Ingredients
Scale
- 1 – 3 teaspoons of butter
- 1 3/4 cup onion, thinly sliced, then chopped roughly
- 1 – 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped fine
- 1/3 of a large cabbage, shredded (about 6 cups)
- 1 large russet potato, peeled and shredded
- 4 – 5 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 cups fat free half & half (or lowfat milk, as you prefer)
- 1 cup shredded Havarti cheese
- 2/3 cup mashed potatoes (optional)
- Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
- Thick slices of bread, cut into chunks and toasted (I used our White Whole Wheat bread, but a crusty French bread would be marvelous too)
- Shredded white sharp cheddar cheese (I used Cabot’s Horseradish White Cheddar)
- For the top: fresh snipped chives or green onion
Instructions
- Peel and chop the onion, garlic, and cabbage, then heat your soup pot over medium heat and add the butter. I used just a teaspoon of butter.
- Melt the butter, then add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add the cabbage and potato and stir to mix well, then add the broth (start with 4 cups) and stir to mix.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or so or until the cabbage is tender.
- Stir in the half & half and then the cheese. I added in another cup of broth to thin it, then I thought it was too thin so I added my leftover mashed potatoes from St. Patrick’s Day to help thicken it up. Add potato or broth to thicken or thin as you please … then add salt & pepper to taste.
- Now, cut some thick slices of bread, then cube them into 3/4 inch chunks, and set them on a baking sheet. Set them in a 400 degree oven for 3 – 5 minutes or until they are browned and crunchy on top, then turn them and set them back in the oven for just a couple minutes until they are browned on the other side.
- Ladle the cabbage soup into oven-safe bowls, top each bowl with several croutons, then add a good amount of shredded white cheddar cheese on top of the croutons. Set the bowls in the oven until the cheese is nicely melted.
- Remove the bowls from the oven, sprinkle a few snipped chives or green onion on top, set each bowl on a cool plate and serve immediately.