This French cabbage soup recipe makes the ideal farmhouse soup: easy in preparation, rustic in presentation, and exquisitely delicious in taste. The flavors of the vegetables meld together seamlessly with only a hint of smoky salted bacon, lemony thyme, and nutty Gruyere cheese. Serve this with good bread and a bottle of wine for a hearty meal.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes
Ingredients:
- 7 slices bacon
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 3 cups water
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 leeks, washed and thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed and chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 turnip, finely chopped
- 2 medium potatoes, chopped
- 8 cups chopped cabbage
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup grated Gruyere (optional, for garnish)
Preparation:
In a large saucepan, fry the bacon until it is cooked through, but not crispy and browned. Remove 5 slices of the bacon, drain them on a paper towel-lined plate, and chop into small bits. Continue cooking the remaining bacon until it turns crisp and brown. Transfer the crispy bacon to a separate paper towel-lined plate and allow it to drain; crumble and reserve the browned bacon.
Drain the bacon fat from the pan and return the chopped, non-browned bacon to it. Add the water, chicken stock, onions, leeks, carrots, garlic, and thyme to the pan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer the ingredients for 30 minutes.
Add the turnip, potatoes, cabbage, salt, and pepper to the pan and continue simmering the soup for 1 hour. Serve the cabbage vegetable soup garnished with the reserved, crumbled bacon and grated Gruyere cheese.
This cabbage soup recipe makes 6 to 8 servings.
