Colcannon Soup is a rustic and hearty, meat-free meal you can prep in one pot, in about 30 minutes. It’s humble, flavorful and affordable. It’s deeply delicious, with a rich creamy broth and a myriad of pleasing textures, making it THE best potato soup I have ever eaten.
This scrumptious Colcannon recipe variation is a warming, hug-in-a-bowl vegetable soup that you can feed to a crowd for very little cash.
Colcannon means “white cabbage” in Irish. And it’s common to see the name applied to a beloved Irish mashed potatoes side dish. This soup has essentially the same ingredients, but becomes a complete and filling meal.
I’m so excited about this new vegetable soup recipe! The main reason is that I LOVE have a healthy admiration for potatoes. Every shape, color and cooking method of potatoes. From my childhood they have been a centerpiece of the most special family meals.
The only time I have ever been disappointed by a potato was in potato soup. And that can be put down to something I have already shared with you over and over, again — unpleasant texture. I think I just don’t appreciate creamy soups that are all one thick, smooth consistency.
I prefer soups to be a little more on the brothy side, even if the broth is creamy. Plus vegetable soup, and almost every other dish, needs a great variety of textures to be really pleasing and interesting to my apparently texture-snobbish palate.
But friends, my disdain for potato soup is over. This recipe for Colcannon Soup ticks all the right boxes with it’s rich, creamy broth and rustic chunks of potato, cabbage and green onions.
Now, I have a potato soup that I absolutely adore and I think you and your family will love it, too. Serve it with warm, crusty, 30-minute Soda Bread and you will be in comfort food heaven. Enjoy!
The Ingredients
Vegetable Stock: I highly recommend my homemade vegetable stock, but your favorite commercial brand will work. You will probably need to zhuzh it up a bit to get the best flavor. That’s okay, because we’ll use some vegetable base, too.
Also, if you don’t care about making this soup completely vegetarian, you could use chicken broth. It’s just as delicious!
Potatoes: I use baby potatoes in this recipe because I like the quick and easy prep, plus the color and the texture of leaving them skin-on. I mix red and gold varieties for the added color.
Cabbage: The namesake in this yummy Colcannon recipe. White cabbage (I call it green.)
Green Onions: Even though there are red onions in the soup base, green onions bring a unique, fresh flavor and bright pops of color. They’re often included in Colcannon.
Aromatics: That essential flavor base that brings rich, savory goodness to meat-based or vegetable soup always starts with red onions and carrots.
Seasonings: Caraway seeds are a delicious pairing with cabbage. And, they add a uniquely delightful flavor to this yummy potato soup. Garlic is the final boost of flavor from seasonings in this recipe for Colcannon.
Heavy Whipping Cream: Just 1/2 cup in the entire pot adds a creamy, unctuous richness to the broth. I suppose you could leave it out, but in my opinion, it takes this Colcannon recipe over the top.
Vegetable Base: Optional. Only use this if you think your broth needs an extra boost of flavor. Better than Bouillon is my go-to for great flavor in soups, stocks and gravies. And as I mentioned previously, if you don’t care about the soup being vegetarian you can easily sub chicken stock and chicken base in this recipe.
FAQs About Colcannon Soup
No. Unfortunately, cooked potatoes don’t freeze well. They soak up even more moisture as they thaw and can become very grainy and unpleasant in texture.
In addition, dairy separates and loses its creamy consistency in the freezer. So, the cream in the broth also prevents this from being a good recipe for the freezer.
The leftovers will keep 4-5 days in the fridge. Seal it in an airtight container being careful to press out as much air as possible.
Colcannon in it’s traditional mashed potato form is often served alongside “bangers” (sausages). Slicing up your favorite sausages and tossing them in the pot would be delicious. I think ham or chicken would also be tasty options.
How to Make the Recipe for Colcannon Soup
- Finely mince the onion and carrots. (I actually tossed mine into the food processor and ground them to a fine mince.) Halve the baby potatoes and chop the cabbage and green onions.
- Put a couple Tablespoons of avocado oil (or your oil of choice) into a large soup pot. Be sure the pot holds at least 6 quarts.
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat and then add the minced carrots and onions. Saute them quickly for 1 to 2 minutes to bring out the natural sugars and allow them to begin to soften, slightly.
- Add the halved baby potatoes, garlic, caraway seed and vegetable broth to the stock pot. Give everything a stir and then bring it all to a boil.
- Once the stock is boiling reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking until the potatoes are fork tender.
- When the potatoes are tender, taste the broth. If it needs a flavor boost, this is the time to add the vegetable base.
- Add the cabbage and green onions. Stir them in to the soup and continue to cook for only 3 to 5 minutes. This is my own personal preference. You can leave the soup on the heat longer if you like the cabbage to be very soft. We like it hot all the way through, but still with some bite to it — tender-crisp. Even after you remove the soup form the heat, the cabbage will continue to soften in the hot broth.
- Stir in the cream and your Colcannon soup is ready to serve.
Homemade potato soup never tasted so good! You’re gonna love this easy one pot meal. Colcannon Soup. It’s what’s for dinner. P.S. Don’t for get the warm, crusty Soda Bread with Golden Raisins. Or try this tasty Brazilian Cheese Bread recipe from Sage, over at Sage Alpha Gal. Enjoy, my friend!
Love cabbage? Be sure to check out my scrumptious Ground Beef and Cabbage recipe, too!
THE RECIPE
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send you the link so you always have it at your fingertips. Plus, I’ll send a collection of easy recipes to your inbox every Friday!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Glenda Embree.
Colcannon Soup
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This recipe for Colcannon Soup is rich, creamy vegetable soup broth with hearty chunks of potato, cabbage and green onions. One pot! 30 Minutes! A simple meal the entire family will love. Serve it with a warm crusty loaf of Soda Bread and it will be comfort food heaven!
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil
- 5 medium carrots, grated or ground
- 1 lg. red onion, finely minced or ground
- 8 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
- salt and pepper, to taste
- optional: 1 heaping Tablespoon Better than Bouillon (vegetable or chicken)
- 3 lbs. baby potatoes, halved (I like to mix red & yellow.)
- 1/2 a medium head of cabbage, rough chopped
- 1 cup green onions, sliced
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Finely mince the onion and carrots. (I actually tossed mine into the food processor and ground them to a fine mince.) Halve the baby potatoes and chop the cabbage and green onions.
- Put a couple Tablespoons of avocado oil (or your oil of choice) into a large soup pot. Be sure the pot holds at least 6 quarts.
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat and then add the minced carrots and onions. Saute them quickly for 1 to 2 minutes to bring out the natural sugars and allow them to begin to soften, slightly.
- Add the halved baby potatoes, garlic, caraway seed and vegetable broth to the stock pot. Give everything a stir and then bring it all to a boil.
- Once the stock is boiling reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking until the potatoes are fork tender.
- When the potatoes are tender, taste the broth. If it needs a flavor boost, this is the time to add the vegetable base.
- Add the cabbage and green onions. Stir them in to the soup and continue to cook for only 3 to 5 minutes. This is my own personal preference. You can leave the soup on the heat longer if you like the cabbage to be very soft. We like it hot all the way through, but still with some bite to it — tender-crisp. Even after you remove the soup form the heat, the cabbage will continue to soften in the hot broth.
- Stir in the cream and your Colcannon soup is ready to serve.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Soup, Main Dish, Vegetable
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Irish American
More Delicious Soup Recipes
About Glenda
I believe cooking from scratch doesn’t have to be complicated and that YOU can do it. My simple recipes, tutorials, and cooking tips will help you get weeknight dinners on the table with less stress. Forget takeout or the drive-thru. Let me show you how to make homemade easy. Read more...
One of my family’s favorite meals is soup with bread. I made this, but added a pound of beef to fill up my hungry kids, and it was perfect. We had it with sourdough rye bread, and the flavor combinations were perfect.
Rebekah, that’s awesome! I’m so glad you loved it! And, I agree, all the best soups need a side of crusty bread. 🙂
I’ve made colcannon casserole but never soup until now. This was a great combination of the flavors!
Lisa, yum! A casserole sounds delicious, too. Glad you enjoyed the soup!
This soup really satisfies! What a fun twist on the original dish. Love it!
Thanks, Jenn! Glad you enjoyed it!
Love this soup. Perfect amount of brothiness! I can’t wait to make it for St Pat’s next week 🙂
Indi, thank you! I hope it’s a hit at your celebration.
I made this yesterday and it was delicious! I plan on making it for St Patricks day too!
Mandy, that’s awesome! Thank you!
Oh a great recipe for dinner!!
Laura, I 100% agree!
Oh wow! This looks absolutely delicious! Everything I love all in a soup. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Samantha! I hope the recipe serves you well.
This looks so yummy!
Thank you, Camille. It really is. Hope you get a chance to try it!
Such a comforting bowl of soup. Thank you for the great recipe!
You’re so welcome, Bernice! Glad you enjoyed it.
This turned out great!
Thanks, Paula!