Corned Beef, Cabbage and Leek Soup

Have you ever had smoked corned beef? I hadn't until this weekend. Our friends had a St. Patrick's day party and they served this amazing smoked corned beef. All I can say is..."Wow! and double Wow!" I told my husband after eating my second plate of this delicious meat, that we have to invest in a smoker and make pounds and pounds of smoked corned beef. It was hands down the best tasting corned beef ever! My new mission in life is to get a smoker and once I do, look out for future blogs on smoked meats. I can't wait. :) Smoked corned beef aside, if you want a delicious and different way to serve the traditional corned beef and cabbage, try your hand at this full flavored soup. It has all the St. Patrick's Day ingredients: corned beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes in a delicious broth flavored with leeks, yellow peppers and garlic. I love this soup because it's rustic with the traditional ingredients but remains elegant because of the simple but complex tasting broth. It's simply amazing! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

  
Corned Beef, Cabbage and Leek Soup (adapted recipe from Skinnytaste)


1 lb corned beef brisket, cooked, cooled and chopped into small cubes
2 cups reserved braising liquid from corned beef

2 t olive oil
2 cups carrots,sliced*
4 cups leeks, sliced
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 small head of cabbage, chopped
3 cloves garlic
6 cups chicken broth
3 bay leaves
1 red potato, chopped 
1/2 T Italian Herb Seasoning
1/4 cup parsley
salt and pepper(to taste)

Cook corned beef and reserve 2 cups of the braising liquid. Cool and chop corned beef into small bite-sized cubes.
In a large dutch oven, saute carrots, leeks, yellow pepper, cabbage and garlic in olive oil until tender soft approximately 10 minutes. Add chicken broth and the two cups of reserved braising liquid, bay leaves, corned beef and heat to a boil for 20 minutes. Add potato, Italian Herb seasoning, parsley and pepper and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked. Top with additional fresh parsley and serve. 
*Note: I had a bag of frozen Parisian carrots from Trader Joe's that I used instead of peeling and slicing carrots and they were great in this. Velvety texture and a great shape that added interest to the look of the soup. Plus they were a great time saver. 

For another recipe with Corned Beef, try Corned Beef Rolls