Garbure cabbage soup from southwest France: the seasonal comfort recipe you need

Warm, rustic and rooted in mountain kitchens, garbure is the kind of stew that wraps you in comfort on cold nights. This traditional dish from the Pyrénées celebrates cabbage, beans and rich preserved meats. Read on for a clear, cook-friendly recipe to make an authentic garbure at home.

Ingredients for an authentic Pyrénées garbure (serves 4)

• 1 pork hock (jarret)
• 1 ham heel or ham hock (talon de jambon sec)
• 4 duck legs confit, preferably drained of excess skin
• 4 pork rind sausages (saucisses de couenne)
• 4 medium potatoes
• 3 liters water
• 3 carrots
• 2 leeks
• 2 round turnips (navets boule)
• ½ green cabbage
• 250 g Tarbais beans (or other white beans)
• 150 g frozen broad beans (fèves)
• 10 garlic cloves
• 1 large onion
• 1 celery stalk
• 5 whole cloves
• 1 bay leaf

Timing and first preparations

Preparation and soaking

Prep time: about 45 minutes. Cooking time: about 2 hours 45 minutes.

Soak the Tarbais beans overnight in plenty of cold water. The dry beans will swell, so use a large bowl.

Step-by-step cooking method for garbure

1. Drain the beans after soaking. Set them aside.
2. Place the ham heel and pork hock in a large heavy pot. Pour in 3 liters of cold water.
3. Do not add salt at this stage. Add the onion studded with the 5 cloves and the bay leaf.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for about 1 hour 40 minutes.
5. Add the soaked Tarbais beans, the peeled garlic cloves, the pork rind sausages and the duck confit meat (remove and discard excess skin).
6. Continue to simmer for roughly 45 minutes until beans are tender.
7. Meanwhile, blanch the cabbage leaves quickly in boiling water for 2 minutes to soften them. Cool and slice into ribbons.
8. Cut the celery, leeks and carrots into 1–2 cm pieces.
9. Quarter the potatoes and turnips. In a frying pan, sweat these root vegetables for 5 minutes in the fat rendered from the duck confits.
10. Add the cabbage, leeks and carrots to the main pot. Let everything simmer about 15 minutes.
11. Remove bones from the ham heel and pork hock, chop the meat into bite-size pieces and return them to the pot.
12. Stir in the frozen broad beans and cook for another 5 minutes. The garbure is then ready to serve.

Practical tips for a richer garbure

• Do not salt the broth early. The cured meats will season the soup as it cooks.
• Use duck fat from the confits to sauté the potatoes for extra depth.
• Leftovers improve overnight; reheat gently the next day for the best flavor.
• Serve with thick slices of grilled country bread.

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Sienna Blake

Sienna curates soulful lifestyle content with a focus on intentional living, slow habits, and modern creativity. Her voice blends beauty, function, and joy.