Cabbage Minestrone with Chick Peas

Name: Cabbage Minestrone with Chick Peas
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients: 1 heaped cup chick peas, washed and picked over, soaked for 6 hours or overnight in 1 quart water; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped; 1 celery stalk, finely chopped; Salt to taste; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes, seeded and chopped, with juice; 1 1/2 pounds cabbage (green or red), outer leaves removed, cored and coarsely chopped (about 1 medium cabbage); 2 1/2 quarts water; A bouquet garni made with 1 Parmesan rind, a bay leaf, and a few sprigs each parsley and thyme; Freshly ground pepper; 1/2 cup elbow macaroni or small shells; Freshly grated Parmesan for serving

By Martha Rose Shulman

Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Rating: 4(143)
Comments: Read comments

Minestrone can have many ingredients or few. This one has few, and yet its flavors are no less complex than my summer minestrones that have lots of different vegetables in them. Cabbage sweetens a broth as it simmers gently (and no, it won’t smell like boiled cabbage). You can use red cabbage instead of green for this if you wish; that will add to the mix a whole family of flavonoids called anthocyanins, which are powerful antioxidants.

Featured in: Cabbage, an Inexpensive Nutritional Powerhouse

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves 6 to 8

1heaped cup chick peas, washed and picked over, soaked for 6 hours or overnight in 1 quart water
2tablespoons olive oil
1large onion, finely chopped
1carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1celery stalk, finely chopped
Salt to taste
4garlic cloves, minced
1(28-ounce) can tomatoes, seeded and chopped, with juice
1½pounds cabbage (green or red), outer leaves removed, cored and coarsely chopped (about 1 medium cabbage)
2½quarts water
A bouquet garni made with 1 Parmesan rind, a bay leaf, and a few sprigs each parsley and thyme
Freshly ground pepper
½cup elbow macaroni or small shells
Freshly grated Parmesan for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Drain the chick peas and set aside. Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy soup pot and add the onion, carrot, and celery. Add ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the mixture is fragrant and the vegetables tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in half the minced garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute or so, until the garlic begins to smell fragrant. Add the tomatoes and their liquid and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down a bit. Add the cabbage, stir together for a minute, then add the drained chick peas, 2 quarts water, and the bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 1 hour, or until the beans are just about tender.
Step 2
Add the remaining garlic and salt to taste, cover and continue to simmer another 30 minutes to an hour, until the beans are thoroughly cooked and the soup very fragrant. Add a cup more water if it seems too thick. Add pepper, taste and adjust salt. Remove the bouquet garni.
Step 3
Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is cooked al dente, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve, passing the Parmesan at the table for sprinkling.

Ratings

4 out of 5

143 user ratings

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Comments

natalie6 years ago

We loved this. I made it with canned chickpeas, Penzy’s Bouquet Garni seasoning, red cabbage, homegrown canned tomatoes, only 2 cloves garlic, and of course way less water. I also didn’t cook it particularly long. I thought it was plenty flavorful.

AliceM7 years ago

This soup was really good and easy to prepare. It was, however, a bit on the bland side for me. Next time I make it I’ll either add more of the spices to the bouquet garni or perhaps try a different combo. But not more garlic. I ended up serving it with hot sauce n the side and that really helped.

Jennifer B.4 years ago

The first time I made this, I hadn't noticed the directions to soak dried beans, etc., until I was ready to make it, and so made it with canned beans; it was excellent! The second time, I followed the directions for dried beans, with a long overnight soak, with beans from a trusted source, and I know they were in no way stale. Even after the soaking and 2 1/2 hours cooking, beans were only soft-ish, but not creamy and lovely as chickpeas can be after 45 mins. I'll use cooked beans next time!

Diane K9 months ago

Sauted the onions, celery, and carrots, then put everything in the crock pot for the afternoon. I added a splash of red wine, used canned garbanzo beans, and leftover pasta. Turned out great.

sandra1 year ago

I used canned beans and cooked for one hour plus seven minutes for the pasta. I used 1/2 tsp of thyme and parsley each, with sprinkles of Parmesan. All seemed fine. The soup was generally good; mild in flavor. We (my family) maybe think it should be cooked the 1.5 to 2 hours for more broth flavor. I also would like to add some wine next time.

Map1 year ago

This was delicious! The only change I made was to use the organic, vegetable broth made from the base from Costco.

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