Cabbage Soup (Shchi)

Name: Cabbage Soup (Shchi)
Prep time: 13 min
Cook time: 24 min
Total time: 37 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Russian
Ingredients: 3 tbs Unsalted Butter; 1 large Onion; 1 medium Cabbage; 1 Carrots; 1 Celery; 1 Bay Leaf; 8 cups Vegetable Stock; 2 large Potatoes; 2 large Tomatoes; Garnish Sour Cream; Garnish Dill

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Vegetarian recipe with Russian flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 56 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 37 min total

3 tbs Unsalted Butter
1 large Onion
1 medium Cabbage
1 Carrots
1 Celery
1 Bay Leaf
8 cups Vegetable Stock
2 large Potatoes
2 large Tomatoes
Garnish Sour Cream
Garnish Dill

Step-by-step instructions

Add the butter to a large Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the onion and sauté until translucent.
Add the cabbage, carrot, and celery. Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes.
Add the bay leaf and vegetable stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 15 minutes.
Add the potatoes and bring it back to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
Add the tomatoes (or undrained canned tomatoes) and bring the soup back to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
emove and discard the bay leaf from the pot.
Serve topped with fresh sour cream and fresh dill.

Why this works on a weeknight

Cabbage Soup (Shchi) lands at about 37 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Quick Soups & Stews collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Cabbage Soup (Shchi) actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥣 Quick Soups & Stews Vegetarian Russian Soup