Heat up a large soup pot over medium low flame. Add the diced onion or leeks with a pinch of sea salt and a splash of water (or a drizzle of olive oil). You can totally go oil-free here and not miss a thing, I promise.
Stir in the carrot, a pinch of red pepper flakes and caraway seeds and cook everything together for about 5 minutes until the onion / leeks have softened.
Add the shredded cabbage, bay leaf, peppercorns, dill sprigs and fresh thyme. Give it a stir and cook together another 5 minutes or so until the cabbage has softened.
Pour in the tomatoes and water or vegetable stock and bring to a good simmer. Cook the soup for another 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings with more sea salt and the apple cider vinegar.
Meanwhile, rinse and drain the cannellini beans and add them to the cabbage soup. Cook a few more minutes until just warmed through.
Serve hot, garnished with the fresh parsley, dill and chives. Optional: add cooked quinoa or brown rice for a more filling stew at this point if desired.
Notes
This soup always tastes best the next day as the beans and cabbage sit together in the broth with the herbs and absorb all those flavors. Makes great leftovers!
To keep it WFPB & Plantricious compliant make sure to avoid adding any oils to the recipe.