New Year's Prosperity Pork & Cabbage Soup
Adapted from Spoon First and Nom Nom Paleo
Bring in the New Year properly, with this Prosperity Pork and Cabbage soup. Black eyed peas, greens, and savory Umami come together in time to remember 2025 and bring tidings of a joyful 2026!
INGREDIENTS
1 diced pork loin or 4 deboned pork chops, or 2 pounds ground pork
1 head NAPA cabbage, chopped
1 cup black-eyed peas, cooked
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
8 large fresh chestnut mushrooms or oyster mushrooms stemmed and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves minced
1-2 bunches of greens (spinach or kale)
2 large carrots peeled and sliced into coins
1 large white potato, cubed small
3 scallions (green onions), thinly sliced (reserve a bit for garnish)
1 tsp sea salt plus more to taste, along with freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon coconut oil for sautéing
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat the ghee or cooking fat of choice in a large pot over medium heat. When the fat is shimmering, toss in the diced onion with a sprinkle of Umami Stir-Fry Powder or salt. Sauté the onions, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 3 minutes).
Add the ground pork and break it up with a spatula. Stir in the sliced mushrooms and another sprinkle of Umami Stir-Fry Powder or salt. Cook the pork and mushrooms until the meat is no longer pink and the shiitakes are tender (about 5 to 7 minutes).
Stir in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Pour in the broth and crank up the heat to high. Bring everything to a boil.
Then, stir in the cabbage, carrots and potato, add salt and pepper, and bring the soup back to a boil. Don’t worry about cramming too many veggies into the pot—the cabbage will cook down!
Lower the heat to medium or medium low to maintain a simmer, add chopped greens, black eyed peas, and scallions, and partially cover the soup with a lid, leaving a crack so it doesn’t boil over. Simmer the soup, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are easily pierced with a fork (about 15 minutes). Peek under the lid to make sure that the soup isn’t boiling over or barely percolating, and adjust the heat up or down as needed.
If you want to make this soup in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, sauté the ingredients in the pressure cooker as directed above. When you’re ready to simmer the soup, close and lock the lid; then, cook it under high pressure for 3-5 minutes. Release the pressure manually when the soup is finished cooking.
Season to taste with Umami seasoning, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh scallions. Serve with some bread and cheese!
