This Napa cabbage and bean soup is a prime example of why I don’t mind going meatless on Mondays. It’s vegetarian comfort food!
Ready in just 30 minutes, this delicious and simple soup is so flavorful you’ll be ladling more soup into your bowl before you knew what hit you.
As you know, David and I participate in Meatless Monday every Monday. We have been meatless on Mondays for years now. It started as a challenge, but I find it easier and easier to come up with meals.
Sometimes I buy veggies without even knowing what I will do with them, but I have to say this is the first time I have ever purchased the wrong vegetable and did not know until long after eating the meal!
Yep, the soup recipe I was using called for escarole. Still, somehow between me being oblivious to what escarole is and looked like and the produced being mislabeled, I used Napa cabbage in place of the escarole.
Of course, I did not discover this until I sat down to write this post. I realized what had happened when I became curious to know more about escarole and its nutritional benefits. I noticed the pictures I had were completely different from the ones in my search. Imagine how embarrassing it would have been to say call a Napa cabbage “escarole”!
After laughing myself silly about what had happened, I realized that when it comes down to it, it didn’t matter. This soup was excellent and will become part of my rotation for simple, easy suppers. I don’t know how it could have been any better. David and I both loved this soup and have fallen madly in love with Napa cabbage.
How To Make Napa Cabbage and Bean Soup
First, cut the bottom off the cabbage, then peel away the cabbage leaves; cut or tear into two-inch pieces.
What I liked most is that the cabbage doesn’t have the bitter core ribs like a normal head of cabbage.
Rinse the leaves with cold water.
Allow them to drain or use a salad spinner to remove excess water.
It is important to dry them as much as possible since they will be going into hot oil.
Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat; add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, about 1 minute, or until the oil becomes fragrant (do not brown).
Add cabbage, toss to coat, and season with salt, to taste. Cook until cabbage is just wilted, about 2 minutes.
Toss the beans and chickpeas into a strainer and rinse with cold water.
Shake out excess water and add them and the broth to the pot of cabbage; bring to a simmer.
Cook until heated through, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove the garlic cloves. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve with crusty bread, lemon wedges, and red pepper flakes.
It is dishes like this that could easily turn me into a vegetarian. This soup is so rich and flavorful even if I did use the wrong veggie…lol!
Napa Cabbage and Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic smashed and peeled
- 1 pinch pinch of red pepper flakes + more for serving (optional)
- 1 small head Napa cabbage leaves torn into 2-inch pieces
- 15.5 ounce can red kidney beans rinsed and drained
- 15.5 ounce can chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- lemon wedges and crusty bread for serving
Instructions
- Cut the bottom off the cabbage, then peel away the cabbage leaves; cut or tear into two-inch pieces. Rinse the leaves with cold water. Allow them to drain or use a salad spinner to remove excess water.
- Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat; add the garlic and red-pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, about 1 minute, or until oil becomes fragrant (do not brown).
- Add cabbage, toss to coat, and season with salt, to taste. Cook until cabbage is just wilted, about 2 minutes.
- Toss the beans and chickpeas into a strainer and rinse with cold water. Shake out excess water and add them and the broth to the pot of cabbage; bring to a simmer.
- Cook until heated through, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove garlic and add salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve with crusty bread, lemon wedges, and red pepper flakes.
Colleen says
Napa is my most favorite cabbage! Between the flavor and the texture, it has all the serious YUMS!!!
The Mountain Kitchen says
It is now my favorite too! A very happy mistake!! 🙂
Jenny says
This soup looks great, Debbie! I love napa cabbage too, though have not tried it in a soup. I will have to give this a try!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks Jenny. It is delicious! A very happy mistake. 🙂
Julie is Hostess At Heart says
I love everything about this soup! It’s delicious and virtually fat-free too! I use Napa cabbage and really like it.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks, Julie. It was delicious! I hope you’ll try it, you’ll love it. 🙂
Anonymous says
That’s funny about the napa cabbage – personally I would prefer it over escarole. That’s why I love to make soup – you can make it your own 🙂
The Mountain Kitchen says
It was a very happy mistake to say the least. Yes, soup is very forgiving, isn’t it?!?! 🙂
Stephanie says
Made this soup and loved it! I used my homemade chicken broth which was delicious on its own but adding these simple and tasty ingredients made it super yummy. I was Googling for soup to make with napa cabbage and beans and it led me here. So glad it did!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Stephanie! I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup. This soup is proof that even the most simple ingredients can come together to make something wonderful. I know your homemade chicken broth really set it off. Thanks for taking time to comment! 🙂
Patricia says
Made this exactly as the recipe said but used Better Than Broth veggie broth with water. Truly excellent! The flavor is great and the texture is really nice for a soup! Will make this again!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hey Patricia! I’m no glad you liked the soup. It’s one of our favorites! Thanks for commenting!
Diane says
I love easy peasy recipes! Looks really yummy too!! Hope you are having a wonderful summer.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Diane! I hope you will try this soup. It is one of my favorites and it is ready in just minutes. Just don’t forget that squeeze of lemon! Hope you are enjoying your summer too!
AsianCookingMom says
Nice recipe. I haven’t tried beans in my own version of napa pork bone soup, but it’s something I’ll definitely consider!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Awesome! I hope you enjoy it!
Lil’Mama says
Do you actually remove the garlic? (Step 6) I actually minced the garlic and obviously couldn’t remove it… also didn’t have kidney beans so used one can great northern one of pinto (doubled recipe)waiting for it to cook now.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi there! Yes, I only smashed the garlic to give flavor. Mincing the garlic and leaving it in is perfectly fine too. Hope you enjoyed the soup!
Frank says
Grabbing a lot of Napa cabbage from Farmers market and need ideas – thanks for recipe!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Sure thing, Frank. Enjoy!