easy cabbage and lentil soup

If you’ve been looking for a meatless option, cabbage and lentil soup is it! What an easy soup recipe this is! And, oddly enough, my kids really love it. I didn’t really think lentil soup would be a meal kids love but so far all of them have enjoyed it and even asked for seconds!

I absolutely love soup! Over the years I’ve made so many different varieties of soup. Sometimes from a recipe and sometimes just looking at a picture of soup and trying to make it taste like the picture looks. Our children have been know to tell me they’re a bit sick of eating soup and sourdough… I can’t relate. I mostly go for a creamy base but for lentil soup I like just plain chicken broth. Lentils are a nice and easy protein addition to many different recipes but especially meatless meals.

We don’t eat meat on Fridays so there’s always at least one day during the week that I’m trying to think of new veggie meals or at least a twist on some old ones. If you have random beans, or in this case lentils, hanging around in your pantry this is a fairly quick and painless meal to assemble. Pair it with some warm, hearty bread and a slab of butter and you’ve got a delicious supper! Cabbage and lentil soup is made with fresh produce and nourishing bone broth so it’s a great meal to make whether you’re healthy or not feeling so well.

What ingredients will you need?

For a full gallon sized stock pot you’ll need:

• 3 stalks celery
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons salt
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 medium white onion
• 8oz lentils
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 Tablespoons chives
• 5 medium carrots
• 1/2 head large cabbage
• 2 generous Tablespoons animal fat (butter, tallow, lard, etc.)

Cabbage and lentil soup step-by-step

First, dice your onions and mince your garlic and get it cooking with the fat in your pot on a medium to low heat. There aren’t too many things in the food world that smell better than onions and garlic sautéing.

Dice carrots and celery and add them to the pot.

Chop the cabbage in small pieces and add to the pot along with dried lentils.

Add salt, pepper, seasonings and stir

Let all your veggies sauté for a couple minutes while stirring frequently.

Lastly, add the broth and the water. Remember, lentils soak up quite a bit of liquid so you may need to add more as your soup cooks. Cover with a lid and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook until lentils are done. It should take around 30 minutes.

When your soup is done it should look something like this and the lentils should be soft.

Mmmmmmmm a pot full of yummy coziness for you! Really, I didn’t think there was anything very special about lentils but this soup is always a hit. We like to enjoy it with a slice of homemade sourdough bread or, as in the image below, some sourdough flatbread. When you realize you don’t have any bread on hand a nice flatbread does the trick. It has no rising agent so it’s super fast to make and a pretty good substitute. You can add cheese and/or a savory jam to make it fancy.

For this meal I made flatbread with freshly milled flour and sourdough discard. I fried it in a pan like a pancake and topped it with cream cheese and caramelized onion jam. You can also use regular flour and add a bit of avocado or olive oil, salt, and enough water to make it doughy like the consistency of sugar cookie dough. Then shape the flatbreads and fry them with a bit of butter, coconut oil, or lard in a pan.

Enjoy your soup!

~Emily