Bridget's Cabbage Soup

    I could go on and on about the benefits of adding cabbage to your diet! I did find this article that says it all! I can remember my mom making cabbage soup growing up. She'd call it her garbage soup! I love how much you could play with this recipe. I've added everything from rice and pasta, to chickpeas, green beans, and black beans. The best part for me is that it's filling. I can eat a lot of it and it's ok because it's not terrible for you. This is a base recipe, feel free to play around with it!

Bridget's Cabbage Soup

Ingredients:

- 2 tablespoons of olive oil

- 1 small onion, chopped

- 2 carrots, chopped

- 2 celery ribs, chopped

- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic (3-4 cloves)

- 4 cups of water

- 4 cups of chicken broth

- 3 large bay leaves

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper

- 1/2 of a small head of cabbage, chopped into bite sized pieces

- 1 (14 oz) can of petite diced tomatoes (do not drain)

- 1 (14 oz) can of garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)

    Start by heating the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Once hot, add in the onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 2 or 3 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften and then add in the garlic. Once the garlic is very fragrant, add the water, chicken stock, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and white pepper. Bring to a boil and then add the cabbage, tomatoes, and garbanzo beans. Let simmer for about 30 minutes or until the cabbage is nice and tender. Don't be afraid of adding more salt, there's a lot of liquid and it needs to be seasoned.