A simple cabbage potato soup recipe made with just a handful of humble ingredients, done just right they will make you go back for seconds. Not to worry tough as cabbage is one of the lowest-calorie foods on the planet. Naturally creamy, hearty and healthy, this is minimalism at its finest!
This vegan cabbage soup recipe is one for the books!
I started with a large diced onion ( tough you could use a leek), and finely shredded green cabbage that caramelize together in my largest pot until completely wilted and golden around the edges.
A little patience is needed to concentrated the flavors of such rustic basic ingredients before simmering them away with caraway, fresh dill, thyme and tiny dice of golden potatoes.
Serve with lots of fresh chopped chives, and If you are fond of smoky tempeh as much as we are then remember to pan sear a few strips in a cast iron skillet just before serving. A great source of protein, adds a nice crunch with salty and smoky flavors.
more cabbage soups to try:
Cabbage Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 head small green cabbage -finely shredded
- 1 large yellow onion (or 1 leek) -diced
- 1.5 lb golden potatoes -rinsed and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
- 5 cups vegetable stock -low sodium
- 1 tbsp caraway seeds
- 2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 8 sprigs thyme
- 8 sprigs fresh dill
- 1/3 cup onion chives -snipped
- 1 drizzle olive oil (or a splash of water for WFPB diet)
- 6 strips smoked tempeh - optional for serving
- sea salt + black pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp liquid smoke
Instructions
- Heat up your largest dutch oven or heavy stock pot over medium-low flame. Sautee the onion (or leeks) with a drizzle of olive oil or a splash of water and pinch of salt until wilted and starts to get some color (about 10 minutes).
- Add the red pepper flakes and caraways seeds then stir in the shredded cabbage. Sautee together until wilted and caramelized, making sure to stir often adding a splash of water in between If needed to help create some steam. It should be perfect in about 20 minutes. You want to get a nice caramelization all over to create flavor.
- Add the diced potatoes, thyme, dill, onion powder, nutritional yeast, vegetable stock and liquid smoke then bring to a constant simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 25 to 30 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through and fall part. Remove from heat and discard the thyme sprigs and dill.
- Use the back of a wooden spoon to mash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot. This will make your soup creamy and hearty without need to puree it at all. Taste and adjust seasonings sea salt and black pepper at this point.
- Meanwhile heat up a cast iron skillet over medium high heat and pan sear the tempeh strips until golden brown on both sides.
- Serve the soup garnished with fresh onion chives, red pepper flakes and crumbled with the pan seared tempeh on top.
Notes
- If you like your soup to have a smoky flavor you can add about 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika or a 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke. This is strongly recommended if you are going to skip the smoky tempeh, otherwise it's totally optional.
Nutrition
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Cabbage is my new best friend thanks to this soup. It tastes absolutely amazing, it’s comforting and tastes like a slow cooked stew. Best cabbage soup I’ve ever made ever.
THis was delicious! I think it needs the tempeh but with it, we gobbled it up!
Where r the beans listed in ingredients?
Hey Sandy, this recipe is for Cabbage and Potato soup, there are no beans in the recipe unless of course you’d like to add some.
I’m kinda stumped here. It was really bland. Any ideas on how to add more flavor here? It’s currently on my stove simmering and I’ve thought about adding some tomato paste or maybe some more veggies. Not sure where I went wrong!
Hi Kelly, this is meant to be a simple soup and most flavor comes from the caramelization of the cabbage with the onion (or leeks), the toasting of the caraway seeds and whatever veggie stock you end up using. So it’s really important to not skip that step and take your time caramelizing everything. The smoky tempeh is meant to bring it all together with the salty bits but if you are after more of smoky flavor some smoked paprika or liquid smoke would do the trick. I realize most of us are in a rush nowadays and don’t have too much time for caramelization haha, so I edited the recipe to add some onion powder and some nutritional yeast. Let me know if you try it that way next time. If you want more of a tomato based version try this Sweet and Sour Cabbage soup next, it’s really easy and a different flavor profile : https://veggiesociety.com/simple-sweet-and-sour-cabbage-soup-recipe/
This soup is very bland. Too bland for my taste buds. I added soya sauce to give it more flavour. I am bring it to a pot luck so we shall see how it goes but I am guessing I will have lots left!! Oh I did the caramelizing. Thanks.
My wife and I loved this soup as is, no extra seasoning needed. It is also surprising filling! We added some spinach eat the end just because we had some. Thank you!