The Best Gut-Healthy Soup

Our Garlicky Cabbage Soup is a warm and comforting recipe that comes together quickly—saving you time in the kitchen, but still providing that slow-cooked flavor. Antioxidant-filled onions, garlic and cabbage form the base of this soup, with fiber-rich cannellini beans making it a hearty and filling meal. The broth is deliciously complex, with bright lemon flavor, richness from the egg and just a hint of umami from the Parmesan cheese, making this a bold soup. Keep reading for our expert tips on smart ingredient substitutions to fit your dietary needs and how to get the best flavor out of this soup. 

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too! 

• To ensure this soup is vegetarian, use vegetarian Parmesan cheese, as traditional Parmesan is made using animal rennet. If you prefer a non-vegetarian version, you can use chicken broth and add shredded chicken.
• Before incorporating the egg mixture into the soup, remove the soup from the heat to halt the cooking process. This step is essential to avoid overheating the egg, as this can cause it to scramble and negatively affect the soup’s texture.
• For the best flavor and a comforting experience, serve the soup hot right from the pot.
• For a heartier soup, add some rice. If you prefer a lighter soup, skip the beans.

Nutrition Notes

• Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable and, as such, has an impressive nutrient profile. All cruciferous vegetables have sulfur-containing compounds, called glucosinolates, which give them their strong odor and sometimes bitter taste. Those are also the healthy compounds that help fight against cancer formation. 
• Using a vegetable or chicken low-sodium broth is always a great choice to help control the amount of sodium you add to a meal. This is especially important if you are on a lower-sodium diet or simply watching the amount of sodium in your diet. Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure, which can be harmful to your heart. Making smart ingredient choices can benefit your overall health. 
• Cannellini beans are fiber-rich, creamy and delicious. Eating enough fiber helps feed the good bacteria in your gut. Beans are also a source of calcium and plant-based iron, which are both important nutrients for everyone to get every day, regardless of your dietary pattern.
• Garlic is a pungent vegetable that is part of the allium family and related to other well-known alliums, such as onions, chives and scallions. Garlic is considered a prebiotic, which feeds the bacteria in the gut so they can grow and flourish, which helps maintain the diversity and overall health of your microbiome.