Recipe for Peasant Cabbage-Tomato Soup ♥


Perfectly simple = simple and perfect. This sweet 'n' sour cabbage soup hits just the spot, say, after a frosty walk and a too-big lunch. And it makes up in minutes, another plus. And it's pretty, that broth has a lovely cast of tomato-y color. So many good things about this simple soup! Yes, yes: perfect, simple and perfectly simple.
If this is peasant food, then royalty should eat so well. Is it just me who finds a certain elegance in such simplicity? All these years of cooking and it still stuns me how much a few ingredients can deliver. You WANT to make this!
COMPLIMENTS!
"Mmmmm, tasty!" ~ Rachel
"My wife and I enjoyed the cabbage-tomato soup for dinner last night, and again for lunch today. She loves it, and it is so easy to make." ~ Charlie
"I have made this several times over the years. ... I'm glad it's still a favorite of yours; it is of mine." ~ Sherry
"It was great." ~ Chris
"I love this soup, it is so easy to prepare. ... It is delicious ... " ~ Anonymous





PEASANT CABBAGE TOMATO SOUP
Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time to table: 30 minutes
Makes 6 cups
Time to table: 30 minutes
Makes 6 cups
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 head of green cabbage, sliced thin
Salt to taste
15 ounce can diced tomatoes
4 cups vegetable, chicken or turkey stock
Tabasco to taste (don't skip)
Brown sugar or sweetener to taste (about a tablespoon)
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil until shimmery on MEDIUM HIGH. Add the onion and stir to coat with fat. Cook, stirring frequently. Add the cabbage as it's prepped, stirring to coat. When the onion and cabbage are beginning to soften, add the salt, tomato and stock. Reduce heat to MEDIUM, cover and let cook for about 15 minutes or until the cabbage turns slightly soft but still holds its structure. Stir in the Tabasco and sugar. Serve and enjoy!
ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES




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MORE FAVORITE CABBAGE RECIPES
~ Cabbage Roses ~~ Cabbage & White Bean Stew ~
~ Swedish Red Cabbage ~
~ more cabbage recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture
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~ more cabbage recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column
© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2007, 2013 (repub) & 2019
Hooray -- a month of soups! A cook can never have too many great soup recipes in his or her arsenal. Thanks, Alanna.
ReplyDeleteThis looks both yummy and simple! I have all the ingredients on hand and will probably make it tomorrow. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSoups!Mmmm.... I'll be thinking on this one. All the possibilities!
(I just looked over the Gypsy Pot soup. I'll have to try that one too.)
Reese
how delightful! literally!
ReplyDeleteLydia ~ Oh it's so nice to be greeted with enthusiasm! This should be fun, I hope!
ReplyDeleteReese ~ Yummy & simple, indeed. My sister's Queen of Yummy & Simple!
Linda ~ It's IS so easy and delicious!
Sounds yummy - I shall definitely have to try it! I'll also be delighted to participate in Soup Glorious Soup, I make a new soup every week from my veg box so shall be contributing shortly :)
ReplyDeleteCabbage upsets my stomach . . . but your blog in general looks great! I'm going to link to you.
ReplyDeleteHi Alanna
ReplyDeleteIt really perfect and simple as you said. I love the way you write the steps and nutritional information.
Will definetly try this.
One more thing. I added you into my blogroll I hope that's fine with you.
What a great idea! I love soup-- it's filling and only takes one pot and you can make a bunch at one time.
ReplyDeleteI'll post my favorite recipe on my blog-- okay I made it up, so it's not really a recipe, more like a list of ingredients, but it always turns out great.
Soup IS delcious and nutritious. If I can find some jerusalem artichokes before the end of the month, I'll post a recipe for my newest favorite soup.
ReplyDeleteI think soup is the perfect winter food. Thanks, Alanna!
ReplyDeleteSo, I'm curious why save the can???
ReplyDeleteMmm, looks delish. That is right up my alley, and I must try it.
ReplyDeleteTruly simply perfect! Thanks so much for the idea Alanna (and Adanna!).
ReplyDeleteCarol - you save the can because you use two CAN-fulls of water! You can recycle it after that. LOL
Carol - Oh it's just one of those crazy little ideas born of a thrifty soul. You save the can so that it can measure the next ingredient - water - thereby (1) saving the last bits of tomato, (2) not dirtying a measuring cup and (3) cleaning the can for recycling!
ReplyDeleteYou get an A+ for being a careful reader and curious cook!
And Sally, you get an A+ for being a careful reader and responder!
Thanks for the reminder to eat more cabbage!
ReplyDeleteI know this is an old thread, but I just stumbled upon it, and made my first ever pot of cabbage soup tonight. I will admit I was skeptical at the sparse list of ingredients, but I was proved wrong. Mmmmm, tasty! My husband, who is soup-picky, really enjoyed it too. Lovely blog. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi Alanna,
ReplyDeleteI love soup and tomato-broth soups are one of my favorites!
Really dumb question: how do you wash, core, and chop a cabbage? I rarely use cabbage, but when I do, I get lazy and get coleslaw mix.
I wonder whether it would work to use the tomatoes with chopped chiles in lieu of the tabasco...
~M - good question!
ReplyDeleteFirst, wash the outside of the cabbage - you're going to be handling it, so you want it to be clean so not to transfer from it to your hands to the inside parts.
Second, remove any outer leaves that are thick and tough and blemished. Save them in the freezer for stock - they're excellent, though again, you might want to rinse them off.
Third, if you're working off a big cabbage, just cut off some wedges to get what you want.
Or, if you want to cut up the whole cabbage, use a big knife to cut it in half. Then place one half round-side down and cut out the core in a V shape,
Fourth, to chop, turn the cabbage half over so the flat-side is down. Still keeping the cabbage half intact, cut slices maybe an inch wide, then cut the other direction. If the cabbage half is big, you might do a quarter at a time.
Does this help? Let me know and I'll add it to the cabbage section so that others can benefit as well.
And - are there other vegetables you'd like to know how to cut? It would be a good post, wouldn't it?
Yes, this makes a ton of sense. I much prefer to buy the whole cabbage rather than the dried out, unevenly sliced cabbage. Also, did you use purple or green cabbage...are they different/does it matter?
ReplyDeleteSomeone told me there was a way to whack cabbage (or was it lettuce) to just remove the core. I couldn't tell if you did that until you replied to my question.
I would love to see a post on how to clean and cut? A lot of green vegetables like kale can be difficult to wash properly and efficiently. And while I know how to cut an onion in a way that works for me, I'm sure that others find it difficult.
As always, thanks!
This recipe is best for green cabbage, savoy would work too but is more expensive. But the Swedish Cabbage is best with red cabbage --
ReplyDeleteFYI, you can revive tired cabbage by hydrating it in ice water, then putting through a salad spinner to dry. It makes a big difference!
Thanks for the idea re the cutting / chopping idea, will put that on my 'project' list.
A safer way to cut the core out is this way.
ReplyDeletePlace flat side of cabbage down on a quartered piece of cabbage, and place the knife at an angle into the cabbage where the core is and slice out the core down at an angle and against the cutting board.
When you recommended to place the round side down, I just shivered in apprehension, as I know how that a round side on the board can 'skitter' and roll around -- knife hazard there. Anything rounded should have the round side up unless it is a small, hand sized and a holdable object like an apple. But even then, I place flat side down.
Whacking out the core of the cabbage at an angle like this is much easier because you have more control.
50+ years of cooking experience here, with my share of nicks and scrapes.
Do you use chicken or beef broth?
ReplyDeleteHey Anonymous ~ I use vegetable, chicken, turkey and beef broth pretty much interchangeably, but here I would recommend either vegetable or chicken. Enjoy the soup!
ReplyDeletei love cabbage soup. I make a cabbage and potato soup that's very similar. In addition to including potato, it uses lemon juice instead of hot sauce -- so it's kind of sweet/sour.
ReplyDeleteSally ~ Yum! There's a sweet 'n' sour dimension here, too. Thd addition of a potato would make a soup oh-so-creamy, yes?
ReplyDeleteHi Alanna, is the Tabasco sauce really hot? Usually i can't deal with much heat, maybe barely one step up from green chili sauce is about the limit (stomach issues). Should I not use the Tabasco or what can i use that would give the flavor of this dish but not the heat? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous ~ Y'know, I just use a couple of drops, more than that is way too much for me, too. I do think that the Tabasco provides another flavor layer. But with your stomach issues, I'd taste the soup without the Tabasco. If you like it without, no problem, if not, then try just a tiny amount. Good luck, let me know how it goes!
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I enjoyed the cabbage-tomato soup for dinner last night, and again for lunch today. She loves it, and it is so easy to make. And we didn't even read Alanna's tip on page 2 about how we could have used the tomato can to measure the chicken broth until we had already put it into a 4-cup measuring cup.
ReplyDeleteI have made this several times over the years. I thought I'd make some after church today and came to your site to look up the recipe again. I was surprised to see it front and center on your home page! I'm glad it's still a favorite of yours; it is of mine.
ReplyDeleteIt was great. My cabbage was really big, so I added a can of tomato sauce.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI am allergic to tomatoes, and I want to make this with shredded beets and kidney beans! Different kind of red, but this looks soo tasty!
ReplyDeleteI love this soup, it is so easy to prepare. Sometimes I add some brown rice to make it a little more hearty. It is delicious either way. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis soup has made me famous at Church! We have a Friday soup supper during Lent and I made this on a whim because it's so simple and meatless. This will be the third year I've made it. AKA That GOOD Cabbage Soup. ;)
ReplyDeleteJessica ~ You don’t know how much that pleases me! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know! If you have any tips for what I presume is a big batch, let me know!
DeleteI simply double it. It b-a-r-e-l-y fits in my 6qt Revereware stock pot. I also like to add a quart of home-canned tomato juice. A friend gifted me 2 laundry baskets of lovely ORANGE tomatoes. The end result looks like orange juice (April Fools day IS coming up!) but the taste is pure Ohio summer and is most welcome during the winter! It really adds to the soup as well.
DeleteJessica ~ “Pure Ohio summer” ... that’s what your church people are loving! Special soup ...
Delete