March came in like a lion. For the second time this winter, we had double digit snowfall. Since we haven’t had that much snow in 17 years, it was pretty surprising to see it twice in one season.
Needless to say, we are ready for spring to show up!
But first, there’s March. Where we begin to crave green things and vegetables and sunshine.
This soup is definitely a winter soup, but it’s perfect for March. It’s full of veggies. It’s hot and hearty and perfect for refueling after an hour or two of shoveling snow.
I seasoned the soup with McCormick Bay Leaves and Thyme. The soup comes together quickly, but the flavor is full and round and tastes like you’ve spent all day.
Part of the reason it’s easy to put together is that I chose to leave the peels on the potatoes. That gives the soup a rustic quality and makes the prep work easier too.
Here’s what you’ll need:
I made the soup on top of the stove, but this could also be made in the slow cooker. Just place all the ingredients in the crock and turn it on. If you want to do the prep work early in the day, the slow cooker is the way to go.
The sight of all that pretty, green cabbage gives hope for spring!
Rustic Irish Potato and Cabbage Soup - for the slow cooker or stove top
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 6 medium potatoes scrubbed and chopped
- 4 carrots chopped
- 1/2 head of cabbage chopped
- 1 smoked sausage sliced
- 2 32 oz boxes chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp. thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/8 tsp. sugar
- 1 Tbs. cider vinegar optional
Instructions
- Cook the onion and garlic in a bit of oil until the onion is soft.
- Add remaining ingredients, except cider vinegar, to the pot.
- Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.
- Stir in cider vinegar, if desired.
- To make soup in slow cooker, place all ingredients in crock and cook on high 5-6 hours or low 7-8 hours. No need to cook onion and garlic before adding to slow cooker.
I forgot to add the cider vinegar to the pot at the end of cooking, but a few of us stirred a couple of drops into our bowls of soup. I liked the soup both with and without the vinegar.
For more delicious Irish-themed recipes, like Savory Irish Cheese Soda Bread, check out McCormick’s website. You can also find McCormick on Pinterest and Facebook and Instagram.
If you have an Instant Pot, then you’ll want to check out my Instant Pot Rustic Irish Potato and Cabbage Soup version of this favorite. And the entire collection of The Best Easy Instant Pot Soup Recipes.
And if you want more quick and hearty recipes for the Instant Pot, then sign up for my free Instant Pot School. You’ll learn how to make some basics, soups and way beyond with free printable recipes, a meal plan with a color-coded grocery list and video lessons.
Disclosure: I have been compensated for my time by McCormick, however all opinions are my own.
I love watching your videos and reading your postings. I have found several recipes that we have enjoyed. I have been looking for recipes for red cabbage and so far I haven’t found any that I wanted to use. I was wondering if you have an easy red cabbage meal. Could red cabbage be used in today’s soup instead of green cabbage?
I don’t have any red cabbage recipes. Actually, I’m not sure I’ve ever cooked with it. I need to change that! I think you could use red cabbage in the soup, but it will tint the soup pink/purple. I think the green cabbage will work better, unless you don’t mind pink potatoes 🙂
A friend linked the original source of this recipe on FB a couple years ago. I salivated over my screen, made some myself, then typed it up here. It’s good stuff! I haven’t made it since I started adding pictures to recipes, but follow my link back to Ambitious Kitchen for several mouthwatering pictures. 🙂
http://fortheloveofgrub.blogspot.com/2013/04/thai-quinoa-salad-with-ginger-peanut.html
You are right Bethany that recipe does sound good!
It is. 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome!
Just bookmarked this one! It sounds and looks delicious. 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight and used red potatoes, just because we had some on hand. It’s yummy! It wasn’t until I sat down to eat that I realized the whole wheat biscuits I served with it came from a recipe I got from you ages ago. It’s a Tiffany-style dinner at our house tonight. 🙂
🙂 Red potatoes sound really good in this soup!
I made this for a church supper the weekend before st.patty’s day. We have a few diabetics to consider so I subbed a head of cauliflower for the potatoes and cooked it all in the crock pot. It was so delicious.
Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
Emily Grace
Cauliflower is a great idea!
What if I don’t have stock how much water should I put in the crock pot.?
You’ll need about 6-8 cups of water. If you have some boullion cube, that will help flavor it. Using water alone might not give the best flavor.
Making this now…..will leave another comment when it’s cooked, looks delicious cooking though 🙂
Aside from taste, what are some benefits to adding cider vinegar to this recipe?
Flavor is the only benefit I know for this recipe. I know there are health benefits to consuming cider vinegar, but I’m not sure any of those would be realized in this recipe.
Okay, thanks!
This is a old soul recipe my mom used to make back in the day for winter days , with hot water cornbread I’m making it this weekend because in Oklahoma City it will be 49 degrees
I dont remember mom putting smoke sausage in the soup but everything else sounds like hers.
Made this today and it was delicious. I, of course, made my own adjustments to it. I cooked the onion, garlic and sausage together (I used a pack of hot sausage and a pack of sweet Italian sausage) then added about a quarter cup of white wine. When the alcohol was cooked off I added the potatoes and broth cooked about ten minutes and added everything else. I felt it needed a bit more flavor so I added some parsley to it and used chicken stock instead of water.
That sounds delicious! And a great way to tweak the recipe to fit your own tastes!
This soup is delicious. Being a vegetarian, I omitted the sausage and added 1 tsp of smoked paprika and 1 can of great northern beans. Thank you for sharing the recipe!