Mutti's German Cabbage Soup (Krautsuppe)

by: Gerhild Fulson  / Oma Gerhild shares easy, authentic German recipes you can trust, rooted in family tradition and featured in her cookbooks.

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Easy Cabbage Soup - a wonderful, warm treat for crisp winter dinners.

This German Cabbage Soup recipe is one that my Mutti often made in the winter. Above, I've added carrots to this soup. Adds just a bit of color and extra flavor. In fact, you can add celery as well, if you wish.

Living in northern Canada during my growing up years, this soup was a real tummy-warmer! It was her way, without me realizing it, that my love for German foods was established. 

I so enjoy any German cabbage recipe, that even now, I'm always trying new ones.

This one is such a quick recipe to make. However, it's one of those recipes that benefits with a long time on the stove, but it's time I can do other things.

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Cabbage info

• Germans love their cabbage and are nicknamed, Krauts. However, people from Russia, Belgium, and Netherlands top the list of cabbage consumption
• The usual ways cabbage is served is  raw, steamed,  pickled, stewed, roasted, sautéed or braised.
• Cabbage provides vitamins A, C, K and B6, folate, potassium, manganese, thiamin, calcium, iron, magnesium and fiber.
• Savoy cabbage has a milder taste and can easily be substituted for the green or white cabbages that are used for most German recipes.

Germans And Their cabbage

Make this easy cabbage soup and enjoy the compliments.

We LOVE our cabbage! And, above I've made the soup following the recipe exactly. WUNDERBAR!

Cabbage is such an economical vegetable that can be used in so many different ways. So many cabbage recipes: cabbage rolls, casseroles, soups, salads, and side dishes.

I guess there's a reason that Germans are sometimes called "Krauts"!

Ready To Make Some Cabbage Soup?

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Easy German Cabbage Soup Recipe: Mutti's Krautsuppe

My Mutti’s German Cabbage Soup was a winter favorite—warm, hearty, and full of comfort. Growing up in northern Canada, it was the perfect tummy-warmer, and I still love adding carrots and celery for extra color and flavor.

Prep Time:

20 minutes

Cook Time:

1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time:

1 hour 50 minutes

Servings:

8-10 servings

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Ingredients:

• 2½ pounds potatoes
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• 3 pound cabbage, shredded or chopped
• 2 medium onions, diced
• salt, pepper, caraway seeds
• 4 cups broth (or use bouillon cubes)
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Maggi Seasoning Sauce (if available)

Instructions:

1. If the potatoes are new and the skins thin, don't bother peeling. Cut potatoes into bite-sized chunks.
2. Heat oil in large soup pot. Add onions and cook until translucent.
3. Add ground beef. Cook for several more minutes until meat is browned.
4. Add some water and stir up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
5. Add cabbage and potatoes. Add broth. Add water (or more broth if desired) until about one inch BELOW level of vegetables. If you add water to top of vegetables, you final soup will be more liquid.
6. Add 2 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and 1 to 2 tablespoon caraway seeds.
7. Bring to boil, cover, and simmer for about 45 - 90 minutes. Stir several times during this time.
8. Add vinegar and Maggi to taste
9. Season with additional salt, pepper, and caraway seeds.
10. Add more vinegar and Maggi if needed.

Notes/Hints:

• If you like your soup creamier, thicken in any of the following ways: stir in leftover mashed potatoes or stir in instant mashed potato flakes.
• Add carrots and/or celery along with the cabbage.
• Try my potato and cabbage soup next.

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to your table

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.