Nourishing Cabbage Soup with Farro, White Beans, and Pesto

Name: Nourishing Cabbage Soup with Farro, White Beans, and Pesto
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 2/3 cup white onion, diced; 2/3 cup carrot, peeled and diced; 2/3 cup celery, sliced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 6 cups green cabbage, finely sliced; 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves; 1 cup pearled farro; 1 quart vegetable broth; 4 cups water; 1 15 ounce can of white beans, such as cannellini beans or navy beans, drained and rinsed; Salt and pepper; 4-6 tbsp green pesto, divided, for serving. Either store bought or homemade; Grated parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

posted by Alex Aldeborgh, RD on Oct 31, 2022 (last updated 12/7/22) 4 comments »

Jump to Recipe·★★★★★5 from 1 review

This cabbage and farro soup with white beans is cozy, nutritious, and easy to prepare in one pot on the stovetop. A spoonful of basil pesto swirled into the soup makes it extra flavorful and delicious! A healthy broth-based soup recipe you’re sure to love.

two bowls of cabbage farro soup with spoonfuls of pesto on a light grey backdrop

As a Registered Dietitian, my job is to provide you with sound, evidence-based nutrition advice – which is why I would never encourage following a fad diet.

This cabbage farro soup with white beans and pesto is NOT your cabbage soup of diet culture yore. Instead, it’s packed with nourishing, energy-giving ingredients like green cabbage, whole grain farro, creamy white beans, and other delicious vegetables. Serve it with a spoonful of pesto to make it extra delicious.

This cabbage soup tastes great AND provides you with valuable nutrients like protein, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Made in one pot on the stovetop, this recipe makes 4-6 servings, you can prepare a batch today and have leftovers for lunch tomorrow! This plant-based recipe is vegetarian, but can easily be made vegan with a few tweaks.

Find even more healthy soup recipes on my blog, including farro vegetable soup, carrot potato soup, vegan carrot ginger soup, and creamy broccoli leek soup.

Step-by-step video

Ingredients in cabbage farro soup

Here is everything you need to make this soup recipe:

Carrots
Celery
Onion
Garlic
Green cabbage
Farro
Canned white beans – you can use cannellini beans, navy beans, or great northern beans
Vegetable broth
Thyme
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Pesto – either store bought or homemade

Kitchen tools needed

To make this recipe, you will need a stock pot, a good knife for chopping all the veggies, and a wooden mixing spoon.

Bob’s Red Mill Farro

Bob’s Red Mill Organic Farro is an ancient relative of wheat native to the Mediterranean. With a nutty flavor and chewy texture, Farro is lovely in stews, grain salads, pilafs, and farro risotto. Ready to eat in just 30 minutes.

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cabbage farro soup ingredients measured out on a light grey backdrop

How to make cabbage farro soup

Prep all the ingredients before you begin making the soup: chop the vegetables, measure out farro, drain and rinse the beans.
Heat olive oil in the stock pot. Add the mirepoix (diced carrots, celery, and onion) and minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes.
Add the thyme and green cabbage. Sweat the cabbage over medium heat to gently draw out the flavor without overcooking it.
Stir in the farro, vegetable broth, and water. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover the pot.
Cook soup for about 25 minutes, covered, until farro is cooked through. Cooked farro will be soft yet chewy, and hold its shape well.
Season with salt and pepper as needed. Stir in the white beans and cook for another 5 minutes to let the beans heat up.
Ladle into bowls to serve, then serve with a dollop of green pesto swirled into each bowl.
Garnish with fresh cracked pepper and grated parmesan cheese, if desired.

Cook onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in olive oil.

What to serve with soup

This soup makes a light, well-balanced meal when served on its own. It contains fiber from farro and vegetables, plant-based protein from farro and white beans, and plenty of micronutrients!

If you’d like to make this a more filling meal, you could round out this soup with a serving of protein and/or vegetables on the side. Some protein options include:

Tofu
Tempeh
A piece of fish, like salmon or cod
A slice of vegetable frittata

Some vegetable sides and salads that would go well with this soup:

Storing cabbage farro soup

Have leftover soup? Put it in a food storage container and refrigerate for up to five days.

Reheat individual portions of soup in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, until heated through. Stir in pesto after the soup has been reheated.

hands holding a bowl of farro cabbage soup with a spoonful of pesto in the soup

Farro nutrition & health benefits

Farro is a very nutrient-dense whole grain. One fourth cup of dry farro provides:

6 grams of plant-based protein
5 grams of dietary fiber
15 percent of your daily magnesium and zinc needs
4 percent of your daily iron needs
20 percent of your daily niacin needs

When it comes to fiber, farro is higher in soluble fiber than other whole grains. This type of fiber has heart health benefits. Consuming 5-10 grams of soluble fiber per day can help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol.

Additionally, whole grain foods, including farro, contain an abundance of antioxidants. Long term consumption of antioxidant-rich foods may be protective against certain diseases.

Is farro gluten free? No, farro is not a gluten free grain, since it is a part of the wheat family. However, some people with gluten intolerance can tolerate moderate amounts of farro, because it contains less gluten in it than regular wheat! If you have Celiac disease, you should not eat any farro or gluten containing products.

Is farro healthier than rice?

There is a time and place to enjoy both farro and rice. However, farro is more nutrient-dense than both brown rice and white brice. Specifically. farro is higher in protein and fiber than rice.

The following table is a nutrient comparison between one half cup of farro, brown rice, and white rice.

	Farro	Brown Rice	White Rice
Calories	170	108	121
Fat (g)	1.5	1	0.2
Protein (g)	10	3	2
Carbohydrate (g)	43.5	22	27
Fiber (g)	6	2	0.3

Find even more recipes with farro on my blog!

bowl of farro cabbage soup with a silver spoonful of pesto on top

Green cabbage nutrition & health benefits

Cabbage is a very nutritious food to include in your diet. One cup of raw green cabbage provides:

2.3 grams of dietary fiber (8% of your daily needs)
1.2 grams of plant-based protein
38.70 mg folate (10% of your daily needs)
32.9 mg Vitamin C (37% of your daily needs)
68.4 mcg Vitamin K (57% of your daily needs)

Cabbage is a part of the brassica vegetable family, which also includes kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. Brassica family vegetables have anti-inflammatory plant compounds called glucosinolates. These compounds have antioxidant properties, protecting our cells and helping to prevent certain diseases.

White beans nutrition & health benefits

White beans are incredibly nutrient dense! One half cup of white beans provides 7 grams of fiber (22% of your daily needs) and 10 grams of plant-based protein. Additionally, white beans have lots of vitamins and minerals:

0.18 mg thiamin (15% of your daily needs)
101.7 mg folate (26% of your daily needs)
39.05 mg choline (7% of your daily needs)
2.08 mg iron (12% of your daily needs)
5.4 mcg selenium (10% of your daily needs)
67.5 mg magnesium (16% of your daily needs).

White beans are also a good source of potassium, copper, and phosphorus.

Let me know if you love this post by leaving a comment or star rating below, and check out Instagram and Pinterest for more healthy lifestyle inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!