Creamy Cabbage & Potato Soup! Cabbage, hash brown potatoes and fresh dill are the stars of this creamy, satisfying cabbage potato soup recipe that comes together in 30 minutes! A perfect weeknight meal or a fun way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
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March is just around the corner, and if you like to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, that means that you may have leftover cabbage sitting in your fridge without so much as an idea for what to do with it. This Creamy Cabbage & Potato Soup is a great way to use up cabbage throughout the cold weather months!
While many creamy soups contain flour as a thickener, I managed to create the same rich and luxurious texture without any wheat flour, which means that it's naturally gluten-free (and vegetarian, too!)!
My secret? Frozen hash brown potatoes! The starch from the potatoes creates a thickening element that achieves the same thing as flour. Additionally, blending half of the mixture, then returning it to the pot with the "chunky" part of the soup gives a thicker texture to the soup.
Of course, if you prefer a super-chunky (and slightly less creamy) soup, you can always skip the blending and enjoy it as-is!
Looking for something to serve along side your soup? Try my easy Irish Cheddar Bread,
This recipe is naturally gluten-free & vegetarian and can be made vegan. (See Variations & Substitutions section below.)
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Ingredients
This cabbage potato soup recipe uses simple ingredients that are easy to find:
- Olive Oil
- Yellow Onion. Shallots or leeks would also work well in this recipe.
- Cabbage
- Garlic
- Sea Salt
- Frozen hash brown potatoes. You may also simply shred a fresh potato to make your own hash browns.
- Vegetable broth
- Milk
- Half & half or cream
- Fresh dill. In a pinch, use dried dill weed -- just use half the amount as dried herbs tend to be more potent.
Instructions
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, cabbage and sprinkle with sea salt. Sauté until the veggies have softened, but not browned, about 5-7 minutes.
Stir in frozen hash browns (or regular potatoes -- see variations section below). Add vegetable broth, cover, and bring to a boil -- about 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer.
Scoop about half (or less if you prefer a chunkier soup) of the mixture out into the blender. Let cool slightly -- blending very hot liquids can be dangerous!
Add milk, half and half and fresh dill to the mixture in the blender. Blend until completely smooth.
Tip: An immersion blender is a great tool to have for easy blending in the pot.
Add the blended mixture back into the rest of the soup in the pot. Stir and allow to come to a simmer and heat through completely. Serve hot and garnish with extra dill if desired.
FAQ's
Yes. Cool soup completely, then place in a freezer-safe container. (Or in individual portions.) Freeze the soup up to about 2 months. To reheat, simply heat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
This soup will keep in the fridge for about five days. It can be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop.
In this recipe, I just use frozen hash browns which are usually Russet potatoes. If you want to use pieces of potato in your soup instead of hash browns, waxy potatoes like red-skinned and fingerlings are a good option because they hold their shape. This article is a good source of information for what kinds of potatoes to use for different types of recipes.
Variations and Substitutions
As I mentioned, despite its creamy, dreamy nature that is often created by adding flour to the mix, I was able to achieve a rich, silky texture in this potato cabbage soup recipe while keeping things gluten-free. Here are a few more substitutions to suit your tastes and dietary needs!
- Add extra protein/make it "meaty". Browned sausage, either sliced or ground, would make a great "meat-lovers" version of this soup! My recommendation would be to brown the sausage in the pot first, then once it's cooked, scoop it onto a plate and continue the recipe as directed using the same pot. Add the sausage back in during the last few minutes of cooking to warm it through!
- No hash browns? No problem! If you prefer to use regular potatoes instead of frozen hash browns, you can either use a grater to create your own hash browns and keep the cooking time the same, or cut the potatoes into a fine dice and add a few more minutes to the cooking time to ensure that the pieces soften and cook through all the way.
Diet-Specific Substitutions
- Vegan or dairy-free. This cabbage soup recipe is already vegetarian, but if you want to make it completely vegan or dairy-free, simply swap out the milk and heavy cream with your favorite vegan substitution such as plant-based milk and cream.
Other St. Patrick's Day Recipe Ideas
Looking for more St. Patrick's Day recipe ideas? Check out some of these mouthwatering finds from other blogs:
- Traditional Irish Soda Bread
- Savory Shamrock Hand Pies
- Instant Pot Corned Beef & Cabbage
- Colcannon {Irish Mashed Potatoes}
- Savory Guiness & Veggie Cobbler
- Irish Cheddar & Cabbage Hash Brown Skillet
- Irish Coffee Chocolate Cakes
- "Dublin Fog" Irish Breakfast Tea Latte
Creamy Cabbage Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 4 cups cabbage finely sliced
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt
- 2 cups frozen hash brown potatoes
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- ½ cup milk {I used 2% but you can use your favorite}
- ½ cup half & half or heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons fresh dill {or 1 ½ tablespoons dried dill}
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, cabbage and sprinkle with sea salt. Sautee until the veggies have softened, but not browned, about 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in frozen hash browns. Add vegetable broth, cover, and bring to a boil -- about 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer.
- Scoop about half {or less if you prefer a chunkier soup} of the mixture out into the blender. Let cool slightly {blending very hot liquids can be dangerous!}. Add milk, half and half and fresh dill to the mixture in the blender. Blend until completely smooth.
- Add the blended mixture back into the rest of the soup in the pot. Stir and allow to come to a simmer and heat through completely. Serve hot and garnish with extra dill if desired.
Notes
- Cabbage Soup with Ground Beef or Sausage. Brown ground beef or sausage in the pot first, then once it's cooked, scoop it onto a plate and continue the recipe as directed using the same pot. Add the meat back in during the last few minutes of cooking to warm it through.
- No hash browns? No problem! If you prefer to use regular potatoes instead of frozen hash browns, you can either use a grater to create your own hash browns and keep the cooking time the same, or cut the potatoes into a fine dice and add a few more minutes to the cooking time to ensure that the pieces soften and cook through all the way.
- If you prefer to use diced, sliced, or larger potato chunks, add them to the pot with the rest of the vegetables in step 1 to help soften them. Boil them in the broth mixture until fork-tender.
- Vegan or dairy-free. Swap out the milk and heavy cream with your favorite vegan substitution such as plant-based milk and cream.
