Cabbage soup has a bad reputation.
My first experience of it was when I was living in England. My flat mate decided she was going on a diet and made a big pot of cabbage soup.
Needless to say the diet didn’t end well.
And I was a little hesitant to try cabbage soup again.
But I’m really loving everything cabbage right now. And it’s Winter here. So I thought it was worth a shot.
And was it ever worth it?! Adding the almond meal to the broth makes for a rich, creamy soup.
And the crunchy almonds on top add the extra texture and substance that all good soups need.
I promise, the word ‘diet’ won’t even cross your mind.
Creamy Cabbage & Almond Soup
Ingredients
- 500 g cabbage about 1/4 large
- 3 cups chicken or veg stock
- 4 sprigs thyme optional, leaves picked
- 100 g almond meal (almond flour)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 100 g roast almonds
Instructions
- Finely slice cabbage and place in a largeish saucepan with the stock, thyme and almond meal. Cover and bring to the boil.
- Reduce heat to medium and simmer rapidly covered for 10-15 minutes or until the cabbage is lovely and soft.
- Taste and season with salt and vinegar as needed. If the soup is dry add some water.
- Divide between 2 deep bowls and serve topped with roast almonds.
Nutrition
WINE MATCH: A big buttery Chardonnay.
Variations & Substitutions
different vinegar – apple cider, sherry or any wine vinegar is good.
Keto / ultra low carb – try this spinach soup.
nut-free – skip the almond meal and replace 1/2 cup of the stock with cream. Serve with lashings of grated parmesan instead of the roast almonds.
hot! – serve with chilli salt or chilli oil.
carnivore – add some cooked bacon, sausage or pork mince (ground)!
more substantial (carb lovers) – add in cooked pasta, cooked brown rice, quinoa or other grains. Or serve with crusty bread and butter.
more substantial (low carb) – more nuts! Stir in a few lightly whisked eggs at the end and simmer for an extra minute or until the egg is just set. Serve with grated parmesan and a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Low FODMAP – use madacamias or walnuts instead of the almonds. And skip the almond meal. Use white cabbage not savoy.
different vegetables – soften an onion in oil before adding the cabbage and stock. Cauliflower is lovely with the creamy almond. Or broccoli would also work. Feel free to add carrot, celery or any root veg that need using up. And I can imagine kale, chard or spinach would make a delicious more vibrantly coloured soup.
Problem Solving Guide
bland – more salt! Or more vinegar or a squeeze of lemon. Next time use a more flavoursome stock. A splash of hot sauce or some grated parmesan will help.
too dry – it’s important to cook with the lid on to avoid losing too much water. Easy to fix by adding more water and bringing back to a simmer.
hard to eat – either under cooked cabbage or you’ve left the cabbage chunks too large. Next time chop more finely.For now you can puree it with a stick blender to break up the cabbage a bit.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
cabbage (white) – will keep in a plastic bag in the fridge for weeks, even months. Can be frozen but will have a wilted texture once defrosted.
chicken or veg stock / almond meal / rice wine or other wine vinegar / roast almonds – keep them in the pantry.
thyme – keeps for ages in a plastic bag in the fridge or even longer in the freezer.
Prepare Ahead
Yes! Just cook as per the recipe but keep the roast nuts separately. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or can be frozen. To serve, bring back to a simmer and top with the nuts. If the soup is too thick, add a little water.
Add to my Old Favourite Recipes
This is such a comforting soup! Even better when I remembered to add the vinegar. I only had dried thyme on hand and am looking forward to making this again with fresh.
So glad you enjoyed Melanie!
I was thinking about you last night – I’m reading a book with Finbar that had an old Japanese chef who loved cabbage so much he was making cabbage cookies!
I tried this and liked it but found the texture a little grainy but understandable because the almond flour was a little coarse. I also used slivered almonds and I think the whole roasted ones would have looked better and added better crunch.Would do again.
Yes the coarseness of your almond meal will make the texture more grainy – simmering it for longer can help soften a bit. Or using almond butter
Wow, this was a stunningly creamy surprise! Couldn’t imagine how the almond meal would fit in, but OH MY .. such a creamy texture for this soup! Only had a type of Greek dried thyme at home which a friend gave me, but it fit perfectly! @Jules: could you add how much in ml a cup is? still not used to the US measures, sorry! :/
I use metric measurements too Sandra! So 1 cup = 250mL.
Although in most savoury recipes US cups would be fine as well – they aren’t that different. It’s only in baking when you need precision that it matters.
This almost worked, but I wanted to comment that I had an issue with using half and half instead of cream as a substitute for the almond meal. I should’ve just stuck with the stock. I will make this again without swapping anything for the almond meal.
Thanks for reporting back April – it’s helpful to know when substitutions don’t go so well. That way we all learn 🙂
This was very good and simple to make. I used some crumbled bacon on top instead of almonds and used homemade duck broth. My husband signed us up as a fan of your recipes but I actually make the meals:) I like that I used up the half of a cabbage from last week’s feta and cabbage recipe. Is this on purpose? So efficient!
oh wow Ellen! Duck broth would have been next level. Your husband obviously has excellent taste 🙂
Very delicious! Filling and warm on a cold day. I sautéed sliced hot dogs to put on top instead of the almonds. Thanks!
oh yay Jessica!
Yummy! This was fabulous. The vinegar and thyme flavours really made this recipe. I used red wine vinegar. Needed to eat most of this ‘soup’ with a fork, but loved it.
Yes it’s a bit chunky Jo! Next time you can add some water or stock if you want to soup it more.