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Bread and cabbage soup with Fontina and thyme

Recipe for Italian-style bread and cabbage soup with Fontina and thyme.

By Lisa Featherby
  • 20 mins preparation
  • 1 hr cooking
  • Serves 6
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Bread and cabbage soup with Fontina and thyme
This soup is a fairly classic Italian-style bread soup with cheese melted through the layers of sourdough. You could use any semi-firm cheese you like - cheddar or Gruyère would work well - while rye bread or miche instead of white sourdough would be lovely, too.

Ingredients

  • 400 gm day-old crusty white sourdough bread, thickly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, halved
  • 30 gm butter, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tbsp grapeseed oil
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 600 gm cabbage (about ½), coarsely chopped
  • 1.5 litres (6 cups) chicken or vegetable stock
  • 200 ml dry white wine
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 300 gm Fontina, coarsely grated
  • 100 gm parmesan, finely grated

Method

Main
  • 1
    Preheat oven to 200C. Rub bread slices well with cut sides of garlic cloves and set aside (discard garlic).
  • 2
    Heat butter and oil in a large casserole over medium-high heat, add onion and sauté until tender (5-10 minutes). Add cabbage and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted and starting to caramelise (8-12 minutes). Transfer to a bowl.
  • 3
    Bring stock, wine and thyme to the boil in a saucepan over high heat, season to taste.
  • 4
    Meanwhile, layer bread, cheeses and cabbage mixture in the casserole, finishing with a scattering of cheeses. Pour hot stock over and bake uncovered, pushing bread down into stock occasionally, until cheese melts and bread is golden on top (30-40 minutes). Serve hot.