This high-protein cabbage lasagna soup combines ground beef, tender cabbage ribbons, and Italian herbs in a rich tomato broth, finished with mozzarella and a creamy cottage cheese-Parmesan topping. It’s an easy one-pot dinner with the cheesy lasagna flavors I love, without the pasta or layering.
I’ve been finding so many ways to cook with cabbage lately, and after my High-Protein Cabbage Lasagna, a soup version just made sense. The cabbage softens in the broth and picks up all that tomato and herb flavor, while still giving you something to bite into.
- Why You’ll Love This High-Protein Cabbage Lasagna Soup
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- Why Use Cabbage Instead of Lasagna Noodles?
- How to Make High-Protein Cabbage Lasagna Soup
- My Best Tips
- Can I Use Something Else Instead of Cabbage?
- Can You Make Cabbage Lasagna Soup Ahead of Time?
- How to Store and Reheat Cabbage Lasagna Soup
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More High-Protein Soup Recipes
- High-Protein Cabbage Lasagna Soup
My favorite part is the topping. I blend cottage cheese until smooth, stir in Parmesan, and add a spoonful to each bowl. It softens into the hot soup as you eat, giving you a little creamy cheese with every spoonful. Add the mozzarella on top, and this is exactly the kind of dinner I want when I’m craving lasagna but don’t feel like making a whole tray.
Why You’ll Love This High-Protein Cabbage Lasagna Soup
- Lasagna flavor without the layering. You get the beef, tomato sauce, Italian herbs, and cheese in a soup you can make on the stovetop.
- No pasta to cook separately. The cabbage ribbons soften right in the broth.
- A creamy topping without heavy cream. Blended cottage cheese and Parmesan give each bowl that familiar lasagna-style finish.
- Made with protein-rich ingredients. Ground beef, cottage cheese, mozzarella, and Parmesan all contribute.
- Easy to save for another meal. Keep the cheese topping separate and add it after reheating your soup.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Lean Ground Beef: Ground beef gives this soup that hearty, savory flavor I expect from lasagna. I prefer lean ground beef here so you don’t end up with too much grease floating on top of the soup. If your beef releases a lot of fat, simply drain off the excess after browning.
- Cabbage: Use green cabbage and remove the tough core before slicing. Cut it into ribbons rather than finely shredding it so you get pieces you can actually pick up with your spoon.
- Cottage Cheese: This makes the creamy topping that goes over each bowl. Full-fat cottage cheese gives it a richer flavor, but 2% works too. Blend it until completely smooth before stirring in the Parmesan.
- Onion: Yellow or white onion both work. Dice it fairly small so it softens as the beef browns and blends into the soup.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic adds the best flavor here. Mince it finely and cook it briefly with the tomato paste, just until fragrant.
- Tomato Paste: Cooking the tomato paste briefly with the garlic helps deepen the tomato flavor before the liquids go in.
- Crushed Tomatoes: Crushed tomatoes make up most of the rich tomato base and give the soup more body than broth alone.
- Tomato Sauce: Use plain canned tomato sauce, rather than tomato paste or a ready-made pasta sauce. It’s smoother than crushed tomatoes, so the two work nicely together in the broth.
- Bone Broth: Beef bone broth gives the soup a beefier flavor, while chicken bone broth works well for a milder base. Regular broth is fine too. The protein content varies by brand, so your choice will affect the final nutrition.
- Italian Seasoning and Dried Basil: These give the soup that familiar Italian-inspired lasagna flavor without needing a long list of individual herbs.
- Parmesan: Stir grated Parmesan into the blended cottage cheese for a salty, savory topping. Finely grated cheese mixes in more evenly than larger shreds.
- Mozzarella: Use low-moisture mozzarella, rather than fresh mozzarella packed in water. Half goes into the soup for that stretchy melted cheese, and the rest goes over the bowls just before serving.
- Fresh basil: Add it at the end so its flavor stays fresh. If you have parsley instead, that’s lovely here too.
Why Use Cabbage Instead of Lasagna Noodles?
Cabbage is such a good fit for this low-carb cabbage lasagna soup because it softens in the tomato broth without completely disappearing.
The trick is not to shred it too finely. I like cutting it into longer, wider ribbons so you actually notice it in each spoonful. It doesn’t taste exactly like pasta, of course, but it gives the soup that hearty, noodle-like texture without using traditional lasagna noodles.
It’s also great for leftovers because the cabbage still has some texture after the soup has been refrigerated and reheated.
How to Make High-Protein Cabbage Lasagna Soup
Brown the Beef and Onion
Add the ground beef and diced onion to a large soup pot over medium heat.
Cook until the beef is completely browned and the onion has softened, breaking the meat into smaller pieces as it cooks.
If there is a lot of excess fat in the pot, carefully drain some before continuing.
Build the Tomato Base
Add the minced garlic and tomato paste.
Cook for about 1 minute, stirring frequently, until the garlic smells fragrant and the tomato paste has darkened slightly.
Add the Tomatoes, Broth, and Seasonings
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, bone broth, Italian seasoning, dried basil, red pepper flakes if using, salt, and black pepper.
Mix everything well and bring the soup to a gentle simmer.
Add the Cabbage
Stir in the thinly sliced cabbage ribbons.
Simmer for 12–15 minutes, or until the cabbage is tender but still has a little texture.
Try not to cook it until it’s completely soft, especially if you’re planning to keep leftovers.
Make the Creamy Cottage Cheese Topping
While the soup is simmering, add the cottage cheese to a blender.
Blend until completely smooth and creamy with no visible curds.
Transfer it to a bowl and stir in the grated Parmesan.
Keep this mixture separate from the soup. I like the texture much better when it’s spooned over each bowl at the end rather than stirred directly into the hot tomato broth.
Add the Mozzarella
Reduce the heat to low.
Add about half of the shredded mozzarella to the soup and stir gently until melted.
Don’t bring the soup to a hard boil once the cheese has been added.
Serve
Ladle the hot cabbage lasagna soup into bowls.
Add a generous spoonful of the cottage cheese-Parmesan mixture to each serving.
Top with the remaining mozzarella, a little extra Parmesan if you like, and fresh basil.
The heat from the soup will soften the cottage cheese topping and make it even creamier.
My Best Tips
- Don’t shred the cabbage too finely. Long, wider ribbons give you a much better noodle-like texture.
- Stop cooking once the cabbage is tender. It will continue to soften slightly while it sits in the hot broth and again when leftovers are reheated.
- Blend the cottage cheese really well. You want it completely smooth rather than curdy.
- Keep the cottage cheese topping separate. I prefer the texture this way, and it also makes the soup easier to store and reheat.
- Use lean ground beef. It keeps the soup hearty without leaving an oily layer on top.
- Taste before adding more salt. Parmesan, mozzarella, broth, and tomato products can all bring some saltiness of their own.
- Keep the heat low when adding mozzarella. Gentle heat helps it melt into the soup without aggressively boiling.
Can I Use Something Else Instead of Cabbage?
Cabbage is the version I recommend for this recipe because the cooking time and liquid amounts are written around it.
If you want to experiment, zucchini ribbons, hearts-of-palm noodles, or shirataki noodles can all give you a lower-carb noodle alternative, but they won’t cook exactly the same way.
Zucchini in particular releases more water and softens much faster, so I would add it close to the end.
If you change the noodle substitute, use the texture rather than the original 12–15 minute cabbage cooking time as your guide.
Can You Make Cabbage Lasagna Soup Ahead of Time?
Yes. This soup works really well for meal prep.
Prepare the tomato-beef soup as directed, then store the cottage cheese-Parmesan topping separately.
When you’re ready to eat, gently reheat the soup and spoon the cottage cheese mixture over each individual bowl just before serving.
That keeps the topping smooth and creamy instead of repeatedly heating it with the tomato broth.
How to Store and Reheat Cabbage Lasagna Soup
Let the soup cool, then transfer it to an airtight container.
Store the soup and the cottage cheese-Parmesan topping in separate containers in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days.
To reheat, warm individual portions gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until hot.
The soup will usually thicken a little in the refrigerator. If needed, stir in a splash of broth while reheating until it reaches the consistency you like.
Once the soup is hot, add the cottage cheese topping and any extra mozzarella or Parmesan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Taste the Cottage Cheese?
The cottage cheese flavor is pretty mild once it’s blended smooth and mixed with Parmesan. You still get that creamy cheesy layer on top, but it doesn’t taste like eating plain cottage cheese.
Can I Use Ground Turkey Instead of Ground Beef?
Yes.
Ground turkey can replace the ground beef, although the flavor will be a little lighter.
Cook it completely before continuing with the rest of the soup.
Is Cabbage Lasagna Soup Low Carb?
Using cabbage instead of traditional lasagna noodles makes this lower in carbohydrates than a pasta-based lasagna soup.
The exact total carbs and net carbs will depend on the tomato products, cottage cheese, broth, and other ingredient brands you use, as well as the final serving size.
More High-Protein Soup Recipes
If you have cottage cheese left in the fridge, here are two more ways to turn it into dinner:
- High-Protein Broccoli Soup – Creamy broccoli soup with cheddar and blended cottage cheese, made without heavy cream.
- High-Protein Tomato Soup with Cottage Cheese – Roasted tomatoes, bell pepper, and garlic blended into a smooth soup that’s lovely with something crunchy for dipping.
For more dinner ideas, browse my high-protein soup recipes.
High-Protein Cabbage Lasagna Soup
Description
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 4 cups beef or chicken bone broth
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 4 cups cabbage sliced into long, relatively wide ribbons
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded, divided
- Fresh basil for serving
Instructions
- Add the ground beef and diced onion to a large soup pot over medium heat. Cook until the beef is completely browned and the onion has softened, breaking the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Drain excess fat if needed.
- Add the minced garlic and tomato paste. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, bone broth, Italian seasoning, dried basil, red pepper flakes if using, salt, and black pepper. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer.
- Add the sliced cabbage and simmer for 12–15 minutes, or until tender but not mushy.
- Meanwhile, blend the cottage cheese until completely smooth.
- Transfer the blended cottage cheese to a bowl and stir in the grated Parmesan. Keep this mixture separate for serving.
- Reduce the soup to low heat.
- Add about half of the shredded mozzarella and stir gently until melted. Do not bring the soup to a vigorous boil. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.
- Ladle the soup into bowls. Top each serving with a generous spoonful of the cottage cheese-Parmesan mixture.
- Finish with the remaining mozzarella, extra Parmesan if desired, and fresh basil. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition information is shared to make meal planning easier. Values are estimates and can vary depending on the ingredients, brands, and serving sizes used. Learn more in my nutrition policy.
