Cabbage Chili? or Cabbage soup? You Decide

      So hubby has to weigh in this week, which means extremely healthy eating in this house. The purpose of anything we eat coming up to a weigh in is nutritious, filling, and easy on the waist line. So this time I decided to look into making Cabbage Soup. After looking at some recipes online, I made my own version, and it is amazing! After eating it for dinner tonight, I realized there are many versions of this to be made, from extremely healthy and vegetarian to full on chili. So I have decided to share with you, how to make my version. I apologize for not having more pictures or better quality, but I didn't decide on sharing this until it was well into the cooking phase!


When I make this it fills my stock pot, I think it has a 6qt capacity. The cabbage and chicken stock can be reduced to fit into your stock pot. Of course this will be easy to freeze and has plenty of left overs.

Katie's Basic Cabbage Chili/Soup

* 1 Medium Yellow Onion - Diced

* 3 Large Cloves Garlic - Diced/Chopped

* 1 Bunch Fresh Spinach - Chopped

* 4 Celery Stalks - Diced/Chopped

* 4 Medium Carrots - Shredded/Grated

* 1 Medium Head of Green Cabbage - Chopped

* 2 Cans Petite Diced Tomatoes

* 1 Can Navy Beans - Drained

* 1 Can Garbanzo Beans - Drained

* 1 Can Kidney Beans - Drained

* 6 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock

* Olive oil

* Salt and Pepper (I prefer Kosher or Sea Salt for this)

* Garlic Powder

* Onion Powder

* Chili Powder

* Ground Cumin

Step One:  Sauté onion, garlic, and spinach in olive oil. Season with a little salt and pepper
Step Two: Add about one cup of Chicken Stock and deglaze the pan
Step Three: Add Cabbage, Carrots, Celery, and approximately 3 cups of chicken stock.
Step Four: Season to taste with Salt, Pepper, Onion powder, Garlic Powder, Chili Powder, and Ground
Cumin.
Step Five: Add Tomatoes, Beans, and remaining chicken stock to cover all ingredients.
Step Six: Simmer on low for at least two hours stirring occasionally.

This is ready to eat when the cabbage is soft and cooked through. 

Top with your favorite soup/chili toppings!

Full Stock Pot of Cabbage Chili

Variations of Katie's Cabbage Soup/Chili

* Add 8oz package of Diced Ham for a little more substance

or

* Brown one pound hamburger and drain before Sautéeing onions, garlic, and spinach for a truly hearty chili

I made this version of Cabbage Chili with Diced Ham

My Bowl of Cabbage Chili with some Shredded Cheese on Top

The best thing about this soup/chili is that it takes exactly like regular chili to me. It has great flavor and is extremely hearty with or without meat. For those that don't like cabbage, this wasn't very strong on the cabbage flavor. I think the tomato really subsides the strong flavor of the cabbage.

So what do you think, is this a soup or chili?