Hearty White Bean and Cabbage Soup with Potatoes

Close up of Cabbage bean soup with potatoes in a bowl with sourdough bread on the dunked in the bowl. .

Hearty White Bean and Cabbage Soup with Potatoes

Simple ingredients create a hearty and delicious 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 soup relies on a high-quality broth to deliver the best flavor. If using prepared broth, I like and use reduced sodium Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base.

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American, Polish

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword Cabbage Bean Soup, Potato Cabbage Soup

Total Time 50

Servings Servings

Calories 199kcal

Author Traci York

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

*Olive Oil and/or Butter: I use butter because it adds richness and flavor to this soup, but if dairy free, olive oil or plant butter may be substituted. 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.

Nutrition