Soup is a favorite for most people, like me, especially during cooler weather. Some soups are known for their healing attributes such as chicken noodle soup or just some good, hot broth. This is one of those hot soups that nourish and is said to make you feel better.
Melissa Clark, NYT Cooking, is the author of this soup she calls Parmesan Cabbage Soup. I felt the soup needed a more detailed title to give a better description of this soup. Loaded with cabbage and leeks, thickened with long-grain rice and flavored with Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, fresh dill and lemon. This might not be my favorite soup but does deserve to be on the winter rotation of soups I make each year.
Another good soup to add to my winter rotation…
A warm, nourishing soup with some favorite ingredients…
The rice is the main thickening ingredient – you will probably need to add more liquid. Wash the rice a time or two for less starch.
Fresh dill, lemon zest and juice add some nice flavors…
Cabbage, Leeks, Rice and Parmesan Soup
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 2 medium leeks, white and light green parts, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (my leeks were very large but I used both)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes (to taste)
- 9 cups of green cabbage, sliced and chopped
- 1-1/2 tsp. fine sea salt or table salt (to taste)
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 2 quarts vegetable or chicken stock (I used chicken broth)
- 1 cup long-grain rice (I used basmati)
- 5 thyme sprigs (you could remove the leaves or put the sprigs in cheesecloth so they can be easily removed from the soup)
- 2 Parmesan rinds (optional, but I recommend if you have them)
- 1 lemon (zest to add to the soup and half of the lemon juiced to finish – optional – I did add)
- 1/4 cup Parmesan, grated plus more for serving
- 1 cup fresh dill or cilantro, chopped (I highly recommend fresh dill)
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven, add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes and cook another minute. Add all of the cabbage, salt and pepper and cook for about 10 minutes – it will start to caramelize.
Add the stock/broth, rice, thyme sprigs and Parmesan rinds. Bring to a simmer and cook, partly covered, over medium low heat for 20-25 minutes.
Discard the thyme sprigs and Parmesan rinds. Finely grate in the lemon peel, add the grated Parmesan and fresh dill. Halve the lemon and add the juice from one half.
Adjust seasonings and serve with extra Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes and a slice of lemon..
Recipe by cookingwithauntjuju.com
The ingredients…
Starting to caramelize…
Parmesan rinds add extra creaminess as it breaks down…
I’m drooling as I read the ingredients! I can only imagine the creaminess of the parmesan bathing everything together. Yum! 🍃🧀
Thanks – the Parmesan rinds are a must – I used my last two 🙂
I never thought about using the rinds. You are a genius, Judy! 👏
Yum, Judi. What an interesting combination. I would never have thought of it, but this really does sound delicious.
If you’ve been following my new blog serial enough to have some idea of the characters, maybe you’d like to share a recipe (in stead of “3 random reader things”) for an episode? Something one of the characters might like to serve or be served…
Hugs.
Thanks Teagan! I have been following the serial and just refreshed my memory of past posts. I would like to share a recipe if I come up with one that fits a character (s) in your story 🙂
Great. <3
I prefer leeks to cabbage, but can see how this soup is perfect on a cold day. I always add Parmesan rind to Minestrone, but it’s good to know it works here as well. 🙂
I like them both a lot and love to find new recipes that use them. I add rinds to a lot of soups/stews/chili – it all depends on whether I have any in the freezer. I know they are available at specialty food stores 🙂
I think I’d really love the texture of this soup!
The veggies are soft as well as the rice and perfectly blends with the starch from the rice and the Parmesan. The flavors are well-balanced with red pepper, fresh thyme and dill and fresh lemon 🙂
this sounds just my cup of tea! I love a ricey/ricy? soup. the flavours sound great.
Thanks Sherry – the rice gives the soup a creamy texture. A nice addition to my cool weather soups 🙂