Savvy soup: Cabbage broth for warmth and weight loss

The often-overlooked cabbage soup is a tasty and healthy option for November. The soup contains vitamin C, which is worth replenishing to fend off infections. My grandmother used to cook the broth with pork ribs and added bacon. Inspired by her recipe, you can make cabbage soup with or without meat using vegetable broth.

Sauerkraut contains not only a large amount of vitamin C but also fibre, which expands in the stomach. Once full, the stomach signals to your brain that you no longer need more food. As a result, you don't feel hungry and don't crave a snack after lunch.

Moreover, fermentation produces bacteria that positively affect intestinal function. They cleanse toxins and improve metabolism. Soups also contain a lot of water, so they increase body hydration, which is also recommended for a weight-loss diet.

The given quantity of ingredients will make a pot of soup for 4 people.

Ingredients:

• 5 potatoes,
• 1 kilogram of sauerkraut,
• 200 grams of smoked bacon,
• 1 onion,
• 1 clove of garlic,
• 3 tablespoons of vegetable broth from a jar,
• bay leaf,
• 2 grains of allspice,
• salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:

1. Sauté diced bacon in a pan. Add finely chopped onion, and after a while, drained sauerkraut, garlic clove, allspice, and bay leaf.
2. Sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring to avoid sticking.
3. In a pot, add peeled, washed, and cubed potatoes. Pour in 2 litres of water and cook until tender. After 10 minutes, add the ingredients from the pan and broth from the jar. If you have homemade broth, you can take a jar from the refrigerator or a container from the freezer.
4. Cook the soup for another 10 minutes on low heat. Season the ready cabbage soup with salt and pepper according to your taste.

If you are on a vegetarian diet, you can make cabbage soup with lentils or another plant-based addition that will enrich the texture and flavour of the soup. You can choose tempeh, seitan, or tofu, which have a similar consistency to meat when sautéed and also absorb the aromas of spices well.

It's worth sautéing the chosen ingredient with onion and cabbage before adding it to the soup. To enhance the aroma of the soup, try adding cumin, coriander, or chilli pepper.