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Roasted Cabbage Broth Bowls

Roasted Cabbage Broth Bowls are a savory appetizer soup featuring oven-roasted cabbage wedges in a French onion-inspired broth made with leeks, shallots, red wine, miso, and soy sauce. Topped with a quick drizzle sauce, crumbled crispy bacon, and grated parmesan, this recipe is perfect for brunch or elegant dinner party starters. Ready in under an hour with simple, pantry-friendly ingredients.
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword roasted cabbage broth bowl
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Author Karen Gibson

Equipment

Ingredients

For the broth:

  • vegetable or avocado oil
  • 2 strips of bacon
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 leek , white and light green parts sliced thinly into half moons
  • 1 medium shallot , peeled and sliced thin.
  • 6 cloves garlic , peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth (plus 4 cups water)
  • 2-4 stems fresh thyme , rinsed
  • 2-inch piece Parmigiano Reggiano rind
  • 1 tablespoon miso

For the cabbage:

  • vegetable or avocado oil
  • 2 strips of bacon
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 small head of cabbage , sliced into six wedges (see ingredient prep notes below)
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

For the drizzle sauce:

  • 1/2 cup of the soup broth
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
  • 1 teaspoon fresh parsley or cilantro , minced
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream , half-and-half, or whole milk
  • Crumbled bacon (which is cooked during the recipe)

Instructions

Make the broth:

  • Heat the soup pot over medium heat with a small splash of oil. Add 2 bacon strips and cook until crispy (5 to 8 minutes). Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
  • Add the butter and let melt.
  • Add the leeks and shallots and saute until lightly golden (about 5 minutes).
  • Stir in the garlic slices and let cook for a minute or two.
  • Pour in the wine and let the alcohol simmer off for a few minutes, scraping up any fond stuck to the bottom.
  • Spoon in the soy sauce and add the remaining broth, plus 4 cups of water.
  • Lay the thyme stems on top and submerge them a little bit, and drop the parm rind into the liquids.
  • Bring the broth up to a gentle simmer (light bubbles popping on the surface) and adjust the heat to hold it. Let the broth simmer while you make the cabbage.
  • Add the miso. Just before serving (or storing) the broth turn off the heat, spoon the miso into a small bowl and add a splash of the hot broth, stirring well until dissolved. Then add to the soup. Avoid boiling the miso, which could turn bitter and cooks off its nutritional benefits.
  • Broth can also be made ahead of time, cooled, and refrigerated. Reheat before assembling the bowls.

Sear and roast the cabbage:

  • Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
  • Heat the braising pan over medium-high heat with a splash of oil. Add 2 strips of bacon and cook until crispy. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.
  • Add one tablespoon of butter to the hot braising pan and let melt into the bacon grease, coating the bottom of the pan.
  • Add the cabbage wedges to the braising pan, cut side down. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Sear on the one side until lightly charred. Carefully pick up the wedges with tongs to check their progress.
  • Flip the wedges to the other cut side and repeat.
  • Season the cabbage wedges with pinches of salt and black pepper.
  • Place in the oven for 30 minutes, flipping the wedges to the other cut side after 15 minutes.

Make the drizzle sauce:

  • Crumble or chop the bacon into small pieces.
  • Add 1/2 cup of the hot broth to a small mixing bowl. Stir in the mustard, soy sauce, maple syrup/honey, dairy, and parsley. Whisk until combined, and then stir in about a tablespoon of the crumbled bacon. Set aside.

Finish the cabbage:

  • After the 30 minutes in the oven, check the cabbage to make sure the wedges are lightly golden with lots of charring.
  • The cabbage should be fall-apart tender: check by running a knife through one of the ribs on the cabbage wedges. It should slice with light resistance.
  • If the wedges need a little more charring, turn the broiler on high. Place the uncovered braising pan/skillet on the same rack as before, under the broiler, and let the heat from above add a little more browning. Keep a constant eye on everything to prevent blackening.
  • Using a sharp knife, hold one wedge steady in the pan with tongs and carefully slice it in half through its thickest part (to create two smaller chunky wedges). Repeat with the other five, for a total of 12 chunks.

Assemble the bowls (up to 4) (header)

  • Remove the thyme stems and parm rind from the broth.
  • Optional: If you would prefer a purely liquid broth, strain out the vegetables before assembling the bowls by pouring the soup through a sieve.
  • Divide the broth evenly among the bowls, about two cups per bowl.
  • Transfer three chunks of cabbage to one bowl and arrange in the broth. Drizzle a little bit of the sauce over the cabbage.
  • Repeat with the remaining bowls.
  • Sprinkle the grated cheese over the cabbage, following by more bacon crumbles. Tip: serve with a sharp steak knife, just in case. The leaves will be fall-apart tender, but sometimes the central stems in the outer leaves remain sturdy enough to defy dividing with a spoon.

Notes

Please review these notes prior to starting the recipe so you’ll have everything ready to go.
Cabbage: If the head of cabbage looks a little rough and tumble, peel off and discard the outermost leaves to reveal fresh leaves underneath. Slice the head in half through the core. Then slice each half into three wedges, also through the core, for a total of six. To cut a half head into thirds, angle your knife slightly, eyeing what three equal pieces would look like. Always cut through core to help the wedges to hold their shapes.
Leek: Slice off the dark green flags, just below the point where they join into the stalk (discard, or if you make your own broth, slice them into smaller lengths, clean well and dry, seal them in freezer bags, and keep in the freezer for your next batch. Here’s how I make my homemade vegetable broth LINK).
Shallot: Slice the shallot in half from end to end and off the dried outer layer. Cut each half in half again and the slice thinly.
Garlic: Remove the outer peels from 6 cloves of garlic. Slice thinly. Although I’m usually a proponent of shortcuts, I don’t recommend using jarred or paste garlic.
Thyme: Fresh thyme grows in medium-length stems that often branch, all filled with tiny thyme leaves. For this recipe, use 2 multi-branched stems or 4 single stems. Rinse them under running water before adding them to the soup.
Parmigiano Reggiano rind: authentic parm is made in large wheels with a beige-yellow rind stamped on the side with the words “PARMIGIANO REGGIANO” in a dotted font. Retailers — even my stodgy, Midwestern big-box grocery store — sell the cheese sliced into large wedges, with the rind intact on one side. The rind itself is not edible, but it deliciously flavors soups when dropped in whole during simmering. When removing the rind from the wedge, leave a little bit of the cheese attached for extra flavor. The rind doesn’t melt into the soup; it simply releases all of its cheesy, umami flavors.