Savory Red Cabbage Soup

Modified from a Prevention.com recipe, I added tons of black peppercorn and replaced the caraway seeds (because I didn’t have any) with cumin and fennel. Top this off with sliced avocado, or a poached egg, or some grilled turkey kielbasa, and you’ve got yourself a very hearty, very healthy meal.

1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 lb red cabbage, thinly sliced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
2 tsp whole cumin seeds
2 tsp whole fennel seeds >> *if you don’t have whole seeds, just use 2 tsp each of cumin powder and fennel powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 carton 32 oz vegetable broth
1/2 cup organic ketchup OR 2 cans (6 oz) tomato paste
1 tbsp black peppercorn >> if you don’t have peppercorn, then 2 tsp ground pepper
1 can great northern, cannellini, or navy bean
4 stalks green onion (for garnish)
sea salt

  1. In a large stock pot, melt butter on medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes until it starts smelling good. Add celery, cabbage, vinegar, and sprinkle 1/2 tsp sea salt. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. You may need to turn the heat down to medium-low depending on your stove so that it simmers.
  2. Add cumin, fennel, garlic powder, broth, ketchup, and beans (yes – just dump the entire can, no need to drain). Also add 1 tsp of salt. Stir well, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes. (If you don’t mind having peppercorns in your soup, just add it here. Or if you happen to have tea strainer or cheese cloth – add it to that and throw it in the pot. If you don’t have peppercorns, don’t add the pepper yet.)
  3. Stir everything well. If you used a strainer, pull the peppercorns out. If you don’t have peppercorn, add your ground pepper here – stir, and simmer for an additional 5 minutes).
  4. Take off the heat. Let sit for 10 minutes. Serve in bowl and top with poached egg, or kielbasa, or scallions (or all of the above!).