Heat up a large heavy bottom pot on medium flame. Add a drizzle of olive oil (or a splash of water for WFPB + Plantricious compliance) and sautee the onion with a pinch of sea salt for a couple of minutes.
1 onion, 2-3 tsp olive oil
Stir in the carrot, celery and bell pepper together with the caraway seeds and sautee another 3 minutes or so.
1 carrot, 2 ribs celery, 1 green bell pepper, 1.5 tbsp caraway seeds
Stir in the fresh cabbage and cook 5 to 10 minutes until wilted.
1 head small green cabbage
Add the smoked paprika, sauerkraut, tomatoes, bay leaves, 1/2 bunch of the dill and peppercorns. Cover with the water or vegetable broth and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 25 minutes until the cabbage is cooked to your liking.
16 oz sauerkraut, 15 oz canned fire roasted tomatoes, 2 leaves bay, 2 tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tbsp peppercorns, 1 bunch fresh dill, 10 cups water or vegetable broth
Taste and adjust seasonings with sea salt. The soup should be sour enough from the kraut but If you prefer more sweetness add the maple syrup at this point.
1 pinch sea salt, 2 tbsp maple syrup
Serve hot garnished with the remaining fresh dill and parsley.
2 tbsp parsley
WFPB & Plantricious
Omit any oil and sautee in water to make this recipe compliant!
Notes
Herbs + Spices - Don’t forget the fresh dill + caraway! Cabbage calls for them both to make a pot of magic, they belong together!
Add Ins - To make it a heartier meal you might like to add in some spicy vegan Italian sausage, smoky tempeh bacon, vegan "meatballs" or vegan ribs. Traditionally we just served it with sour cream and wiped our bowls clean with crusty bread.
Storage - Refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 4 months in tight lidded containers.