Cabbage Soup with ham, potatoes & more -- hearty, comforting, perfect for fall

As the weather cools off, it's the perfect time to turn fall produce into hearty, comforting, soup! For this soup, I paired a head of our garden cabbage with potatoes, carrots, and lots of garden herbs. The liquid from a simmered ham hock provided the liquid and I threw in a can of cannellini beans for added protein and heartiness. 

Loaded Cabbage Soup
1 ham hock
9 to 12 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 onion, diced
Salt & pepper to taste
1 head cabbage, shredded & then chopped
1 large carrot, grated
About 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped parsley
4 or 5 sprigs of thyme -- strip leaves from stems
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 (15 oz.) can cannelloni beans, undrained
Extra parsley and thyme for garnish

1. Place ham hock, about 9 cups of water, bay leaves and diced onions in a large Dutch oven.
   
2. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat; simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until meat falls off bone. Add more water if needed during cooking time. 
3. Remove bone, cool and them remove ham. Add ham and clean bone back to the pot. Taste and add salt and pepper to season. Bring liquid to a boil.
4. Add cabbage and abbot, parsley, thyme and potatoes. Remove liquid to low and simmer until all veggies are tender -- about 30 to 40 minutes.
   
5. Add cannelloni beans and heat through.
   
6. Season with additional herbs if desired.

Other cabbage based soups on our blog include:

Cabbage & Kielbasa Soup

Cabbage Kielbasa Soup 2

Recipe without photos . . .
Loaded Cabbage Soup
1 ham hock
9 to 12 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 onion, diced
Salt & pepper to taste
1 head cabbage, shredded & then chopped
1 large carrot, grated
About 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped parsley
4 or 5 sprigs of thyme -- strip leaves from stems
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 (15 oz.) can cannelloni beans, undrained
Extra parsley and thyme for garnish

1. Place ham hock, about 9 cups of water, bay leaves and diced onions in a large Dutch oven.
2. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat; simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until meat falls off bone. Add more water if needed during cooking time.
3. Remove bone, cool and them remove ham. Add ham and clean bone back to the pot. Taste and add salt and pepper to season. Bring liquid to a boil.
4. Add cabbage and abbot, parsley, thyme and potatoes. Remove liquid to low and simmer until all veggies are tender -- about 30 to 40 minutes.
5. Add cannelloni beans and heat through.
6. Season with additional herbs if desired.