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Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup
This Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup is everything you love about the traditional Irish comfort food, made all the more delicious and comforting when simmered together into cozy stew.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds corned beef, with seasoning packet
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 medium white onion, peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 (12-ounce) bottle of beer (I used a pale ale)
- 4 cups beef stock
- 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 3 cups roughly-chopped green cabbage
- 1 bay leaf
- fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
- chopped fresh parsley or chives, for garnish
Instructions
- Soak the corned beef (optional). Rinse the corned beef briefly under cold water. Transfer to a cutting board, then trim off and discard any excess fat. Cut into 2-inch chunks. Transfer to a bowl, cover the beef with cold water and soak for 15 minutes to draw out some of the extra salt. Drain and pat dry with a few paper towels.
- Brown the beef. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add half of the corned beef and sauté, flipping occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides. Transfer the cooked meat to a clean plate. Repeat with the remaining oil and beef, then transfer the cooked meat to a clean plate.
- Sauté the veggies. Add the remaining olive oil to the stockpot, along with the carrots, celery and onion. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Simmer. Add the beer and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the stockpot. Add the beef stock, potatoes, cabbage, bay leaf, browned beef, and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the broth reaches a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low (or whatever temperature is needed to maintain the simmer), cover and simmer for 60-90 minutes or until the beef shreds easily.
- Shred the corned beef. Use tongs to transfer the beef to a cutting board. Shred with two forks into bite-sized pieces, then return the beef to the soup and stir to combine. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
- Season. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve. Serve warm, garnished with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Hi! I am wondering if I should use 2 whole celery stalks or just 2 “ribs” from the stalk. It seems like 2 whole stalks would be a lot.
Hi Alison! It’s just 2 ribs from the stalk. :) We hope you enjoy!
I don’t see the freezer part. I’d like to be able to make this ahead when items are on sale
Hi Colleen! We’re not sure what you mean — you should be able to freeze this just fine! :)
Have you ever tried making this with turnip as well? I love turnip and I’m about to make the soup, but I don’t want to use it if it might give the soup an odd taste.
We haven’t, but we think it’s worth a try if you love turnips! :)
I accidentally used chicken broth instead of chicken stock. Will this ruin the soup?
No, that’s fine — they’re similar enough for what you’re using it for. You may find that you need to add a bit more seasoning though (chicken broth just isn’t quite as complex or flavorful as chicken stock). We hope you enjoyed this nonetheless!
This recipe looks yummy! But there is a typo… the cabbage dissolves into the chicken broth, not breast. Keep up the good work!
Oh my goodness, you’re so right! We can’t believe we never caught that before (how embarrassing)! :O Thanks for bringing this to our attention!
What type of pale ale did you use? I don’t drink beer so I’m unfamiliar with what type of pale ale to use. I have made this before and loved it just can’t remember what beer I used.
We like Sierra Nevada but feel free to use any type of pale ale. :)
Hmm Looks so good I can’t wait to try it. Thank You
Thanks Bonnie — we hope you enjoy! :)
This looks Amazing! I’m going to make it tomorrow. Two questions. I don’t have a crock pot at the moment. Can I use a big pot and keep it on low all day? Also, I got the point cut because my grocery store had it on sale for 2$ a pound. Can I throw the whole thing in the pot and then cut it after its cooked, that way I can trim the fat easily?
Thanks Jessica! And yes, we think that should work fine! You’ll want to make sure you bring everything to a boil first though, then simmer for awhile before turning down to low (you want to make sure the veggies and everything cook fully). And regarding the beef, yes, we think that should be fine. We hope you enjoy this! :)
OMG. I, too, love corned beef and cabbage. My mom always made soup with the leftovers, but it was always one of those “measure with your eyeballs” recipes. Meaning it was too difficult to replicate. I’m so excited to try this out!
Yay, we hope you enjoy this Natalie, and that it reminds you of your mom’s! :)
Hi,
I made this soup as an alternate to the traditional corned beef/cabbage dinner about a month ago when I saw it. I must say I made this with hesitation/anticipation. Here are the results: I didn’t use the entire bottle of beer…lol, I drank the first half, I used the seasoning packet, I used chicken bouillon cubes to make my chicken stock. The result? DELICIOUS, I took samples to work (at a hospital) and everyone has requested not only the recipe, but for me to make it again. Thank you for the alternate of a traditional meal. DELICIOUS. Since I work swing shift (3-11:30pm) I will make/start it tonight (3-16-16) for 2 hours, fridge it, and take it to work and finish the last 2 hours prior to our dinner time…so it will be nice and hot to serve. Thanks again. Tami
We’re so glad you enjoyed this Tami — thanks for sharing with us! We love that you drank half your beer first (we like your way of thinking)! ;)