Cabbage, Potato and Leek Soup Recipe (2024)

By Melissa Clark

Cabbage, Potato and Leek Soup Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour 20 minutes
Rating
5(3,404)
Notes
Read community notes

Here's a warming, economical soup that combines cabbage with leeks, potatoes and plenty of black pepper. The potatoes melt slightly into the broth, making the texture silky, lush and even a bit sexy (at least as far as cabbage goes).

Featured in: A Good Appetite: Cabbage Flexes Its Muscles Three Ways

Learn: How to Make Soup

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have

    10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers.

    Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Print Options

    Include recipe photo

Advertisem*nt

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 6tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3medium leeks, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
  • 8cups shredded cabbage
  • 2garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 2cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2thyme branches
  • ½teaspoon black pepper
  • Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, to serve

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

360 calories; 19 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 42 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 1065 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Cabbage, Potato and Leek Soup Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat, add the leeks and cook until soft and golden around the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the cabbage and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until cabbage begins to caramelize, about 10 minutes.

  2. Step

    2

    Stir in potatoes, stock, 4 cups water, salt and thyme. Bring soup to a simmer and cook, partly covered, until potatoes begin to fall apart, 45 to 50 minutes. Add more water, as needed, to reach the desired consistency. Season with black pepper and serve, topped with cheese.

Ratings

5

out of 5

3,404

user ratings

Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Cooking Notes

A. Cleary

I've made this 2x & could never get the cabbage to caramelize. 8 cs. of cabbage crowds even my biggest pan, leading to steaming, not caramelizing. Working in batches helps, but it's prohibitively time-consuming.
Here's a what I do now: toss the shredded cabbage with olive oil until lightly coated. Add S&P, spread in a lg. sheet pan, pop into 400 deg. oven . Check every 10 minutes & remove when it's caramelized. Then proceed with the recipe as written.

Cameron

Delicious. Allowing the potatoes to break down gives it the texture of a creamy, pureed soup without blending or adding any cream. I like to add 2-4 tablespoons of good-quality red wine vinegar after I take the soup off heat--it gives it a nice little bite. I highly recommend that.

ler

Yummy and comforting. I Threw in a parm rind with the broth which added a nice depth of flavor.

eileen

Have made this several times with olive oil instead of butter and it's wonderful.

Donna

This is really yummy! I followed the advice of one commenter and put the cabbage on a spreadsheet, tossed with olive oil and S&P, and roasted at 400 for 20 minutes, stirring at the 10 minute mark. Perfect, and way better than trying to caramelize all that cabbage in the pot. Also, used fresh dill added at the end, in place of thyme. This soup is cheap, healthy, low mess, requires minimal prep time, and is easy to make vegan. I will repeat.

C Davis

Fantastic, simple weeknight soup. Because I prefer thicker soups and stews, I used only 2 cups of water in addition to the broth, then pureed after cooking, which worked wonderfully.

Erin

Just made this -- delicious! I cut the butter in half and used olive oil for the rest. Added carrots and mushrooms, as well as white beans, using the liquid I used to cook the beans as a water substitute (although I eventually needed to add water because of the other additions). Threw in a parmesan rind as suggested. Very tasty, so healthy!

Chris Bradshaw

The parmesan is important. Carmelizing the leeks and cabbage takes more like an hour. Don't rush this, as the extra flavor is worth it. Tripling the recipe makes a full soup pot.

Lars

Great soup. Use onions in place of leeks if you don't have them. Gruyere or Cheddar can be used in place of Parmesan.

SLR

Use oil instead of butterAdd Parmesan rind to soupCarmelization takes longer than stated.Can add white beans and carrots

Mary

It is a rainy day in Athens Greece and this soup is just what I needed! The only thing I changed was the butter. I used olive oil and water as I had no broth.
It is a truly hardy and very tasty soup and definable I am going to make it again. Thank you for a great soup.

Terry

Needs bacon...

K

Add salt when cooking cabbage to help it carmelize

sarah

I made this exactly according to recipe, using homemade veggie stock. I will use less butter next time because it was slightly too rich for me. Otherwise, it had great comfort food flavor.

Lars

@A.Cleary

You need to cook the cabbage a lot longer than 10 min to get caramelize. Use a large skillet at first, then put everything in a stock pot.

avb2

made as directed, included parm rind in simmer. Still kinda disappointing. Made me think of depression era soup. But the overcooking made me regret using the fresh veggies for this. Seems like this should be reserved for the about-to-be-sent-to-compost, bottom of the bin stuff.

Carol

Kind of bland.

JenB

I added two cans of cannellini beans along with the potatoes, which adds sone protein and rounds it out into more of a hearty meal.

Sue

This was pretty good, but I personally like the ingredients involved on their own: like chopped cabbage in a long saute with sausages, or just plain mashed potatoes with almost anything, and onions on their own in onion soup. To me, with this meal here, the sum was less than the parts.

JG

Tossed a small rind of Parmesan ( in food processor to pulverize. Added it to top of the soup along with red wine vinegar as garnish. Also added 8-10 garlic cloves and tied a batch of fresh thyme together using butcher string and let it cook inside the soup. Added two thinly sliced organic Italian sausage (not spicy) and three carrots to boot. The wife said it was tasty. I’d agree.

Toni

Delicious! This recipe lends itself well to modifications, substitutions, and additions. Freezes well- potatoes get mushier after thawing, but just thickens the soup.

Jane

Loved the flavor! Roasted potatoes separately and used them as croutons.

iamacheezit

I’m confused as to why this is a five-star recipe. It is good enough for what it is, salted cabbage and potatoes in broth, but it’s far from being remarkable. It’s cabbage and potatoes people how is this FIVE STARS?

Deirdre

Delicious soup! Thank you. We've made it twice. First time no caramelization of cabbage and leeks.The soup was very tasty. Second time caramelized only the cabbage a little bit in the oven. and the leeks on the stovetop. Even tastier! Next time will keep the cabbage in the oven for a half hour, not 20 minutes.

Linda J

Added 1tsp smoked paprika

Erin

Highly recommend. Additions include celery, Aleppo pepper, additional garlic, garbanzo beans, parm rind, bay leaf, dried shiitake to enhance broth. Remove after cooking. Leaves you wanting more. I will cut the butter next time. While it brings a glistening shine and beautiful flavor, decreasing a bit shouldn’t impact.

Lisa

A delicious soup. I followed the suggestion of A. Cleary and cooked the cabbage in the oven on a sheet pan. I also used a 3 cups broth to 3 cups water, for a slightly richer soup. The potatoes, which were yellow Finn rather than Russet, didn't really dissolve so I crushed some of them.It would be perfectly reasonable to add caraway, which goes well with cabbage (yes I am of Hungarian descent) or sausage to this soup. Or both!

Lynn

Toss cabbage with olive oil, salt, pepper. Place on sheet pan at 400 degrees. Check every 10 minutes remove from oven when cabbage caramelizes, continue with recipe

Cheryl

Really good! I caramelized leeks and cabbage in a dutch oven (not too daunting). I cooked per the recipe and added a can of rinsed cannellini beans along with 4 cups vege broth. I simmered all about 90 mins. Next time I will add come chunky carrot slices.

R

Used what I had on hand: Red cabbage, sweet onion instead of leeks.Added parmesan rind Added fennel seeds, a bit of thyme, and smoked paprika.Very satisfying

Private notes are only visible to you.

Cabbage, Potato and Leek Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why does my leek and potato soup taste bland? ›

The reasons are usually two: you didn't season your soup at all, worrying it might be too salty because of the leeks; or you added to much water for the stock.

Why is my leek and potato soup gluey? ›

* Common problem with Potato Leek Soups that call for blitzing to death until completely smooth. Power of blender = activates starch in potatoes = gluey. Same thing that happens if you use a food processor or blender for mashed potato!

Why is leek soup healthy? ›

Leeks are rich in flavonoids, especially one called kaempferol. Flavonoids are antioxidants and may have anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and anticancer properties, as well as other health benefits. Definite proof of these health benefits of leeks will depend upon future studies with humans.

How do I increase the depth of flavor in soup? ›

Add acidic ingredients.

Foods that have a great deal of acidity, like lemon juice, vinegar, white wine, and tomato puree, can help liven up the flavor of bland-tasting bone and other broths. "The acidity of these ingredients works to complement and enhance the broth's flavors, not mask it.

Should potatoes be peeled for potato soup? ›

Yes! You don't need to peel the potatoes for this potato soup recipe. The skin will help the potatoes keep their shape and prevent them from getting too mushy.

What is the best thickening agent for potato soup? ›

Cornstarch is a very effective thickener, and a little bit can go a long way. Add cornstarch to a small amount of cold water or other liquid (wine or stock) and whisk into a thick slurry.

Why has my leek and potato soup gone brown? ›

It looks as though some of your potatoes might have got a bit scorched. Did you fry them off before adding the liquid? The colour from the browned potatoes could be what is turning it brown.

How does Gordon Ramsay cook leeks? ›

Season leeks with soy, maple, sesame oil, and mirin. Top with sliced garlic and a few knobs of butter around the outside of the pan. Add just enough stock to cover leeks halfway, bring to a boil and pop into over to roast until caramelized and tender when pierced with a knife.

Can you leave potato and leek soup out overnight? ›

It's really not a good idea to leave it out at room temperature. I've left stock on the stove overnight at a simmer with the lid on. This keeps it hot enough that microbes won't grow but traps evaporation so it can't go dry. It is ok to put the soup in the refrigerator in a fresh room temperature container, covered.

Are leeks good for your gut? ›

Raw leeks, along with raw garlic and onions, are a source of prebiotics. Prebiotics, a type of fiber, are good for our beneficial gut bacteria. They assist in balancing the bacteria which aids in a healthy digestive system. Leeks are an excellent source of vitamin K and a good source of vitamin A and manganese.

Are leeks anti-inflammatory? ›

Leeks have a variety of biological active effects, such as anti-cancer, anti-inflammation, anti-obesity, anti-oxidation and anti-bacteria, but the action mechanisms of these biological effects are still unclear.

Can diabetics eat leeks? ›

With low sodium and no saturated fat or cholesterol, leeks are especially beneficial for diabetics. This is also a rich source of fiber for the patient's daily menu. If you don't eat it directly, but use the juice, the nutrients in leeks will also promote the treatment of diabetes.

Why does my potato soup have no flavor? ›

Not Adding Acid. If a soup is tasting bland in the bowl, consider adding acid rather than salt. A squeeze of lemon or lime, or a dash of yogurt or sour cream can add brightness to the bowl.

Why does my soup taste bland? ›

If your broth tastes thin and bland, you may want to cook and let it evaporate for longer. That helps concentrate its flavors and gives you a better-tasting soup broth. Be sure to remove the lid to let the steam escape.

What can I add to bland potato soup? ›

Cheese: I recommend a good sharp cheddar cheese here for maximum flavor. Greek yogurt or sour cream: To make the soup extra-creamy. Salt and pepper: Add in as much as you need at the end to season your soup well.

How do you fix bland vegetable broth? ›

Add bright, fresh flavor to vegetable broth

To brighten any soup, stock, or broth, a splash of lemon juice or vinegar is always a good idea. A splash of white wine is never a bad thing either, but stay away from anything too oak-y, and simmer the broth for a few minutes to give the wine a chance to get comfortable.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Reed Wilderman

Last Updated:

Views: 5748

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (52 voted)

Reviews: 91% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Reed Wilderman

Birthday: 1992-06-14

Address: 998 Estell Village, Lake Oscarberg, SD 48713-6877

Phone: +21813267449721

Job: Technology Engineer

Hobby: Swimming, Do it yourself, Beekeeping, Lapidary, Cosplaying, Hiking, Graffiti

Introduction: My name is Reed Wilderman, I am a faithful, bright, lucky, adventurous, lively, rich, vast person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.