The recipe is easy to make in one pot with simple and affordable everyday staples. You can quickly transform cabbage soup into a healthy and tasty meal by topping it with rice, yogurt, herbs, and nuts. Similar to our other Italian-inspired soup recipes, such as Tuscan white bean soup, minestrone, and lentil soup, it combines a simple flavor base of onion, celery, carrot, and garlic with tomato paste and thyme to create a whirlwind of aromas that infuse the soup with a rich, deep flavor. Like in our kale soup, we add tender white beans for protein and blend some for creaminess. Cabbage soup is best served with generous toppings. We recommend toasted nuts, lemon zest, scallions, Greek yogurt, and brown rice to transform this simple recipe into a gorgeous and fulfilling meal.
1. Gather your ingredients
To make the flavor base of cabbage soup, you’ll need extra virgin olive oil, onion, celery, garlic, carrots, leek, thyme, rosemary, and tomato paste. You’ll also need white or green cabbage, crushed or diced tomatoes, white beans like cannellini or navy, a potato, vegetable stock, salt, and black pepper. Finally, we recommend stirring in some balsamic or apple cider vinegar and serving the soup with yogurt, toasted nuts (we use pinenuts), scallions, and brown rice.
2. Make the flavor base
Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add chopped onion, celery, carrot, and leek. Season with a generous pinch of salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and sauté on medium to low heat for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often. Tip: To prepare the leek, cut it in half lengthwise and rinse its layers under running water to remove dirt before chopping it.Tip: At this stage, it’s important to season the vegetables with a pinch of salt (not all the salt) to help them soften and become more flavorful.Oil-free? No problem! Sauté the vegetables on medium-low heat with a tablespoon of water, stirring often. If the pot gets dry, add more water, one tablespoon at a time. Add pressed garlic, thyme, rosemary, tomato paste, and sauté for two more minutes while stirring. Tip: You should smell the fragrant aroma of the thyme and garlic before you proceed to the next step.
3. Add vegetables and simmer
While the vegetables sauté, you can chop the cabbage in half, then into quarters, and finally into bite-size pieces. Add the chopped cabbage, canned tomatoes, a potato chopped into small dice, 3 cups of vegetable broth, and 2 cans of drained white beans (or 3 cups of cooked white beans) to the pot. Blend the remaining can of white beans (or 1 1/2 cups cooked white beans) with the remaining 1 cup vegetable broth and add the mixture to the pot. Tip: You can blend beans and broth in a measuring jug with an immersion blender or in a standing blender. The blended white beans will make the soup creamy and filling. Season with salt, stir and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the cabbage and potatoes are tender and the soup is creamy. Finally, stir in the balsamic vinegar, taste, and adjust for salt before serving.
4. How to serve cabbage soup
We recommend serving cabbage soup with brown rice, a dollop of Greek yogurt or non-dairy yogurt, chopped scallions and parsley, a squeeze of lemon, lemon zest, and toasted pinenuts. Toppings are optional, and you can replace them with what you have. But they do make this recipe exceptional. Onion: substitute shallots. Leek: substitute three green onions or two scallions. Leek is excellent with cabbage, so try to keep it in the recipe if you can. Tomato paste: try not to substitute tomato paste, which adds a rich and deep flavor. Thyme & rosemary: substitute a teaspoon of Italian herbs mix. Green cabbage: Substitute white cabbage, pointed cabbage, Savoy cabbage, red cabbage, bok choy, kale, napa cabbage, or Swiss chard for green cabbage. White beans: You can interchangeably use cannellini, navy, great northern, or lime beans. We use cannellini beans. You can also use rinsed canned beans or cook dried beans yourself. Here’s our guide on how to cook dried white beans. Potato: optional. We add one large potato, chopped into small dice, for creaminess and to make this cabbage soup more substantial and fulfilling. Diced tomatoes: substitute crushed tomatoes for diced. Red pepper flakes: spiciness goes well with cabbage. You can substitute a thinly sliced fresh chili or some gochujang to taste for the red pepper flakes. Balsamic vinegar: We use balsamic vinegar to add a sweet, savory, and acidic twist to the soup. You can substitute apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, or tamari for balsamic vinegar. Serves well with: Cabbage soup is best served with brown rice, focaccia, schiacciata, or a thick slice of toasted crusty bread brushed with garlic and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Refrigerator: Let the soup cool down at room temperature, then store it in an airtight container for four days. Freezer: Let the cabbage soup cool down entirely, then freeze it for three months. Thaw and Reheat: Thaw slowly in the refrigerator, microwave, or saucepan with a splash of water. Reheat in the microwave or saucepan.
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