Turn Dull Cabbage Into A Creamy, Comforting Meal With One Canned Soup

Though humble cabbage soup was once thought fit for royalty, in modern times, it's only recently made its way into the limelight. Rather than being relegated to a mere background ingredient in stews or an afterthought under layers of brisket, the cruciferous vegetable has become central to surprisingly flavorful and filling dishes like creamy cabbage soup. It features well-seasoned cabbage that is lightly sauteed (sometimes with other veggies) before being simmered in a thick, rich, creamy soup base made with a traditional roux of flour and water or broth. However, canned cream of chicken soup offers a shortcut to this process, helping you get dinner on the table a little faster without sacrificing flavor.

Often made from chicken stock, cream, butter, and flavored with garlic, cream of chicken soup is well-known as a perfect base for quick, velvety gravy, making it an equally excellent foundation for other creamy soups. Since it's condensed, it starts out semi-solid, softly collapsing into a smooth soup base once thinned with equal parts water or, even better, some chicken stock. It's also the perfect pairing for a head of cabbage because the sweet, earthy vegetable absorbs the soup's salty, savory flavor, creating an elevated, fortifying dish. Bonus points for using napa cabbage — it's one of the best varieties for soup due to its sturdy yet buttery texture. However, ordinary green cabbage is also great, as it, too, holds up well to sauteing and simmering without falling apart or turning mushy.

Though cabbage and cream of chicken soup are tasty on their own, and even more so when combined, their flavors are subtle and can get lost if not elevated correctly. One of the best ways to improve canned cream of chicken soup and cabbage alike is to use robust seasoning. While you probably won't need salt as the condensed soup is already sodium-heavy, ingredients like freshly cracked pepper, a handful of bay leaves, and some dried thyme will work wonders to develop a beautifully complex flavor.

One of the best things about cabbage is how well it pairs with other sturdy veg like onions and radishes, which become tender and tangy when you cook them. Both alliums and brassicas complement the earthy undertones in the cabbage. Once united with the meaty flavors in the cream of chicken soup, this simple meal will feel like a warm, homey, comforting treat. Its rich mixture also benefits from a touch of acid, like a splash of red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, or a dash of Worcestershire sauce.

Building flavor this way also warrants fairly long simmering times, which is perfect for smoothing out the flat or tinny flavor that canned ingredients sometimes have. Plus, cabbage needs a decent amount of cook time to become soft and velvety enough to slice through with a spoon. So, expect to cook your sauteed cabbage and other ingredients for around 40 minutes on a low simmer for best results.