Simple ingredients create a hearty and nourishing 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.*This soup relies on a high-quality broth to deliver the best flavor. If using prepared broth, I like and use Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base.
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 occassionally to cook down, about 9-10 minutes (the pot will be very full!).
Add garlic, 1/2 tsp 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. 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.
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Notes
*Olive Oil and/or Butter: I like butter because it adds richness to this soup, but if dairy free, olive oil or plant butter is fabulous as well. If opting for plant butter, and it's salted, leave out the addition of salt and adjust to taste towards the end of cooking. **Green or Savoy Cabbage (green pictured/savoy in video): I like both equally, but the green cabbage is not quite as soft as the savoy and adds a bit more texture with the given cook times. ***For a chunkier soup, reduce the broth by 2 C and add more to taste. Recipe adapted from New York Times.