Cabbage Soup Recipe — White Cabbage, Casa Adora

There was a white cabbage in the fridge that had been there long enough to start making me feel guilty. Not quite at the point of no return, but getting there. Cabbage soup seemed like the obvious answer — and then I remembered that cabbage soup has a reputation problem.

It shouldn't. Treated properly, it's one of those quietly brilliant things that a rural kitchen does better than most — long-simmered stock, a Parmesan rind doing the work of a bone, cherry tomatoes from Marta's roasted until they collapse, and a squeeze of lemon at the end that pulls everything together. This cabbage soup recipe is built around white cabbage, a single pot, and 500ml of good vegetable stock. It serves one, generously, and it tastes nothing like a diet.

The Secrets

Three things separate a good cabbage soup recipe from a forgettable one.

The first is the Parmesan rind. Drop it into the pot while the soup simmers and it behaves like a bone in a broth — slowly releasing umami and body into the stock without announcing itself. Save your rinds in the freezer; they're too useful to throw away.

The second is the tomatoes. Tinned fire-roasted tomatoes are the usual shortcut, but if you have fresh cherry tomatoes and twenty minutes, roast them instead. Halved, dressed with olive oil and salt, and roasted at 200°C until they collapse and catch at the edges — they bring a concentrated sweetness and a little char that no tin quite matches.

The third is acid. A squeeze of lemon, stirred in just before serving, wakes the whole pot up. It doesn't make the soup taste of lemon. It makes it taste more of itself.

How to Make a Proper Cabbage Soup

Soften the onion, carrot, and celery slowly in olive oil and butter over a medium heat — eight to ten minutes, until everything is soft and starting to colour. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Pour in the stock, add the roasted tomatoes with any juices from the tray, and drop in the Parmesan rind. Bring to a boil, then add half the shredded cabbage. Reduce the heat, partially cover, and simmer for twenty-five to thirty minutes.

Add the remaining cabbage and cook for a further five minutes — the first batch will have melted into the broth, the second retains a little texture. Remove the rind, squeeze in the lemon, taste and adjust the seasoning, and finish with chopped parsley.

Cabbage Soup Recipe — White Cabbage, Casa Adora
Serves 1 | 45 minutes including roasting the tomatoes

Ingredients

• 8–10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ tsp olive oil + ½ tsp butter (plus a little extra olive oil for the tomatoes)
• ¼ onion, diced
• ½ small carrot, chopped
• ½ celery stalk, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 1 Parmesan rind
• ¼ small head white cabbage, cored and finely shredded
• Sea salt and black pepper
• Squeeze of lemon
• Fresh parsley, chopped, to finish

Method

This is a simple cabbage soup recipe — here's how to make it.

1. Heat the oven to 200°C. Toss the cherry tomatoes with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt, spread on a baking tray cut-side up, and roast for 20–25 minutes until collapsed and catching at the edges.
2. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook slowly for 8–10 minutes until soft and lightly coloured.
3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
4. Pour in the stock, add the roasted tomatoes with any juices from the tray, and drop in the Parmesan rind. Bring to a boil.
5. Add half the shredded cabbage. Reduce the heat, partially cover, and simmer for 25–30 minutes.
6. Add the remaining cabbage and cook for a further 5 minutes.
7. Remove the Parmesan rind. Squeeze in the lemon, taste and adjust the seasoning, and finish with chopped parsley.

Footnote

This white cabbage soup features in my Soup Recipes and Veggie & Vegan collections — everything from chilled gazpachos to long-simmered broths, all cooked at Casa Adora or from Florie's van kitchen.

Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef