Simple ingredients create a hearty Cabbage Bean Soup. Cooked on the stovetop in a Dutch oven or soup pot, this White Bean Cabbage Soup with Potatoes is a steamy one-pot recipe that will serve up cozy during the coldest months of the year. Get dinner on the table quickly with a simmer time of just 20 minutes, or cook up to 40 minutes for a softer, creamier texture. This recipe is vegetarian or vegan and easily gluten free.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review: “I made this last night and was shocked at how flavourful and delicious it was. I used a can of mixed beans, Better Than Bouillion, and a tsp of thyme because that was what I had on hand. The simple, inexpensive ingredients and heartiness ticked all the boxes for me, so this will now become my go to comfort soup.” ~ Suzanne
White Bean and Cabbage Soup Comfort Food
It’s chilly outside, and the rain and wind has returned here in the Pacific Northwest. Comfort food like this Cabbage Bean Soup has entered our weekly rotation again.
I find soups and stews one of the simplest ways to deliver comfort during the chilliest seasons. Especially when there’s potatoes involved! Easy, too in that this cabbage bean soup comes together in one pot. With some cooking time flexibility, you can get dinner on the table quickly, or linger in the kitchen a little longer.
This Soup Is
- filling and hearty
- easy to make in one pot
- sooooo comforting
You’ll enjoy this simple yet flavorful soup if you love cozy homemade soup recipes.
About the Key Ingredients
- Leeks – with a similar but less bold flavor of onion, they provide texture and a bit of a sweet flavor in this soup. Slice lengthwise, then fan out under running water to rid any dirt. Cut off and discard the tough green top.
- Cabbage – use savoy or green cabbage. While I prefer green, either will work. Green tends to stand up more to longer cooking time, producing a more texture-rich soup, while tender savoy tends to cook down more. Pictured is green cabbage. See the recipe video for this soup made with savoy cabbage on the recipe card.
- Potatoes – use russet or yellow finn potatoes, leaving the skin on for nutrition and texture. The longer the soup cooks, the more the potatoes will cook down into the soup. If you prefer fork-tender potatoes, cook them for a shorter amount of time. Longer for a more creamy texture.
- Cooked White Beans – cannellini beans are also called white kidney beans. They have a mild, slightly nutty flavor and creamy texture. You can use canned or home cooked.
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How to Make Cabbage Bean Soup with Potatoes
step by step
The longer the soup cooks, the softer the potatoes get, creating an even creamier white bean cabbage soup.
What to Serve with Soup
White bean and cabbage soup is hearty enough on its own, but to round out the meal, share it with a big seasonal salad and crusty bread for dunking. Here are a few ideas:
- Apple Beet Salad
- Rustic Sourdough Bread
- Vegetarian Caesar Salad
Traci’s Tips
- Soup Pot: beautiful, functional, and durable my favorite Dutch oven cooks soup recipes and so much more. I love the 4-quart size, perfect for beans, stews, soups, and fried rice. It lives on my stovetop.
- Vegetarian or Vegan Cabbage Soup: this recipe is flexible. Use dairy butter, plant butter, olive oil, or a combination. I prefer the richness that unsalted dairy butter adds to this soup. For a dairy free or vegan soup, use olive oil or plant butter. If using salted plant butter, omit the salt in the recipe due to the salt content already in the butter and adjust the salt to taste near the end of cooking.
Hearty White Bean and Cabbage Soup with Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, *see note
- 5 cups (345 grams) Leeks, sliced thin, about two large leeks
- 8 cups (440 grams) Green or Savoy Cabbage, cut into bite size pieces or thinly sliced** (see note)
- 2 cups (285 grams) Russet or Yellow Finn Potatoes , skins on, cut into small cubes, about two small potatoes
- 8 cups (1.7 kilograms) Vegetable Broth, I use low sodium, ***see note
- 4 Fat Cloves of Garlic, minced, add up to 6 cloves for more garlicy flavor.
- 1/2 teaspoons Fine Sea Salt, + more to taste, reduce to 1/4 tsp if using plant butter and adjust to taste
- 1 3/4 cups (425 grams) Cooked Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
- 4-5 Thyme Springs, tied
- Squeeze of Lemon, to taste
- Shaved Parmesan Cheese, for garnish (optional)
- Fresh Ground Pepper
Instructions
- In a large 4-quart (3.8 liters) Dutch Oven or stock-pot, add the olive oil (or butter and melt) and heat until shimmering. Add the leeks and cook, stirring frequently on medium-low until they're soft with a bit of golden color, about 10 minutes. Watch them close, as they can burn easily.
- Add the cabbage to the leeks. Cook on medium low stirring occasionally to cook down, about 9-10 minutes (the pot will be full).
- Add garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, broth, potatoes and thyme bundle. Bring to a simmer, then cook on a low simmer for about 20 minutes for a fork tender potato (this will vary depending on type of potato and size of cut, so test to taste), or 40 minutes to let the potatoes soften further (this time is flexible – cooking the potatoes longer will allow them to be more creamy and melt into the soup – yum!)
- Remove the thyme bundle, stir in the beans and a good squeeze of lemon (it brightens the soup). Warm through, about five minutes. Taste to adjust salt and pepper seasoning as needed. Due to variations in salt content in vegetable broth, add salt to taste. I'm pretty generous with it in this recipe (beyond the 1/2 teaspoon). If the soup tastes bland to you, it needs more salt. Garnish with shaved parmesan and fresh thyme leaves if desired.
- Store in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to three days. This soup is freezer friendly. Freeze in individual containers for lunch portion servings or a larger family size container. Thaw overnight in the fridge and gently rewarm on the stovetop.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Made it? Leave a comment below!
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Quick and easy. Perfect balanced meal!
Yay! Thank you for your note, Elizabeth and giving the soup a go! Thrilled to receive your 5 star rating!
This was delicious and so, so easy and quick; and it just gets better as the days go on. I halved the recipe but still added an extra can of beans. I also added some basil. This is officially in the soup rotation! Cheers! My first recipe from your site. I’ll check out some more 😊
Hi Kelly! SO glad you’re enjoying the soup. Love that extra can of beans and basil tip! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go!
I made it exactly as said, and we didn’t love it. Taste was quite boring, and we love cabbage. Idk
Hi Lincoln! This is a highly rated recipe, so I’m not sure what went wrong. I’m curious about the broth used (this makes a difference). Also, if the soup tastes bland, it needs more salt. I hope this helps.
I made this with mild sausage and red pepper flakes. Everything else was the same. Ate it with a loaf of French bread. Family loved it. Delicious!
This soup was fabulous TO SAY THE LEAST! I love olive oil BUT I love butter maybe more so that is what I used. Gave it a lovely richness. I used 6 c stock which made the soup more like a stew which is right up my alley. Husband’s comment: GOOD JOB!😁
It’s rainy and low 50s where I live. When my husband came home after work, he said he could smell the soup before he opened the door. We both loved it. Served with crusty Italian bread. Yum!
Made a few changes. Used a yellow onion instead of leeks, added celery and carrots. Dried thyme(because I had it) added a few drops of hot sauce to my serving. Outstanding! Made a lot, so I’ll freeze in containers and enjoy in coming weeks. Very delicious!!
Hi Perla! Thank you for sharing your tips and letting us know how it turned out. Hooray for leftovers!
Delicious and easy to make (other than lots of chopping), I might add more beans next time, but oh so good!
Thank you for your note, Kris! More beans sound good to me ☺️
Hi there- wondering if this soup could be made in an instant pot? Thanks :)
Hi Kristen! I’m sure it could, but since I have no experience with an IP, I’m not able to help here.
I made mine in the IP! I sauteed the cabbage and green onions (I didn’t have leeks), then put the rest of the ingredients in. High Pressure for 4 min and then quick release. Then stir in beans and let sit for 10ish minutes to thicken up. Delish!
Thank you for your note and IP tips, Margaret!
This recipe looks delicious! Can you cook it in a slow cooker? If so, what are the directions? Thank you so much!