Irish White Bean and Cabbage Stew

Happy Friday! The weather has been somewhat... miserable. If you live up north and it's wintertime, you more than likely already know you better be stockin' up on a lot of soups and stews!

Before I start talking about stew, I wanted to share how the last four days have been. With it being so cold, below zero temperatures to be exact, the pipes to our kitchen sink froze, and not only that but the pipes were backed up. We called a plumber and with no luck, we spent four days without a functioning kitchen sink. Luckily, my dad has a lot of experience in plumbing and fixed it up for us! It was one of those times where you don't really appreciate what you have until it's no longer functioning...

Back to the soup. I love, love, love soups with cabbage. My grandmother makes the best cabbage soup on planet earth, and that's usually what I stock up throughout the winter. Buuut, this winter, I thought I'd try a little something on my own since I'm not living as close to her as I used to.

This Irish white bean and cabbage stew is so, so delicious. It's packed with flavor and healthy vegetables. Not to mention, it's vegan! You can skip out on the barley or replace it to make the stew gluten free. You can even make it in the crock pot! This stew is perfect for cold winter days.

Irish White Bean and Cabbage Stew

Author: Herbivore Haven, Adapted from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 head cabbage, roughly chopped
• 4 carrots, sliced
• 4 small potatoes, diced
• 1/3 cup pearled barley (I used Quaker quick barley)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cans (15 oz) great northern beans, drained
• 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
• salt (to taste)

Directions:

1. Place the prepared vegetables, seasonings, barley and vegetable broth in a large stockpot.
2. Cover the pot and and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and additional seasonings if needed.
3. Simmer uncovered for at least 15 additional minutes before serving.

Crock pot:

1. Place the vegetables, seasonings and barley into a large crock pot. Add enough vegetable broth to cover the vegetables (start with 6 cups).
2. Cover and cook on low heat for 7 hours.
3. Add the beans, tomatoes, parsley, and salt to taste.
4. Check seasonings and add more if needed.
5. Cover and cook for at least 1 more hour.