Caramelized Cabbage and Pasta En Brodo

There are some soups that are just meant to be classics. This Cabbage and Pasta En Brodo is one of those soups. It is caramelized cabbage that you slowly simmer with a garlicky broth, then you infuse it with parmesan. Straight heaven. The pasta then cooks in the broth, which not only turns the broth into pasta-water-liquid-gold, but it also melds the pasta with the salty, rich flavor of the caramelized vegetables. From there I add butter beans and black cod, which help make the soup a full meal. But they also give it a hint of chicken-noodle-soup-energy (or whatever the equivalent of that is…but with fish? Seafood chowder? Idk).

But all in all, what it creates is the most luxurious, comforting soup that I can think of. If there’s a snow day, I celebrate, because that means I know exactly what I’m making!!

What does “en brodo” mean?

Ok ok, “en brodo” just means “in broth” in Italian. But is sounds wonderful, no?

One of the more popular uses of this term is Tortellini En Brodo, which is a classic Italian recipe that has tons of versions on the internet. But I, as someone highly biased, prefer this Caramelized Cabbage and Pasta En Brodo recipe as the only recipe for “en brodo” fame!

The broth can vary in recipes like this, ranging from chicken broth, to vegetarian broth to parmesan broth. What I have made is a hybrid of seafood and parmesan broth, but don’t judge until you try it! It is rich and silky and something I want to have nearly every snow day. You can even see the little dots of oil on the surface, and that is one of my favorite “en brodo” things!!

Ingredients you will need to make the caramelized cabbage and pasta en brodo

This recipe does layer flavors, so here are all the ingredients you will need to make it:

• 1 small yellow onion, 150 grams / 5.3 ounces
• 1/2 head cabbage (savoy or green), 800 grams / 29 ounces
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 7 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable Better Than Bouillon base
• 3 ounces fresh parmesan
• 6 ounces dried pasta shape of choice
• 8 ounces black cod
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 14-ounce can of butter beans or white beans drained and rinsed
• 1 medium lemon for serving

How to make the cabbage and pasta soup

This cabbage soup layers its flavors through the cooking process, so you need to start with caramelizing the cabbage and onions first.

Start with prep – thinly slice the onion and the cabbage and set aside. Then set a large 7-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of salted butter and 1/4 cup of olive oil. When the butter has melted, add the onions and cabbage and mix to combine in the fat. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally for 30-40 minutes, or until both the onion and cabbage begins to caramelize.

To keep everything streamlined, work while you caramelize the vegetables. Use a rasp-style grater to finely grate 4 garlic cloves, remove the rosemary from the stems and finely chop it. Set aside.
Whisk together 7 cups of warm water and 2 tablespoons of vegetable Better Than Bouillon base. Set aside.
Use the rasp-style grater to finely grate 3 ounces of fresh parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Then measure out 6 ounces of dried pasta (about 2 cups worth, but that will vary based on your pasta shape) and set aside.

Season 8 ounces of black cod with a pinch of salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Cut into bite-sized cubes and set aside.

Now that the onions and cabbage are caramelized, add the grated garlic and chopped rosemary and stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes or until the garlic is no longer raw.

Add the 7 cups of bouillon water and bring to a simmer. Gradually add in the parmesan, stirring often so it melts into the broth.

Continue to let the pot simmer and add the pasta. Cover and let simmer for 8 minutes. Uncover and add the pieces of black cod. Cover again and let simmer another 6 minutes or until the cod is cooked through.

The last step is to add the drained and rinsed beans and stir to let the beans heat up with the broth. Taste and season with more salt as preferred (I find it doesn’t need any!).

Serve warm with lemon wedges and freshly cracked black pepper.

What makes this cabbage and pasta soup special

This soup is special because it builds on top of caramelized vegetables, then adds the layer of rich (and acidic! No one talks about how parmesan has acid) parmesan broth, and then adds fish for some collagen, broth flavor, and extra protein.

All of these combined flavors will make it so that this brothy pasta is unlike any other you’ll find online. And that’s my favorite kind of recipe to make!

Ingredient substitutions for this soup

If you don’t have an item, I’ve started including substitutes below! I know many people have found it helpful, so I hope you feel the same way!

• YELLOW ONION – sweet white onion or shallots
• CABBAGE – red cabbage, collard greens
• BUTTER – vegan butter, or just use 2 tablespoons more olive oil
• ROSEMARY – thyme or fresh oregano
• BETTER THAN BOUILLON – substitute with 8 cups of vegetable stock
• PARMESAN – ricotta salata, manchego or pecorino
• DRIED PASTA – farro, or arborio rice!
• BLACK COD – Halibut, flounder or any white fish!
• BUTTER BEANS – Chickpeas, any white bean, or you can just omit!
• LEMON – white wine vinegar

FAQ

Looking for similar recipes?

Here are a few other soups I’ve been loving!

And that’s everything for this Caramelized Cabbage and Pasta En Brodo!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3