The Retro Cabbage Soup I’ve Loved for Over 25 Years

Mollie Katzen’s The Enchanted Broccoli Forest became my family’s most-used cookbook when my older brother decided to become a vegetarian in high school. My parents bought him a few vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, and this one was the one that got the most love.

It’s an unusual cookbook. I don’t remember there being any photography in the version my family owned—some images were added to the 2000 edition. However, Mollie’s hand-drawn illustrations are so, so beautiful that it didn’t matter one bit. All of the text in the book is handwritten, making it feel homey, handmade, and distinctly Mollie. 

Besides the eponymous dish, an adorable rice casserole with broccoli “trees” dotted all over, my favorite recipe from my brother’s vegetarian days that I still make today is the Swedish Cabbage Soup.

Is it authentically Swedish? I don’t think so! It could be described as a vegetarian riff on Swedish kålsoppa, but honestly I think it just came out of Mollie’s head as a fully formed, plant-based recipe.

GET THE COOKBOOK: The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen

How To Make Mollie Katzen’s Swedish Cabbage Soup

The soup has a simple list of ingredients, and the preparation isn’t difficult either. You simmer cubed potatoes in water or broth (I use bouillon cubes), then sauté onions in butter with plenty of aromatic caraway seeds.

Then you pour everything into a large pot with as much sliced cabbage as you can fit. If you can’t get all eight cups of cabbage the recipe calls for into the pot at first, don’t worry—the cabbage will cook down, and you can add the rest in batches.

The soup then simmers briefly to allow the cabbage to cook through. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and you’re done.

The preparation of this soup could be streamlined so it becomes a one-pot affair. Sauté the onions with the caraway seeds and butter, then add the potatoes and broth, followed by the cabbage. I’d rather it take a few minutes longer than have to wash two pots—wouldn’t you agree?

I don’t remember ever eating the optional toppings of sour cream and dill when I made this as a teenager. I set out to try them this week, but strangely there was no fresh dill to be found in any grocery stores near my house. Fresh parsley turned out to be a good substitute, but I definitely want to try dill when I can find some. The fresh herbs and creamy, tangy sour cream really brighten the bowl.

I’ll be making this a few more times to get us through the cloudy, rainy winter months in the PNW—it’s a wonderfully cozy balm for chilly days.