Irish Cabbage and Beef Soup (Printable)
A warming, traditional Irish soup combining tender beef, fresh cabbage, and root vegetables in a rich, flavorful broth.
# What You Need:
→ Meats
01 - 1.1 lb beef stew meat, cut into ¾-inch cubes
→ Vegetables
02 - 1 small green cabbage (about 1.1 lb), cored and chopped
03 - 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
04 - 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
05 - 1 large onion, chopped
06 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
07 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
→ Liquids
08 - 6 cups beef broth, gluten-free certified
09 - 14 oz canned diced tomatoes, undrained
10 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
→ Spices & Herbs
11 - 2 bay leaves
12 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
13 - ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
14 - 1 teaspoon salt, adjusted to taste
15 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped, plus extra for garnish
→ Fats
16 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
# Directions:
01 - Heat vegetable oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add beef cubes and brown on all sides for 5-7 minutes until caramelized.
02 - Add onion, garlic, carrots, and celery to the pot. Sauté for 5 minutes until vegetables begin to soften and release their flavors.
03 - Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, allowing it to caramelize slightly and deepen the soup's flavor profile.
04 - Add beef broth, diced tomatoes with their juice, potatoes, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
05 - Add chopped cabbage to the pot. Simmer uncovered for 30-40 minutes until beef is tender and all vegetables are fully cooked.
06 - Stir in fresh parsley and adjust seasoning to taste. Remove and discard bay leaves before serving.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with additional fresh parsley. Serve hot.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The beef becomes fork-tender in the slow-simmered broth, releasing deep flavors that make this more than just soup it becomes a complete meal in a bowl.
- Every spoonful offers a perfect balance of hearty vegetables and savory broth that somehow manages to taste even better the next day after the flavors have melded overnight.
02 -
- Dont rush the beef browning step I once tried to save time by skipping this and the resulting soup lacked that deep, complex flavor that makes this dish special.
- Adding the cabbage later in the cooking process rather than at the beginning preserves its texture and prevents the soup from developing that overcooked cabbage smell that can happen with longer cooking times.
03 -
- For an even richer flavor profile, deglaze the pot after browning the beef with a splash of Irish stout or red wine, scraping up all those caramelized bits from the bottom its those little browned pieces that contain concentrated flavor.
- If youre short on time, use a pressure cooker to reduce the cooking time by two-thirds while still achieving that slow-cooked depth the beef becomes just as tender in about 25 minutes under pressure.