A white cabbage sitting on the kitchen counter could easily become chutney – but that didn't feel quite right. Soup, on the other hand, felt like exactly the right call, even if cabbage soup has a reputation for being a little uninspiring. The trick, as always, is knowing what to add. A sharp apple, a glug of white wine, a tin of tomatoes, and a spoonful of tangy chutney – suddenly that cabbage is doing something rather interesting.

More than just plain soup — cabbage soup recipe - Casa Adora

Cabbage Soup Recipe

This cabbage soup recipe is the kind that emerges from a well-stocked store cupboard and a bit of creative thinking. It's flexible by nature — the pasta makes it more substantial, the apple adds a subtle sweetness, and the chutney brings a depth that you wouldn't quite expect from a bowl of cabbage soup. Don't skip the Parmesan at the end; it seasons the whole bowl and pulls everything together.

Add a glug of olive oil to a large frying pan over low to medium heat, then add a large knob of butter. When melted, add a chopped onion and sauté for 10 minutes or so until the onion has started to soften but not brown.

Throw in a finely chopped carrot or two, then several crushed and chopped garlic cloves and a couple of bay leaves also. Shake the pan so that everything has a coating of oil. Cook for another few minutes, then add a roughly chopped cabbage (small) and half of a peeled and cored apple (sharp), making sure that is coated in oil too.

Crush one dried red chilli and sprinkle that in together with a little turmeric and white pepper. Stir.

Now drizzle in about 200ml dry white wine, turn up the heat and cook it off.

Add a tin of pulped tomatoes and a big spoonful of sweet & sour tomato chutney or other tangy chutney. Stir.

Add 500ml chicken stock and bring up to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer.

Add some pasta of your choice.

Sprinkle with a little brown sugar.

Cook for 15 minutes or until everything is soft, including the pasta, and the liquid has reduced a little.

Drizzle with a little fresh lime or lemon juice to finish.

Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and serve with crusty bread. There's no need for salt as the cheese does that job for you.

If things start to dry out when cooking, then add water to the empty tin of tomatoes and drizzle that as and when necessary.

Tips and variations

The chutney is key here. A sweet and sour tomato chutney works beautifully, but any tangy chutney you have open will do the job. Mango chutney adds an interesting twist if that's what you have to hand.

The pasta is optional but recommended — it turns a light soup into something filling enough for lunch or a light supper. Small shapes work best; orzo, ditalini, and broken spaghetti all work well.

If the soup thickens too much during cooking, use the water from the empty tomato tin to loosen it. Nothing gets wasted here.

This white cabbage soup keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days and reheats beautifully. The flavours deepen overnight — one of those soups that's even better the next day.

This recipe is part of my Soup Recipes collection. It joins a growing collection of soups — from chilled gazpacho to hearty broths and Asian-inspired bowls — in my complete Soup Recipes hub.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef