Lamb, Leek and Cabbage Soup with White Beans
Soup
Lamb, Leek and Cabbage Soup with White Beans
- Prep
- 20 minutes
- Cook
- 2 hours 10 minutes
- Total
- 2 hours 30 minutes
- Serves
- 6 servings
Bring it to the table
About this recipe.
Tender lamb and white beans in a brothy soup with leeks, cabbage and thyme.
Before you start
Gather your ingredients.
Check your pantry before you begin. Full quantities and serving adjustments are in the recipe card below.
See the ingredient checklist
- 1-2 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 Leeks (white and light green parts, sliced and thoroughly rinsed)
- 1 cup Carrot (diced)
- 1 cup Celery (diced)
- 4 cloves Garlic (roughly chopped)
- 1 med Green cabbage head (halved, cored, cut into roughly 1″ cubes)
- 1 1/2 lbs Boneless lamb shoulder (trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces)
- 6 cups Chicken broth (low sodium, plus water as needed)
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt (or less, to taste)
- 1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1 1/2 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp Thyme (dried (or Herbs de Provence, or Italian seasoning))
- 1/2 tsp Caraway seeds (optional)
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne (optional)
- 2 Bay leaves
- 15 oz Canned white beans (one can, drained and rinsed)
- Parsley (chopped, for serving)
- Grated pecorino (or other hard salty cheese – manchego, Parmesan) (for serving, optional)
Soup · Stovetop
A brothy bowl for a slow afternoon
Leeks and cabbage soften around tender lamb in this warming soup. White beans give the broth a little body, with parsley to finish.
Adapted from Sylvia Fountaine at Feasting at Home.
The cooking plan
How to make Lamb, Leek and Cabbage Soup with White Beans.
Rinse sliced leeks thoroughly to remove grit and drain. Heat oil in a large heavy stockpot over medium heat. Soften leeks, carrot and celery for 5–7 minutes; add garlic for 30 seconds.
Add lamb, broth, pepper, vinegar, thyme, optional caraway and cayenne, and bay leaves. Start with less than the listed salt if the broth is salty. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour.
Add cabbage and enough water to just cover it when gently pressed down. Cover and simmer for another 45–60 minutes, or longer until lamb pulls apart easily with a fork.
Discard bay leaves. Stir in drained canned beans and simmer until hot throughout. Adjust seasoning and serve with parsley and optional grated cheese.
Let’s cook
The full recipe.
Check off ingredients as you get them ready.
Changing servings? The ingredient list scales automatically. Adjust quantities named in the steps to match, and choose pans and cooking times for your batch.
Lamb, Leek and Cabbage Soup with White Beans
Ingredients
Instructions
- Rinse sliced leeks thoroughly to remove grit and drain. Heat oil in a large heavy stockpot over medium heat. Soften leeks, carrot and celery for 5–7 minutes; add garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add lamb, broth, pepper, vinegar, thyme, optional caraway and cayenne, and bay leaves. Start with less than the listed salt if the broth is salty. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour.
- Add cabbage and enough water to just cover it when gently pressed down. Cover and simmer for another 45–60 minutes, or longer until lamb pulls apart easily with a fork.
- Discard bay leaves. Stir in drained canned beans and simmer until hot throughout. Adjust seasoning and serve with parsley and optional grated cheese.
Notes
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