This cabbage bacon soup is a hearty, delicious, warm-you-to-your-bones soup that’s perfect for a busy weeknight meal or a casual lunchtime fare.

Why this recipe is a winter favorite

• Cabbage is in season during the winter, which means it’s likely to be fresh, grown to maturity, and loaded with all of the right phytonutrients to help assist our bodies with health.
• The bacon gives it such a great flavor that all my guests, and even my two young boys love it.  They ask for the ‘bacon soup’ regularly!
• This soup is so easy to make, with minimal prep time and a pretty short cooking window.  I love to throw it in my instant pot, but it’s also really easy to make on the stovetop.

I always prefer to buy local produce; because I know where it’s coming from and that it’s picked in the correct season to maximize nutrient density.

Too often, fruits and vegetables are grown in another country, picked before they are ripe, and then exposed to gas on their way to the United States to speed up the ripening process.  This is unnatural, and doesn’t result in the highest quality produce.

Can this cabbage bacon soup be made spicy?

My husband asked me this same question- and yes, that’s a super simple fix.

My go-to for adding a little kick to dishes is to add a small amount of this seasoning to the soup while it’s cooking.  Now don’t get overexcited here… it’s really potent stuff! It’s better to need to add more after it’s done cooking than to wish you hadn’t made it too hot to begin with.  Trust me on this.

If you have a go-to spicy blend to add, then you can do that as well, but this is the only seasoning that I have used for spicy cabbage bacon soup, and it turned out delicious.

The Process:

• Press the Saute button on the Instant Pot and heat the avocado oil.
• Chop the bacon into pieces that are about 1/2″ thick, and add it to the avocado oil.  Let it cook, stirring continually, until it browns a little on the sides (about 5-7 minutes).
• Dice the onions and garlic, and add to the bacon in the pot.  Cook until the onions are translucent, stirring every couple of minutes (about 5 minutes).

• Stir everything together well, and let it continue to saute.
• Wash, core, and chop cabbage into chunks smaller than one inch.  If you want smaller pieces, you can shred the cabbage instead of chopping.

• Add the chopped cabbage to instant pot along with water, broth, seasonings, and tomatoes.
• Stir thoroughly and put the lid on the instant pot. Cancel the Saute, make sure the valve is closed, and then select Manual. Cook on high pressure for 6-8 minutes.

Don’t have an instant pot?

1. No worries, just use a slow cooker or a stock pot on the stove!
2.  Follow the first 4 steps in the recipe card below, but instead of using the instant pot to saute, use your pot on the stove.
3. Add the chopped cabbage , water, broth, seasonings, and tomatoes to the bacon, garlic, and onions in the stock pot.
4. Stir thoroughly and put the lid on.  Bring the soup to a boil, and then right down to a simmer.
5. Simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the cabbage is soft.
6. If you’re using a crockpot, follow the first 3 steps to saute on the stove, then transfer everything else to the crockpot.  Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours.

Notes from the cook

• Depending on the season, one head of cabbage may not yield enough for this soup.  If the cabbage heads are a little on the smaller side, use two.  This soup is very forgiving, and a little extra cabbage will be much better than not enough.
• Cabbage will be much heartier, nutrient-dense, and overall in better shape in the cold months.  Make this soup a staple in your meal plan from late Fall through early Spring for the best results!
• If you want to make this soup even heartier (and you don’t need it to be Paleo), feel free to wash, skin, and chop up 3-4 yukon gold potatoes and add them to the instant pot when you add the cabbage.
• Want the soup to be creamy?  Add in 1 cup of coconut cream (or heavy cream if you’re not paleo) and let it simmer a little bit.  Then blend some of it with an immersion blender, but make sure you leave plenty of chunks.
• Don’t worry if you have way more cabbage than liquid before you cook it. The cabbage will wilt a lot, and it will still end up soupy at the end.
• Don’t have an instant pot?  Make it on the stovetop or in the crockpot (notes above) for an equally delicious meal!
• For the highest quality meat, try to find something pastured, grass fed, and/or organic.  I get my meat from Butcherbox, and I love it.
• This soup freezes very well!  It’s perfect for making in bulk and saving some, or for meal prepping!

Here are some other soup recipes that you’ll love!

• Roasted Pumpkin Soup
• Curried Butternut Squash Soup
• Chipotle Black Bean Quinoa Soup
• Paleo Taco Soup

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Print Recipe

4.34 from 3 votes

Hearty Cabbage Bacon Soup

This cabbage bacon soup is a hearty, delicious, warm-you-to-your-bones soup that’s perfect for a busy weeknight meal or a casual lunchtime fare.

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bacon soup, cabbage and bacon soup, cabbage soup

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 131kcal

Author: Stefani

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 head cabbage
• ▢ 2 medium onions
• ▢ 1 pound bacon
• ▢ 2 cans diced tomatoes
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic
• ▢ salt & pepper to taste
• ▢ 1/2 cup avocado oil
• ▢ 1 quart bone broth
• ▢ 1 quart water

Instructions

• Press the Saute button on the Instant Pot and heat the avocado oil.
• Chop the bacon into pieces that are about 1/2" thick, and add it to the avocado oil.  Let it cook, stirring continually, until it browns a little on the sides (about 5-7 minutes).
• Dice the onions and garlic, and add to the bacon in the pot.  Cook until the onions are translucent, stirring every couple of minutes (about 5 minutes).
• Wash, core, and chop cabbage into chunks smaller than one inch.  If you want smaller pieces, you can shred the cabbage instead of chopping. 
• Add the chopped cabbage to instant pot along with water, broth, seasonings, and tomatoes.
• Stir thoroughly and put the lid on the instant pot. Cancel the Saute, make sure the valve is closed, and then select Manual. Cook on high pressure for 6-8 minutes.
• Release pressure quickly, being careful of hot steam.  Stir the soup one last time, and let it cool before serving.
• Enjoy!

Notes

• Depending on the season, one head of cabbage may not yield enough for this soup.  If the cabbage heads are a little on the smaller side, use two.  This soup is very forgiving, and a little extra cabbage will be much better than not enough.
• Cabbage will be much heartier, nutrient-dense, and overall in better shape in the cold months.  Make this soup a staple in your meal plan from late Fall through early Spring for the best results!
• If you want to make this soup even heartier (and you don't need it to be Paleo), feel free to wash, skin, and chop up 3-4 yukon gold potatoes and add them to the instant pot when you add the cabbage.
• Want the soup to be creamy?  Add in 1 cup of coconut cream (or heavy cream if you're not paleo) and let it simmer a little bit.  Then blend some of it with an immersion blender, but make sure you leave plenty of chunks.
• Don't have an instant pot?  Make it on the stovetop or in the crockpot (notes above) for an equally delicious meal!
• For the highest quality meat, try to find something pastured, grass fed, and/or organic.  I get my meat from Butcherbox, and I love it.  

Nutrition

Serving: 2cups | Calories: 131kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g

Nutrition Facts

Hearty Cabbage Bacon Soup

Amount Per Serving (2 cups)

Calories 131 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 2g10%

Carbohydrates 11g4%

Fiber 3g12%

Sugar 6g7%

Protein 7g14%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Tried this recipe? Let me know how it turned out by sharing it on Instagram and leaving a review below!Mention @naturalpaleofamily and the hashtag #naturalpaleofamily

Update Notes:

This post was originally written in January 2018. It was updated in January 2019 with new photos & instructions.