CABBAGE + WHITE BEAN SOUP
6 People
244 Cals
CABBAGE + WHITE BEAN SOUP
6 People
244 Cals
About the recipe
This beautiful rustic Italian-style soup is the kind of simple nourishing food I could happily eat all winter long.Sweet softened cabbage, creamy cannellini beans, tender potatoes and fragrant bay leaves simmer together into the most comforting silky broth using humble pantry ingredients and just one pot.The addition of pancetta or ham is completely optional — it adds lovely depth and richness if you’d like it, but the soup is equally delicious made plant based with vegetable stock and parmesan served over the top.I love how the potatoes naturally thicken the broth while the white beans create that creamy rustic texture without needing cream. Finished with a little parmesan, white pepper and warm sourdough, it’s simple Mediterranean-inspired comfort food at its best.Cozy. Budget friendly. Nourishing.The kind of old-fashioned soup that makes you feel good from the inside out.Cabbage is naturally rich in fibre and beneficial plant compounds that support digestive and gut health, while cannellini beans provide plant protein and slow-burning carbohydrates for lasting energy and satisfaction.Perfect for meal prep, freezing and easy weeknight dinners — and honestly even better the next day.
Nutrition Per Serving
244
Calories
6g
Fat
1g
Saturates
5g
Sugars
222mg
Salt
14g
Protein
38g
Carbs
10g
Fibre
Ingredients
OPTIONAL
- 100 g pancetta or ham diced - Leave out for plant based
- 2 brown onions sliced OR 2 leeks, sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 –4 bay leaves
- 2 potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- ½ large green cabbage cut into chunky pieces
- 1 litre vegetable stock chicken stock or water
- 500 g (2 x 400 g tins) cannellini beans drained
- 1 tsp vegetable or chicken stock powder optional
- sea salt + white pepper
TO SERVE
- finely grated parmesan or pecorino
- good sourdough
Method
- HEAT a large heavy-based pot over medium heat.
- ADD the pancetta or ham if using and cook for 5–6 minutes until lightly golden.
- ADD the onions or leeks, olive oil and bay leaves then cook for 5 minutes until softened and fragrant.
- DEGLAZE the pot with a splash of hot water from the kettle, scraping up all the flavour from the bottom of the pot.
- ADD the potatoes, cabbage and stock.
- NOTE: I love adding a small spoon of stock powder here to gently boost the flavour and richness of the broth.
- COVER with a lid and simmer gently for 15 minutes until the cabbage and potatoes are soft and tender.
- STIR through the cannellini beans and simmer uncovered for another 10 minutes so the flavours can develop and the broth becomes slightly silky.
- SEASON generously with sea salt and white pepper.
- SERVE topped with parmesan and warm sourdough on the side.
NOTES + INSPIRATION
Leave out the pancetta or ham for a delicious plant-based version.
Butter beans also work beautifully in place of cannellini beans.
The soup thickens naturally as it sits and is even better the next day.
Add extra stock if you prefer a more brothy consistency.
Parmesan rinds can be added while simmering for beautiful depth of flavour.
White pepper gives the soup a softer warmth compared to black pepper and keeps the broth beautifully pale and rustic.
Leeks create a slightly sweeter, softer flavour if you prefer them over onion.
Delicious finished with extra virgin olive oil and extra parmesan over the top. Cabbage is naturally rich in fibre and beneficial plant compounds that support digestive and gut health, while cannellini beans provide plant protein and slow-burning carbohydrates for lasting energy. This is wholesome, affordable comfort food made from simple real ingredients — exactly the kind of nourishing one pot meal that makes you feel good from the inside out.
Leave out the pancetta or ham for a delicious plant-based version.
Butter beans also work beautifully in place of cannellini beans.
The soup thickens naturally as it sits and is even better the next day.
Add extra stock if you prefer a more brothy consistency.
Parmesan rinds can be added while simmering for beautiful depth of flavour.
White pepper gives the soup a softer warmth compared to black pepper and keeps the broth beautifully pale and rustic.
Leeks create a slightly sweeter, softer flavour if you prefer them over onion.
Delicious finished with extra virgin olive oil and extra parmesan over the top. Cabbage is naturally rich in fibre and beneficial plant compounds that support digestive and gut health, while cannellini beans provide plant protein and slow-burning carbohydrates for lasting energy. This is wholesome, affordable comfort food made from simple real ingredients — exactly the kind of nourishing one pot meal that makes you feel good from the inside out.
