1-Step 1: Prepare Your Vegetables Before you start cooking, take some time to chop all your vegetables. Dice the onion and celery into small, even pieces so they cook uniformly. Chop the carrots into rounds or half-moons, depending on their thickness. Cut the cabbage into bite-sized pieces, discarding the tough core. Dice the Yukon Gold potatoes into half-inch cubes. Grate your garlic cloves or mince them finely. Having everything prepped beforehand makes the cooking process smooth and stress-free.

2-Step 2: Build Your Flavor Base Place a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Once the oil shimmers slightly, add the chopped carrots, diced onion, diced celery, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Stir everything together and let it cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. This step, known as creating a soffritto or mirepoix, allows the vegetables to soften and release their natural sugars, building a foundation of flavor that will permeate the entire soup.

3-Step 3: Add Brightness with Vinegar After the vegetables have softened and become fragrant, pour in the two tablespoons of white wine vinegar. Stir well to combine and let it cook for about 30 seconds. The vinegar adds a wonderful brightness that will balance the sweetness of the cabbage and tomatoes. Adding the vinegar at this stage, rather than at the end, allows its sharpness to mellow while still providing that essential tangy note. If you love hearty vegetable dishes like my ground beef and chopped cabbage recipe, you’ll appreciate how these flavors develop.

4-Step 4: Combine All Remaining Ingredients Now it’s time to bring everything together. Add the two cans of fire-roasted diced tomatoes (with their juices), the four cups of vegetable broth, the drained and rinsed white beans, the grated garlic, the diced potatoes, the chopped cabbage, and the dried thyme. Give everything a good stir to combine. At this point, the pot will look very full, but don’t worry, the cabbage will cook down significantly.

5-Step 5: Simmer Until Tender Increase the heat to bring the soup to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with a lid. Let the soup simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork and the cabbage has softened to your liking. The simmering process allows all the flavors to meld together beautifully while the cabbage becomes silky and the potatoes turn perfectly tender. Check occasionally and give it a stir to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom.

6-Step 6: Season and Serve Once everything is cooked through, taste the soup and adjust the seasonings with additional salt and pepper as needed. Remember that the flavors will continue to develop as the soup sits, so don’t be shy with the seasoning. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and garnish each serving with fresh chopped parsley for a pop of color and freshness. This cabbage soup pairs wonderfully with crusty bread for dipping or alongside a simple sandwich for a more substantial meal.