Colcannon Soup (Cabbage Potato Soup)
Inspired by a traditional Irish dish, Colcannon Soup is a comforting potato and cabbage soup that’s hearty enough to eat as a meal.
This soup is inspired by a traditional Irish dish that I was lucky enough to taste while working as a food stylist years ago. The combination of potatoes and cabbage may seem a little boring, but I can promise you that the flavor of the finished cabbage potato soup is anything but!
Why you’ll Love This Irish Potato Soup
- It’s a great way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with an Irish-inspired meal for people who aren’t fans of corned beef.
- Even novice home cooks can whip up a batch of this delicious soup with ease.
- The combination of creamy potatoes and hearty greens make this a comforting meal for a chilly day.
What is colcannon?
Colannon is a traditional Irish dish made from a combination of mashed potatoes and cabbage (or sometimes kale).
It most commonly contains only four ingredients: potatoes, milk, butter and cabbage or kale. However, some regional or family recipes will include scallions, leeks, chives or onions.
This staple side dish is a budget-friendly year-round food, and it goes great with corned beef.
When I was working on a photo shoot set years ago, one of the recipes we were shooting was a traditional colcannon.
Just from the description of it, I wasn’t super excited, but when I snuck a few bites of it after the shoot, I was amazed at how tasty it was!
My colcannon soup recipe thins the dish into a rich and creamy potato-based soup, seasoned to perfection. This cabbage potato soup can be eaten as an entree or alongside a corned beef sandwich!
Irish Potato Soup Recipe Ingredients
- potatoes – colannon is sometimes made with yellow potatoes, but I think russet potatoes work best for soup.
- cabbage and/or kale – you’ll need 4 cups (packed) total cabbage and/or kale for this soup. I like to use a combination, but then you’ll likely have leftovers of either one. Or, you can simply use one or the other for your Irish colcannon soup.
- leeks – I love the subtle onion flavor that leeks add, and they make a pretty garnish, too.
- olive oil and butter – I like to use a combination of the two for best flavor in this cabbage potato soup, but all one or the other would also be fine.
- chicken stock – you will need a 1 quart container of chicken stock for this soup.
- thyme sprigs – I like to use a couple of fresh thyme sprigs. I throw them in whole and then fish them out and discard them when the soup is done simmering. You could also use a pinch of dried thyme (no need to fish it out, obviously).
- bay leaf – because we all put bay leaves in all our soups because . . . we just do.
- half and half – I finish my cabbage and potato soup with a little bit of half and half to make it nice and creamy.
- lemon juice – I often season my soups with a splash of fresh lemon juice. It adds a bright, acidic note, and is especially welcome in heavier, creamier soups like this one.
- salt – it’s super important to add the salt at the same time you add the potatoes to the potato cabbage soup so that the potatoes will be seasoned as they cook. Otherwise, they’ll be bland!
- ground white pepper – I love the earthy flavor of white pepper paired with potatoes. If you don’t have white pepper, an equal amount of ground black pepper is great.
- nutmeg – just a pinch of ground nutmeg is a trick I learned in culinary school for seasoning mashed potatoes, and it works for potato soups too!
- bacon – this is totally optional, but I love crispy, salty bacon as a garnish to just about any potato soup, this one included! I just make bacon in the oven or turkey bacon in the oven and use that!
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Irish Potato Soup Home Chef Tips and Variations
- Use a good quality chicken stock as the base of your soup. Broth is OK in a pinch, but won’t be quite as flavorful.
- I think that half and half is the ideal way to finish this soup, but you can also use whole milk (less creamy) or heavy cream (more creamy).
Make This Cabbage and Potato Soup Vegetarian
Sure, it’s super easy to make this colcannon soup recipe vegetarian! Just change the chicken stock to vegetable stock or broth, and of course, omit the bacon garnish on this cabbage and potato soup.
What to Serve with Potato Cabbage Soup
Soup and sandwich is a classic combination for a reason. Easy yeast rolls or a batch of ham and turkey sliders would go perfectly with a pot of Irish colcannon soup. Or, try a salmon sandwich.
If a salad is more your speed next to a bowl of soup, I recommend my Spring salad for Easter or a hearty radicchio salad recipe next to this cabbage potato soup.
Storing Leftover Cabbage Potato Soup
If you have leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container and place them in the fridge uncovered for a few hours until they are fully chilled, then cover them with the lid and keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
For longer storage, you can freeze this Irish potato soup for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating on the stove or in the microwave at 50% power until warmed through.
Irish Potato Soup FAQs
Colcannon and Champ are both traditional Irish potato dishes. Colcannon typically includes mashed potatoes, along with cabbage and kale, and sometimes green onions or leeks. Champ is a simpler dish made with just mashed potatoes made with butter and milk, and green onions.
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Colcannon Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 cups total packed finely chopped green cabbage and/or kale
- 1 cup thinly sliced leeks white and light green parts only (about 3-4 small leeks), plus additional for garnish (optional)
- 1 ½ pounds Russet potatoes peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ cup half and half
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- 4 slices oven baked bacon crumbled, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oil and butter in large pot over medium heat. Add cabbage and/or kale, and leeks, to pot and stir until well combined. Cover pot and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until greens are tender, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in potatoes, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, stock and salt. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook 14 to 16 minutes or until potatoes are very tender. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf and discard.
- If desired, remove from heat and use an immersion blender to puree some of the soup while still leaving a lot of it chunky (you can also do this by transferring about half of the soup to a blender or food processor).
- Return soup to medium-low heat and stir in half and half, lemon juice, pepper and nutmeg. Serve immediately, garnished with bacon and sliced leeks, if desired.
Notes
- Use a good quality chicken stock as the base of your soup. Broth is OK in a pinch, but won’t be quite as flavorful.
- I think that half and half is the ideal way to finish this soup, but you can also use whole milk (less creamy) or heavy cream (more creamy).
After sautéing the cabbage and leeks, then cooking it another 14 minutes with the potatoes, will not the cabbage and leeks get overcooked?
Cabbage is remarkably hearty, and I didn’t find it overcooked at all.
Our whole family loved this soup! Bonus, it was so easy and budget-friendly. Thanks Lori!
I am so glad to hear that, Lisa! It’s one of our very favorites, too.