Name: Cabbage, Bacon and Potato Soup
Ingredients: 2 pound potatoes, peeled (about 6 medium) 12 ounces bacon, diced; 1 clove garlic, finely chopped; 3 cups finely shredded cabbage; 2 tablespoons cider vinegar; ¼ cup whipping cream; salt and freshly ground pepper to taste; ¼ cup chopped chives or green onion tops

Why it works: Potato and garlic are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,517 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Cabbage, Bacon and Potato Soup

Time15 minutes

Ingredients

2 pound potatoes, peeled (about 6 medium) 12 ounces bacon, diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 cups finely shredded cabbage
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
¼ cup whipping cream
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
¼ cup chopped chives or green onion tops

Directions

Make the potato base

In a large pot, cover the potatoes with 5 cups of water.
Cover, bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, or until tender.
With a fork or potato masher, break up the potatoes. Do not drain.

Cook the bacon and cabbage

Meanwhile, in a large skillet on medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp.
Remove the bacon and drain off all but 2 tablespoons fat.
Add the garlic and cabbage to the skillet and sauté until the cabbage is wilted, about 3 minutes.
Sprinkle on the vinegar and add the cream.
Simmer on low heat until the cabbage is crisp‑tender, about 10 minutes.

Combine and serve

Add the cabbage, its liquid and the diced bacon to the potatoes and water in the pot.
Simmer everything together until the tastes are combined, about 5 minutes.
Season well with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle with chives before serving.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

368Calories

13 gProtein

10 gFat

61 gCarbs

Counts 10 of 11 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 10 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Broccoli	1 cup chopped (156g)	55
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bacon	1 slice cooked (8g)	43
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Chives	1 tbsp (3g)	1
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Cider	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Potato + garlictop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,517 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Clove + peppertop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together17,451 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Cabbage + peppertop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,081 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Cider + vinegartop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,431 recipes

Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
Garlic + cabbagetop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together635 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Potatoes: Break down when mashed to give the soup body and a thick, creamy texture.
Bacon: Adds smoky, salty fat and savory flavor, and its fat carries the garlic and cabbage.
Cabbage: Provides a tender-crisp vegetable texture and mild sweetness as it cooks.
Cider vinegar: Adds acidity that brightens the rich bacon and cream.
Whipping cream: Adds fat and richness, giving the soup a smooth, velvety mouthfeel.
Garlic: Contributes pungent aroma that mellows as it cooks in the bacon fat.

The step that matters

Simmer the cabbage until crisp-tender. Overcooking turns cabbage soft and sulfurous, while undercooking leaves it raw-tasting. Stopping at crisp-tender keeps its texture and sweetness intact.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (potato, garlic, cabbage, cider, vinegar, cream, pepper):

Dillfits better
Thymefits better
Parsleyfits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against potato, garlic, cabbage, cider, vinegar, cream, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

Potato Croquettes255 recipes

Potato Rolls78 recipes

Red Cabbage65 recipes

Stewed Cabbage58 recipes

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Cabbage, Bacon and Potato Soup