check out my Vegan Cabbage Rolls, Irish White Bean and Cabbage Stew, and Vegan Chou Farci (Cabbage Stuffed with Barley and Lentils).
Cabbage "Noodle" Soup
Ingredients
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 carrots diced or sliced
- 2 ribs celery leaves included, diced
- 8 cups water
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/8 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 1/4 head cabbage thinly sliced
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas --or 1 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas, drained
- generous grating of black pepper
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
- 2 teaspoons mellow white miso
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat a large, non-stick pot. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until onions soften. Add the water and all remaining ingredients except nutritional yeast, parsley, and miso. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until vegetables are tender and broth is flavorful (at least 30 minutes).
- Stir in the nutritional yeast and parsley. Place the miso in a small bowl and add some of the hot broth a little at a time, stirring, until the miso is dissolved in the broth. Add the miso broth back to the pot. Add salt to taste and serve.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
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Aparna
March 24, 2011 at 1:25 amI think I might prefer the noodles version but I happen to like cabbage too. I can see lots of possible variations on this soup.
emy@thehandiworks
March 25, 2011 at 12:39 amSounds divine. The replacement of pasta using cabbage is a great idea!
Elena
March 25, 2011 at 3:54 pmI tried your recipe and is very good for my mom, is healthy and my mom can eat it, my mom has thyroid cancer and I thank you for helping me with a new recipe for my mom.
Kate and Rachel
March 25, 2011 at 6:39 pmWOW! This looks delish – we can’t wait to try it!
Kat & Rachel
Anu
March 31, 2011 at 1:06 pmHello Susan,
This recipe looks awesome healthy. I will surely try this and your plating makes me eat through my eyes. Wonderful!
Cheers
Anu
Lori
April 1, 2011 at 2:58 pmI made this soup and blogged about it, giving the link to this page. The soup is excellent. I loved it and will definitely be making it again. I have loved all of the recipes I have made from your blog, Susan. 🙂
Frank @ Homemade-Sausage.net
April 3, 2011 at 6:03 pmThis looks like dinner. Thanks for posting.
moonwatcher
April 8, 2011 at 10:21 amhi Susan,
This soup is wonderful. A bit pot of it carried me through a very difficult week. Since I was eating it myself, I gave it several different treatments. I made my own broth. What I call “kitchen sink broth”–I toss interesting end bits of various vegetables in a quart freezer bag until it’s full and then simmer it in several cups of water on the stove. So I used that for the water. I also added a couple ounces (maybe) of broken up brown rice fettucine. And I happened to be lucky enough to have savoy cabbage. Very sweet.
I served it the Italian peasant way. Over greens: spinach, baby arugula, and even a few new dandelion leaves from the garden. Sometimes wtih the treatment the next layer before the soup is rice. I had leftover kasha, so one day I added that. It was lovely. Another day I added a few leftover pieces of roasted beet and sprinkled with dill on the top. By the end I dumped the rest of the kasha in, put it on on low, then got a phone call. The result was a very tasty stew over green and topped with chopped parsley and dill. This soup even takes to a spoonful of vegan cheese sauce in it. It’s a wonderful vegan version of good old fashioned peasant style chicken soup. Thanks for the delicious and healthy comfort food!!
xo
Moonwaotcher
Sarah
April 10, 2011 at 5:38 pmThank you, Thank you, Thank you! This recipe was wonderful, it really hit the spot. My husband and I ate the entire pot over a 24 hour period-what can I say we have a new born at home at it was great to have vegan “comfort food” readily available. When my mom came to visit today she insisted that I had made chicken noodle soup, because it that is what the smell reminded her of. The recipe worked really well as written, I through in a little extra cabbage and fresh parsley.
Pauline
April 25, 2011 at 1:33 pmMmm. So simple. I have all these ingredients (minus miso. Will need to sub something for that) and will make it this week since it got cold here! Thanks
Sarah Deacon
May 20, 2011 at 5:38 pmLove your site and recipes. I am a long time vegetarian attempting to be vegan, but with 4 very resistant children. My kids simply don’t like “mixtures” and are addicted to cheese! Any more ideas for kid-friendly recipes?
Vikki
June 13, 2011 at 11:34 amI am soooooooooo glad I found your website – I am a pretty recent vegan and really needed some help in menus – thank you, thank you, thank you!
Bex
October 3, 2011 at 1:25 pmThank you for this wonderful recipe. I made it for the first time tonight, and after never having been a great fan of cabbage I now feel somewhat of a convert. Most certainly a recipe I will be cooking again.
Denise
October 30, 2011 at 11:50 amThanks so much for such a delicious and comforting dish! I was sick with pneumonia and this got me through the week and made me feel like a functioning human being again! 🙂
Diana J
November 20, 2011 at 3:29 pmI like the simplicity of this recipe. I didn’t find it to be flavorful enough for my taste, but adding lots more miso (3 Tbs in total) made a big difference, as you could imagine. We’ll come back to this one again. Thanks!
Kim Yager
January 6, 2012 at 9:09 amThis looks fabulous! 🙂 I can’t wait to try it ~
Janet
January 6, 2012 at 9:19 amWOW, just got home from being gone for the holidays. My frig is bare, except for some cabbage, celery and carrots. I can make this soup without having to head to the grocery first! YEAH! Looks wonderful for a winter day. Thanks again Susan.
Theresa Collie
January 6, 2012 at 6:14 pmThis looks absolutely delicious, I can’t wait to see how the daughter and grandchild take to it. Thank-you for sharing!
Sarah
January 9, 2012 at 12:57 pmI made this for dinner last night and it was a HUGE hit! Thank you! I used bouillion instead of miso, and found I had to add extra poultry seasoning (mine is probably really old…) but in the end even my soup- hating 13 year old ate most of his bowl! I will definitely be making it again!
Diane Robuck
April 10, 2012 at 11:25 amSusan,
I am struggling with being vegan. Your recipes will probably be what helps me stay the course. I think starting vegetarian might have been easier and I am contemplating it. I would love for you to post a Chick’n soup recipe that you adapted your chickpea soup from if you have one. If not maybe you could just give me the ingredients. Thank you for your help! I would love to talk to you on the phone if you have time. Thank you again………..Diane
Brenda
June 17, 2012 at 3:03 pmI’ve made this twice now, and it’s very good. The second time I threw in some kale too, and yum.
Manyhats
July 18, 2012 at 4:02 pmI love this non-processed version! Thanks for the yummy idea (-:
Laina
August 3, 2012 at 12:36 pmI’m not feeling well so I’m making this soup again. It’s on the stove now……so comforting!!! . . . And smells delectible!
I used a whole package (1lb) of shredded cabbage and I’m going to add some mushrooms too. I actually add mushrooms to everything because of their anti-cancer properties 🙂 . And I usually just use the button mushrooms. Thanks, Susan for sharing your gift with us!
Laina 🙂
Dawn
August 27, 2012 at 12:27 pmThis is a great, basic recipe.
I threw in some angel hair pasta for the last few minutes of cooking, because I was sharing this with my granddaughter. I didn’t have celery but added extra cabbage, and I added some peas and baby spinach after turning off the soup.
YUM. It was delicious and easy!
Ruth
September 29, 2012 at 7:14 amHi Susan
Love your recipes,I use them all the time along with Engine 2 diet by Rip Esselstyn, another favorite. Is Braggs Liquid Aminos a good substitute for Miso? I use it in so many things but I don’t have Miso and have trouble finding it.
Susan Voisin
September 29, 2012 at 10:22 amSince miso is salty and Bragg’s is salty, I think you could substitute Bragg’s here with a good outcome. Miso has a unique flavor that can’t quite be reproduced, but I think the soup is still good without it. Hope you enjoy it!
Esther J
October 5, 2012 at 7:26 pmVery yummy, Mrs. V!
I didn’t have any miso, and peculiarly (to me at least) when I did a search on a good substitute, I found a suggestion to use tahini. I did in equal part, and it turned out nicely. Gave a depth of flavor.
I also punched up the poultry seasoning (in part possibly because I added additional water, as a result of probably using more cabbage than required).
All in all, a keeper (as would be expected of your recipes).
Thank you very much, ma’m. 🙂
Esther J
October 5, 2012 at 7:37 pmAlso, I should add that I threw in five little creamer potatoes, cubed which added a little more heartiness (hence, another reason for the additional water).
Christine
November 7, 2012 at 8:21 pmMade this tonight, sans celery and with one no-chicken broth cube. Delish! I’m 6 months pregnant, and only have the energy to make quick recipes and this really fit the bill. I might make some pasta to throw in when I bring it to work tomorrow, just to see how that changes it. Thanks for another great recipe!
Brenda
December 6, 2012 at 11:41 amnice – I had no celery so I used a chopped leek and I added a bit of minced ginger about a tsp. – very nice soup a keeper for sure ! thank you!
Mary Beth Willett
December 12, 2012 at 3:21 pmI just wanted to tell you that this soup is the best vegan soup I have ever made(and I have tried many).
I have a daughter “E’ also.
Thank-you so much for sharing.
einkerem
February 24, 2013 at 3:25 amI have been using kohlrabi shredded on the finer mandoline plate. Last night I served it to my husband in a non vegan soup and he loved it. The taste is very mild and the size is that of fine noodles. I wanted to pour boiling water over them to soften, he nixed that and just put them in his bowl before adding the soup.
I have done the same thing with cucumbers and been happy but thats me! ( I also have used them in place of noodles for salads with spicy dressings)
Love your site, love your recipes!!!!!
Susan Voisin
February 24, 2013 at 8:08 amI’m going to have to try kohlrabi noodles! Thanks for the suggestion!
Brenda
March 15, 2013 at 5:24 pmJust made a big batch of this for St. Patrick’s and the kitchen smells great! I used TVP instead of chickpeas, just because I was trying to use up the last of it. I polished off a huge bowl. Yum, thanks for this recipe!
Heidi
March 18, 2013 at 3:09 pmI made this soup yesterday because cabbage was on sale this week. This soup is amazing! It really tastes like chicken soup broth. This is going to be on my “go to soup list.”
Em
June 3, 2013 at 8:27 amI went back to this and have red cabbage and adzuki beans and will add miso too this time. I might also put in parsnips…I have made the original and it was sooo good but sometimes stuff has to be used up and I love not only your original recipes but your inspiration 🙂
Shalini
July 5, 2013 at 7:13 amSusan-I have to tell you that I absolutely love, love, love this soup. Even my picky daughter requests this often. I’ve enjoyed it as written but lately I’ve been varying it up some by adding 1/3 cup quinoa in the last 15 minutes and/or diced potatoes and/or some kale in the last 15 minutes or some baby spinach in the last few minutes. I’ve now also been adding the cabbage in the last 15 minutes so it retains some crunch. I usually add an extra TBSP of nutritional yeast and top off each bowl of soup with a lot of Sriacha sauce. Having been been vegetarian/vegan most of my life, I’ve never had chicken noodle soup but my husband tells me it tastes just like it and he’s been really enjoying it too. You are truly an inspiration!
Judy
March 15, 2014 at 6:26 pmHi Susan,
Not sure what took me so long to make this soup. It’s terrific. once in awhile I want my husband to participate in meal choices but it’s usually “whatever you want to make is good with me.” So the ? doesn’t get asked very often. This week he said beans and greens. “Yeah” turned to “oh no” – I didn’t have cannellini or escarole. I had cooked some navy beans and I had some cabbage and I thought of you, well of your recipe. So thanks for putting it up on FB again recently.
Why this long discourse? He loved this soup! I usually have 3 soups made a week, we eat a lot of soup and salad, and he asked for this at every meal til it was gone. I subbed the navy beans for chickpeas but followed the recipe as written. It’s so cool to come upon a new, great soup after making soup for 40+ years.
Thanks so much. Judy
Alice Edwards
November 15, 2014 at 1:01 pmLove your website and recipes. It is one of my favorites.
Brenda
November 15, 2014 at 11:06 pmHi Susan I worked with a cook who’s saved all of her scraps from chopping put them in a plastic bag in the freezer kept adding to it and when it was full she would cook up the stock in a crockpot for like eight or 10 hrs then she had a wonderful salt free delicious broth. I’m working on a bag for me
Jill
December 8, 2014 at 3:41 amReally hit the spot on this cold damp day in San Francisco. 🙂 I’m starting the ABC Diet tomorrow using only whole plant foods, so this will be a stand-by, along with some of your other low-calorie bean soups. Happy Holidays!