(This recipe first appeared in the January print edition of the Hendersonian.)
Nothing beats the winter chill like a good bowl of soup. This recipe is a combines two of my favorite recipes into one. Using different varieties of beans provides a unique flavor paired with the vegetable combination of cabbage, carrots, and onions. It’s easy to prepare and can be ready to eat in under an hour
Four Bean Cabbage Soup with Pancetta
Ingredients
1 – 4 ounce package of pancetta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion
2 – 3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled & sliced
1 small head of cabbage, chopped
1 – 15 ounce can navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 – 15 ounce can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 – 15 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 – 15 ounce can black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1/4 teaspoon each of salt & ground pepper
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 – 32 ounce cartons vegetable broth
Directions
In stock pot over medium heat add pancetta and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add olive oil and stir to mix. Add onions and garlic and stir ingredients together, cooking for another 5 minutes until onions begin to soften. Add carrots and stir into mixture, cooking for another 5 minutes. Add cabbage, beans, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes stirring well to mix all the ingredients together. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for another 5 minutes until the cabbage begins to soften. Add vegetable broth and stir to mix well. Add a lid to the pot and cook over medium low heat for 30 minutes.
Note:
Options to substitute for pancetta include 1/2 cup chopped ham or 4 slices bacon chopped. A ham hock or a “soup bone” could be added with the addition of the broth.
Merritt Bates-Thomas is a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) who has been sharing recipes with a healthier twist on WBKR FM 92.5’s What’s Cooking since 2017. In May 2023, she joined ABC 25 Local Lifestyles to share recipes and tips for flavorful cooking. She also appears on CW7’s Daybreak Extra’s Joe’s Kitchen and is a contributor to Kentucky Monthly. You can follow her on Instagram @thekitchentransition and now on Facebook at The Kitchen Transition.
