Spicy Italian Cabbage Soup

A great soup to fill up on when you’re watching your waistline!  A little bit of spice to warm you on a cool evening and some fresh basil and scallion to bring all the flavors together.  You can make this soup your own by adding whatever vegetables you like.

 

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil

1 medium onion diced

2 T minced garlic

2 T tomato paste

½ green bell pepper diced

½ red bell pepper diced

1 small fennel bulb diced

2 tomatoes seeded and diced

2 T Italian seasoning

1 Qt vegetable stock

½ Qt water

1 large can diced tomatoes (I like San Marzanos)

1 small head cabbage (I prefer savoy) chopped bite-size

1 tsp red pepper flakes

Salt & pepper to taste

Scallions diced

Fresh basil 

Optional:

2 T chicken soup base

Diced zucchini & squash diced 

Heat 2 T olive oil in a large soup kettle or dutch oven.  Add onions and sauté until translucent.  Add garlic and red pepper flakes, stirring until fragrant (about 1 min).  Add tomato paste – cook about 2 minutes.  Add bell peppers, fennel bulb & tomatoes.  At this point, season with salt and pepper.  Allow veggies to sweat for about 5 minutes (stirring occasionally) then add can of diced tomatoes, vegetable stock and water.  Bring to a good simmer allowing vegetables to cook. 

OPTIONAL:   At this point, using either an immersion blender or upright blender, blenderize part of the soup, leaving as many chunks as you’d like.  This will add body to the soup and not just leave it as veggies in broth.  Then add cabbage and continue simmer until cabbage is cooked through. 

 If adding soup base, add after liquids are added.  If adding zucchini & squash, add just as cabbage is becoming fully cooked to avoid them getting too mushy.

 SERVING:

Sprinkle diced scallions and ripped basil over soup just before serving.  If you don’t have fresh basil, you can stir in some basil pesto you have hiding in your freezer.  Stir together and enjoy! J