With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, why not plan to prepare this Irish Colcannon Soup for dinner? It’s a homemade, hearty, and healthy main! Filled with potatoes, leeks, cabbage, and kale, this is certainly a good-for-you soup!
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IRISH COLCANNON SOUP
Do you go all out for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations? We don’t do the green beer-drinking thing, but we do have an Irish meal, that’s for sure! This year, it’s a toss-up between this Irish Colcannon Soup or my traditional colcannon mash.
St. Patrick’s Day is one of those days that everyone seems to enjoy, whether they are Irish or not. North American bars and pubs are well stocked with beer. There’s green food on every menu. And, people wear as much green clothing as they can!
I’m just all about the food! So, every year, I try to get a new recipe posted that showcases the colour green or can fit into Irish cuisine. Last year, I made my Frosted Two Bite Brownies. And, the year before that, I made my Glazed Lime Donuts with Toasted Coconut. In 2017, it was the Shamrock Nanaimo Squares – they were so addictive and delicious! This year, it’s going to be this Irish Colcannon Soup.
Do you have any traditional St. Patrick’s Day food items that you prepare for your family? Even though I am of Irish descent, our main food item is limited to colcannon. But, that’s because we love it so much!
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WHY IS COLCANNON CALLED COLCANNON?
It’s very simple really. Colcannon is derived from the Gaelic “cal ceannann,” which translates to white cabbage. Since cabbage is such an important part of the colcannon recipe, it makes sense!
Colcannon is a rustic and simple Irish side dish. It consists of kale or green cabbage, potatoes, butter, and milk. There are always a few other ingredients too, but those are the basics. I like to add a bit of garlic and onion too. And, in the soup, green onions add great colour and flavour!
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INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE
The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.
- Olive Oil – I always use extra virgin light olive oil so that the flavour is muted. Olive oil has a high heat tolerance, so it’s perfect for sautéing.
- Onion – I use yellow, white, and sweet onions interchangeably. Either of them will do just fine.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic will result in the best flavour every single time.
- Leeks – Read the next section to learn more about this very tasty vegetable.
- Cabbage – You can use a regular green cabbage or a savoy cabbage, which is one of my favourites.
- Kale – Don’t skip out on this leafy green, healthy vegetable! It adds colour, flavour, and texture to the soup.
- Potatoes – I used baby potatoes that I just cut in half. You can use regular white flesh potatoes. Cut them into 3/4 inch cubes.
- Vegetable Stock – If you are using store-bought, use low sodium. Some of them can be overly salty!
- Seasonings – You will need salt, ground black pepper, and dried thyme.
- Green Onions – Used for flavour, but also as a garnish.
- Cream – Use a 35% whipping cream to make a creamy soup.
WHAT ARE LEEKS AND HOW TO USE THEM
Leeks have a mild, onion-like taste. In its raw state, the vegetable is crunchy and firm. The edible portion of the leek is the white base. I trim off the root and most of the green leaves at the top. I like to leave some of the lighter green on.
My rule of thumb is this, if the leaves are flat at the top, and not circular, then they are discarded. The dark green portion has a tough texture. However, if you sauté it butter on low heat for a longer period of time, it’s tender and delicious!
I think leeks are best when they are sautéed. Boiled leeks just end up tasting like the salted water that it’s boiled in. And, the texture becomes similar to wallpaper paste, because in more cases than not, the leeks are severely overboiled. Stick to a sauté in a bit of non-flavoured oil, a bit of butter, and a good dash of salt and pepper. It’s a great side dish in its own right.
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HOW TO MAKE IRISH COLCANNON SOUP
This recipe makes a sizeable amount, so be sure to use a large pot. Over medium heat, add the olive oil and onions. Stir the onions into the oil and cook until the onions are just cooked through – about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, leeks, cabbage, and kale. Continue to cook until the cabbage begins to wilt, stirring often. This will take 7-8 minutes.
Next, add the thyme, salt, and black pepper. Stir into the vegetables. Pour in the vegetable broth. Stir to combine. Place a lid on the pot and cook for 15 minutes. Add the potatoes and stir to combine. Place the lid back on the pot and cook for 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.
Once the potatoes are cooked, add in the green onions and the cream. Stir well to combine. Turn off the heat and allow soup to sit for 3-5 minutes. Serve immediately. Garnish with parsley or more green onions. (Optional.)
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WHY DO WE CELEBRATE ST. PATRICK’S DAY?
For years, I would think of St. Patrick’s Day as a day to wear green clothes and to eat green food. I never really thought anything of it! Honestly, I think many of us who celebrate it in some way are like that. Do you know why St. Patrick’s Day is so significant to the Irish?
St. Patrick’s Day is a day in celebration of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Born in the late 4th century, he was kidnapped at the age of 16 and taken to Ireland as a slave. He escaped but returned later to convert the Irish to Christianity.
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By the time of his death on March 17, 461, he had established monasteries, churches, and schools. He is credited with driving snakes out of Ireland. Many believe this to mean that he removed wrong-doers and sin from the country.
Also, it is believed that he used the shamrock to explain the trinity to the Irish People. The three leaves of the shamrock represented the father, the son, and the holy spirit.
So, perhaps more obviously, when Irish emigrants spread to North America, they brought with them their stories, traditions, and celebrations. Whether you’re Irish or not, St. Patrick’s Day has most certainly influenced your life at some point or another! And, I couldn’t think of a better way than with a big bowl of Irish Colcannon Soup!
QUESTIONS?
If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!
Do You Like This Recipe?
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Irish Colcannon Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- I large white onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 stalks leeks, cut into 1/4 inch slices
- 4 cups cabbage, thinly sliced
- 3 cups kale, roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 pounds baby potatoes, cut in half
- 1/2 cup green onions, sliced
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In a large pot, over medium heat, add the olive oil and onions. Cook until the onions are just cooked through – about 3-5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, leeks, cabbage, and kale. Continue to cook until the cabbage begins to wilt. This will take 7-8 minutes.
- Next, add the thyme, salt, and black pepper. Stir into the vegetables.
- Pour in the vegetable broth. Stir to combine. Place a lid on the pot and cook for 15 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and stir to combine. Place the lid back on the pot and cook for 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, add in the green onions and the cream. Stir well to combine. Turn off the heat and allow soup to sit for 3-5 minutes.
- Serve immediately. Garnish with parsley or more green onions. (Optional.)
Nutrition
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Dr. Lili says
Dear Lord Byron,
As I look at the recipe for the Colcannon soup, I noticed that at least one of the pictures shows the soup with mushrooms, however, the recipe does not include mushrooms. can you clarify the recipe and what type of mushroom? and how much?
Additionally, I would like to make the Colcannon soup vegan. Therefore, I plan on using vegan cream or cashew cream. Any thoughts?
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thank you. I took a close look at the photographs, and those are not mushrooms. I used baby potatoes and left the skin on. Those things that look like mushrooms are the skin-side of the halved baby potatoes.
I think the vegan cream option would work perfectly!
Whitney M says
Excellent soup! My husband had 2 bowls. I followed recipe but also threw in some chopped bacon from breakfast. Very good for a cold winter night
kate says
Hi there! Excited to try this soup tomorrow night, have been looking for a vegetarian version and this looks delicious! I’m curious about what looks like shredded cheese on top, did you top yours with some?
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Hi Kate – that’s not cheese, that’s the cabbage.
Melissa says
This is such a good soup, my roommate loves it too. I’ve made it twice now and each time we’ve both commented on how freaking good it is. It’s rich but not too rich, flavorful, and hearty. I actually have not yet made it with the cabbage (yikes, I know) but even without it the soup is delicious. It’ll definitely be a regular meal for us.
Meghan says
We made this for St Patrick’s Day. It was so good. This was my first time cooking with leeks so I appreciated the notes on them. I made this with Irish soda bread and fruit salad. It was a huge hit and we have no leftovers! My kids even had seconds! This one is a keeper!
Jani says
Made this recipe today. Loved everything about it. Thanks for publishing this!
Jill says
I absolutely loved this soup. It’s flavor has a wonderful simplicity to it, nothing over the top. I thought there would be too much onion but not the case. I will say that the milder white onion Is probably something that’s best Not substituting with another onion type. I always have 1/2 & 1/2 on hand so I used that. If you like a more robust flavored soup this makes a perfect base, but then it’s no longer colcannon, it’s something else, but it’ll still be delicious. If you love cabbage I strongly recommend this recipe.