Recently, we received a bunch of veggies from a good friend who decided it was time to follow his destiny and start farming.
He came by the house one night when I was already in my pajamas and ready to go to bed, with a giant box of produce in hand, all beautiful, colorful, and freshly harvested just a few minutes before.
In the box were broccoli, patty pan squash, two types of kale, and no less than three cabbages. So I’ve had an overabundance of cabbage to deal with, as well as a few lonely potatoes that were starting to grow eyes.
Tossing together this simple soup was a last-minute decision – it was either soup, or I was going to eat raw cabbage again for dinner. So soup it was!
Amazing things happen to cabbage when you let it cook a bit longer than you might think is necessary.
With a good dose of olive oil and an extended period of slow cooking over a low flame, it turns buttery and starts to caramelize, which makes for some of the most delicious flavorings I’ve found in a soup.
Aside from the cabbage, you don’t really need much else in terms of flavoring aside from salt, a touch of dried thyme, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Fresh herbs would be delicious in this soup as well.
And on the topic of salt, don’t be shy. Cabbage and potatoes need a lot of it.
If you are on a low-sodium diet, feel free to up the quantity of your choice of flavorings and spices instead, and stick with low-sodium canned beans, vegetable broth, and butter or margarine.
The real reason I’m writing about this recipe tonight is because I want to be able to make it for my dad. He’s a bit of a picky eater, but cabbage and soup are right up his alley.
I don’t know if he’s ever had a cabbage soup before, but I’m pretty sure he will like it.
And he likes things simple, which means this soup is the perfect fit. So Pops, if you’re reading, remember to request this soup the next time you’re in town. You’ll like it, I promise.
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Cabbage and Potato Soup
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
A simple cabbage and potato soup that everyone will love.
Ingredients
- 1 medium cabbage
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 large Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon vegan margarine (or butter)
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cut the cabbage into quarters, remove the stem and core, then thinly slice using a sharp chef’s knife.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add the cabbage and cook for about 15 minutes, tossing often, until tender and reduced to about 1/3 its original size.
- While the cabbage cooks, mince the garlic and cut the potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes. Add to the pot and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the broth, salt, and thyme and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and let simmer for 15 minutes, partially covered, until everything is soft.
- Add the beans and let simmer until warm, then stir in the butter and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Taste and add more salt if necessary. The broth should be just a tad too salty – when eaten with the cabbage and potatoes, it all evens out nicely. Serve hot.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Soups
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegetarian
Keywords: cabbage, potato, soup
Did you make this recipe? If you did, let us know in the comments below and if you loved it, please give it a rating!
And if vegan soups are your thing, you’ll love these similar meatless recipes:
About Raquel Smith
Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).
This soup looks absolutely delicious. Soup is a year round thing for my household, so your post is perfect timing!. I will definitely be making this soup this week. Even though temps are insanely hot!
Well good! Hope you like it, Dayna! ?
It looks delicious Raquel and today it is funnily the worst day of summer in Montreal. 22C, wind and rain and grey and dark. Perfect for soup!! 😉
Haha! Perfect timing, then. If you happen upon a head of cabbage, now you know what to make to warm you up! ?
I received a head of cabbage from our CSA this week. Sounds like a great way to use it!
CSA for the win! Hope you like the soup, Jeannie! ?
Very good! I love beans so I put in 2 cans and mushed up about a third of them to make the broth thicker. The pepper makes it!! Thank you!
★★★★★
Well darn it…I don’t think my comment went through -_-
Excited to try this…even in 103 degree weather 😀 and I will just aim a few fans at me in the kitchen while I enjoy this simplicity and natural deliciousness 🙂
Been missing your posts! I know you are working super hard on exciting things though!! <3
Got this one, Brittany! Man, 103 is warm… I think I even would have passed on the soup opportunity if it was that hot here. I think the day I made this it was a balmy 80º out. Not bad 🙂 And yes, I miss posting, too, but I can say I’m making progress in other places! Javascript can almost be added to the list of things I know how to do. ?
Even though you weren’t planning on it…glad you decided to post! This looks amazing…I think I will make it this weekend. Thank you…
Hope you enjoy it, Christa! 🙂
This soup is soooo goooood!! I’m about to make my second batch. I actually freeze it into individual pint size servings. I add a carrot to it and make cornbread to eat with it. I love this soup!!
★★★★★
I made this soup today as I wanted to do something different with the cabbage other than oven frying. Also had potatoes that started to turn. The directions are simple and direct as are the ingredients. It took me about one hour from start to finish. I used an entire head of cabbage, two russet potatoes and chicken broth. I used unsalted broth so I added about 1T of salt and about 2T of pepper. It’s a rather thick soup which surprised me. It is rather tasty albeit a bit bland but soothing on this snowy day. I don’t know if I would make it again, though. Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★
Hi Raquel!
I have a question… I’m out of olive oil???????? would grape seed oil work? Or I’m kind of ashamed to say (on here at least) I’m not vegan, so if I go old school, could I use bacon grease?
Yes, grape seed oil will be fine! Bacon grease should also be fine, but you may need to make some adjustments in case it’s overpowering or a bit too greasy. Check out our guide to vegetable oils for more tips.
Thank you Rachel!! This soup is delicious!! I couldn’t find it (recipe) now that I’m making my second batch, but I googled and googled until I did!! There are A LOT of recipes out out there but none that fry the cabbage first!! This is perfect!
★★★★★
I’ve made this So many times now, of course I don’t care to eat it much when the weather is hot, but the SECOND it starts to feel like fall, I start thinking about my (insert throat clearing sound… “your”) soup!
I’m still not vegan but if I could get everything to come out like this… I definitely would be! ????????
????????
Thank you again!
Debbie Ulrey
Great recipe. Added onion and garlic granules, topped w/ sour cream. Yum!
★★★★★
Yum, sour cream sounds delicious with this, Robbie (either dairy-free or regular). Glad you enjoyed it!
Did the oil free method and glad I did. It is delicious. I added some caraway seeds for flavor.
★★★★★
Hi Raquel,
I have an IBS recipe website and I myself have this annoying disorder, so I have to change any recipe to make it safe and low fodmap. Since we are all home staying safe from corona (get away from me corona or I’ll smack you with this cabbage) I am trying to make something with the veggies I have on hand. But instead of adding minced garlic, we IBS folk saute the garlic in the oil until it permeates and then we have to take it out. Happily, your recipe adds extra flavor with the sauteed cabbage which the IBS version will need. So clever. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Stay safe.
Thanks so much for getting in touch, Joan. This sounds delicious! Wishing you all the best, and please do let us know how it turns out! Another option that I like to use for those who can’t have garlic and other alliums is a dash of hing (asafoetida). It has a flavor similar to garlic or onions, and it’s a popular ingredient in Indian cooking.
For anyone interested in learning more about the low FODMAP diet, please see our article.
Delicious soup! I hate the flavor of thyme so – I’m sorry – I left it out. But this was a great soup, easy to put together and very tasty, even without the thyme. I used Bou vegetable bouillon cubes
★★★★★
Late to the party but I made this today with a few tweaks and it was delicious. I was out of thyme so used a bouquet garni sachet plus some dried basil and dried tarragon. I didn’t have any white beans, just chickpeas, so used those although I think next time I’d leave them out. Before adding the chickpeas I used a hand blender to turn this into a smooth-ish soup rather than a chunky broth. All in all, it was tasty, thank you.
★★★★
Just made the soup tonight since I had some cabbage to use up. It’s good and so healthy! Cleaned out my sinuses.
This is a great recipe for a cool fall day! I look forward to exploring more of your recipes.
★★★★
Hi,
Is this the same recipe for cabbage, potato and white bean soup that you had on ‘My California Roots’? It was a favorite and can’t find it anymore!
Thank you!
Yes, My California Roots was merged with Foodal some time ago- glad you found us! Enjoy the recipe. 🙂
I made this soup for my husband and I and and sent a double recipe over to my daughter and son in law who have 6 children. It was great!
I’ve made cabbage and potato soup before but never caramelized the cabbage. It added great flavor.
I mashed an extra can of beans as suggested and added it to the soup. I served cornbread on the side. The next time I make it the grandchildren have requested I add tofurky sausage.
★★★★★
We’re so glad you and your family enjoyed it, Carolyn! Thanks for sharing these suggestions.
Ran out of white beans and dipped into the tin of borlotti beans. Did the job and the soup won yum votes all around the fam. Thanks so much for sharing. Great Mother Russia felt like she visited tonight 🙂
Delicious. Probably one of the best soups I’ve ever made, and I’ve made many! I used a little smoked sea salt which gave a nice depth of flavour. X thank you!
★★★★★
Good soup. Didn’t have any veg. soup stock so I used water. Added some miso.
Very good base recipe to start with whether it is left as is or added to. Thanks
★★★★★
Thanks for the recipe. Quite tasty. I didn’t have thyme so substituted mixed herbs. Added a bit of grated ginger. Didn’t have stock so used water and soy sauce. Blended half the mixture before adding beans to make it more creamy and thick. Wasn’t sure what ‘white beans’ were but found cannellini beans labelled that way.
★★★★★
Absolutely delicious. I added carrots for extra nutrition, flavour and colour. Thank you Raquel for a fabulous recipe.
★★★★★
How many servings in a single recipe?
★★★★★
This recipe makes about 4 servings. The recipe card has been updated. Enjoy!
This was perfect. I followed it to the letter and the cabbage was beautifully tender and the potatoes cooked to perfection. It was also nice and salty thanks to the stock cubes I used. Will definitely make again. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
This was very tasty! I added a small carrot and onion. Next time I will put in less cabbage but it’s great the way it is. Thank you for this recipe.
★★★★★
Delicious!!! Perfect way to use my big cabbage and bag of potatoes in a healthy and yummy soup.