Easy Cabbage Soup
Growing up there was a commercial from either Campbell’s or Progresso (I can’t remember which soup maker) in which the father comes in looking like a snowman. As he sits down and begins eating the warm soup, the snow warms him and melts the snow surrounding him. Isn’t it amazing the things that stand out in our memories?! Whitney Houston’s AT&T “True Voice” commercial still brings a tear to my eye. Although I don’t drink Folger’s coffee, “the best part of waking up” is coffee in my cup! Of course, I will always want to “be like Mike” when I drink Gatorade. And I will always picture the snow melting away as soup warms the man, whenever I sit down to have soup in the middle of a cold winter.
It is January and we are beginning to feel the cold of this winter. And when the cold weather begins, there is almost nothing as comforting as a hot bowl of soup But, I do not have to purchase the soup from the supermarket and just heat it up. Not that there is anything wrong with that. In fact, I always have several cans of soup in my pantry. I have found, however, that it does not take very much time to make a satisfying soup from scratch. Plus, most of the winter I make big pots of soups or stews that can last a day or two! That means day 2 is simply reheating soup that was made the previous day.
This cabbage soup is one of our favorites and it is quite simple to make. Not only is it warm and satisfying, but it is also very light since it is vegan. As always, the goal is to minimize the amount of work we have in prepping, cooking, and clean up. And this soup fits the bill! Everything gets combined into one pot so the only cleanup after initial cooking is your cutting board and knife. I keep left over soup right in the same pot in the refrigerator so cleaning up the pot doesn’t even happen until you’ve finished eating all of the leftovers.
We love cabbage so it is the star of this soup. You begin by heating up oil and sautéing onions & carrots. I had carrots today, so they were added. IF I didn’t have carrots, they would simply be left out and the soup would still be great. If you have celery, that is a nice addition. When the onions have slightly softened and become translucent, sprinkle in flour and smoked paprika to make your roux. Paprika gives this soup a beautiful color and flavor. Then you will add plain old water. After you add the water, you will add in your chopped cabbage. Add salt, pepper and garlic and let it simmer for about an hour. You want the cabbage to be soft and translucent. The onions and cabbage will slightly sweeten the soup so add salt at the end if needed.
I hope you enjoy our family favorite!
Ingredients:
1 small head of cabbage chopped into 1-inch pieces (1/2 head of cabbage if it is really big)
1 yellow onion chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 carrots – roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons salt (use approximately 1 teaspoon per quart of water)
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 quarts cold water
Directions:
1. Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add in chopped onions and carrots. Sauté until onions slightly soften.
3. Add in flour and smoked paprika to make your roux. Stir until combined and it makes a paste. Add a little bit more oil if it is too dry and you cannot incorporate all of the flour and paprika. Keep stirring so it does not burn at the bottom of pan.
4. Once combined, cook while stirring for about a minute. Add cold water.
5. Add all of chopped cabbage.
6. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
7. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about an hour stirring occasionally.
8. Taste and add salt if needed. (add a ½ teaspoon at a time until you reach where you want to be)
9. Turn off heat, cover, and let it sit for at least 15 minutes before serving.
10. Serve with crusty Italian bread.
