Creamy Cabbage Soup with Hot Pimento Paste
The perfect blend of hearty vegetables and plant-based protein. This Creamy Cabbage Soup is super creamy, packed with nutrients, and easy to make.
Hi it’s Kat here, bringing you a recipe from my childhood that I’ve been obsessed with my whole life. Growing up when that slightly spicy aroma filled my home, I knew we were in for a delicious bowl of soup and some homemade croutons. I hope that this warm bowl of Creamy Cabbage Soup can bring you comfort like it has for me for so long.
Let’s break it down. This Cabbage Soup is creamy, has just the right amount of heat, is packed with savoury flavours, and loaded with plant-based nutrients. But not only is it packed with a lot of good-for-you ingredients, it’s also delicious. The base of the soup is cabbage and white kidney beans serving up a ton of protein, vitamin K, and vitamin C per serving.
Typically made with Portuguese chouriço which is spicy, smoky and has a deep rich flavour. However, to make it vegan-friendly, we used a couple key spices and condiments creating a nearly identical flavour to the soup of my childhood.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
Packed with rich, comforting flavour.
Perfect for meal prep!
Freeze the leftover to enjoy later.
Loaded with nutrients and protein.
Top tips for making Creamy Cabbage Soup:
Prep your ingredients ahead of time. Soup can move fairly quickly and requires accurate timing. We like to ensure that all of our ingredients are prepped before we start any cooking.
Use a heavy-bottomed pot. We like making soups in a cast iron Dutch oven because its heavy bottom absorbs and distributes heat more evenly so you get more evenly cooked soup.
Taste as you cook. The key to any delicious recipe is to taste while you cook and season at every stage. Doing this will develop flavours at every level so each spoonful is a full-bodied experience with depth of flavour.
Use a high-speed blender for a creamy consistency. For the creamiest consistency transfer the cooked soup to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively you can use an immersion blender or enjoy the soup without blending.
How to make Creamy Cabbage Soup:
Prep Time: 20 Min | Cook Time: 35 Min | Total Time: 50 Min
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients
300 g (about 1/2 head) cabbage
2 shallots, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp hot pimento paste
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp hot chili powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
pinch cayenne
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans water, using the bean can
1 tbsp bouillon paste
salt & pepper, to taste
1 tsp liquid smoke
(optional) non-dairy milk, to thin
Instructions
Chop and prep all the ingredients before you start.
Place a heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat and add olive oil – allow to heat for a minute.
Add sliced shallot and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes or until tender. Stir in the hot pimento paste, followed by bay leaves, ground cloves, hot chili powder, smoked paprika, dried oregano, and cayenne. Stir to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes. Mix in the soy sauce.
Stir in the white kidney beans until evenly coated with the spices, then add water, bouillon paste, chopped cabbage, salt, and pepper. Stir then place the lid on the pot and allow to cook for 20-30 minutes.
Once the cabbage is tender, stir in liquid smoke.
Using a slotted spoon carefully remove the bay leaves.
Puree the soup with an immersion blender or by transferring to a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy, add a splash of non-dairy milk if needed to get desired consistency. If you want it super smooth, you can strain it with a sieve but we don’t typically do this.
Serve with crunchy croutons, a drizzle of pimento paste, and a sprinkle of black pepper.
Ingredient Notes:
Onion – We use white onion for this recipe, but you can also use yellow onion, shallots, or Spanish onions.
Hot Pimento Paste – If you don’t love spice, you can switch for a non-spicy pimento paste. We get ours from our local Portuguese food markets.
Oil – Use something neutral in flavour like vegetable oil, but olive oil also works. If you prefer to cook without oil, you can use a little bit of water to cook in instead.
Soy Sauce – Adds umami flavour and a hit of salt. We don’t recommend substituting this, but you can use a low-sodium version if preferred.
White Kidney Beans – This not only makes the soup creamy but also packed with protein. White kidney beans are what this recipe was made with, but you can try navy beans if you don’t have kidney beans.
Bouillon Paste – We like the Better than Bouillon brand, but any should work.
Cabbage – This recipe calls for green cabbage and should not be substituted.
Liquid Smoke – Used to replace the smoky flavour you’d get from sausage in the original. This recipe can be omitted if preferred.