Colcannon soup is a creamy, luscious soup inspired by the traditional Irish dish that is made with potatoes, cabbage, kale, butter, and cream. This would be a fun, delicious recipe to start a St. Patrick’s Day tradition with your family.
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: I love how simple this recipe is. It comes together in no time but tastes rich and creamy and is so soul-warming.
- Budget Friendly: This recipe uses budget-friendly ingredients that taste amazing together.
- St. Patrick’s Day Dinner: This would be such a fun and unique soup to serve on St. Patrick’s Day. Serve it with my Irish soda bread, rainbow jello, and Guinness brownies for dessert.
Perfect Velvety Texture
This recipe has all the makings for a warm, comforting bowl of soup. I worked hard to get the potato-to-liquid ratio just right. You will love how velvety smooth the broth is with the bits of soft potato. Make sure to follow my instructions when adding the kale at the end to keep it soft yet slightly crisp. The secret ingredient is the bacon bits at the end. They add the perfect salty, savory flavor that brings everything together!
Ingredients Needed
Irish Colcannon Soup Recipe
This soup comes together in under an hour. I always like making soups ahead of. time so that the flavors can meld together. Scroll to the bottom of the post for exact measurements.
- Cook Onions: Add the butter and onions to a large pot. Cook over medium heat until the onions are softened, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Soften Cabbage: Add the green cabbage and cook until it softens and wilts.
- Simmer: Add the potatoes, broth, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
- Blend: Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until thick but slightly chunky. You may use a food processor instead.
- Add kale: Add the heavy cream and bring the soup to a simmer. Stir in the kale until it slightly wilts. and serve with a side of bread.
Colcannon Soup Tips
The great thing about soup recipes is you can typically change things up to suit your tastes or to use what you have on hand. Here are some ideas to get you started.
- Do I have to use vegetable broth? Colcannon soup uses vegetable broth, but you can use chicken broth if you prefer! The potatoes soak up a lot of the broth after you blend it. If you prefer a thinner soup, add a splash of broth!
- Do I have to use half and half? Instead of half and half, any kind of milk will work! You can also use heavy cream if you want a rich, thick soup!
- Bacon is my secret ingredient! I LOVE the salty bacon crumbled on top! It adds to the flavor and complements the flavors perfectly.
- **Blending Tips: If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a blender or food processor. You may need to blend half of the soup at a time. I prefer to pulse slowly so I can keep some chunks for added texture. You can also blend longer if you like a pureed soup. It will be thick when it blends, but add a splash of broth if needed to add moisture.
Storing and Reheating Colcannon Soup
This colcannon soup makes fantastic leftovers! You can even double the batch and freeze some for a later day!
- In the Refrigerator: Once your soup has cooled, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last about 3-4 days.
- In the Freezer: You can make this colcannon soup ahead of time and freeze it for later! Once it has cooled, then you can place it in a ziplock bag and lay it flat. It will last for about three months!
- To Reheat: If you are reheating from frozen, then take the soup out the night before and let it thaw in the fridge overnight. You can reheat it on your stove or in the crock pot until it is warmed through. Add a splash of vegetable broth or milk to add moisture to the soup before reheating because the potatoes absorb a lot of the liquid when it is stored.
More Irish-Inspired Recipes
Colcannon Soup
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 3 cups chopped cabbage about ½ head
- 6 cups vegetable broth, more if needed
- 3 large peeled and chopped russet potatoes, about 2 pounds
- 1 teaspoon salt more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 cups chopped kale leaves
- sliced green onion
- chopped cooked bacon for garnish
Instructions
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Add ¼ cup unsalted butter and ½ cup diced onion to a large pot. Cook over medium heat until the onions are softened, then add 1 teaspoon minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
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Add 3 cups chopped cabbage and cook until it softens and wilts.
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Add 3 large peeled and chopped russet potatoes, 6 cups vegetable broth, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
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Use an immersion blender to mostly blend the soup but still leave some potato chunks for added texture. The soup will be thick. You may use a food processor instead.
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Stir in 1 cup half and half and 2 cups chopped kale leaves. Heat the soup until the kale slightly wilts. Serve the soup with sliced green onion and chopped cooked bacon for garnish.
