This Aosta Valley cabbage soup is a traditional Alpine dish layered with tender cabbage, crusty bread, and melted Fontina cheese, then baked until rich and comforting. It’s a classic northern Italian recipe that warms you from the inside out.
Â
Known locally as Zuppa alla Valpellinese or Seupa à la Vapelenentse, Aosta Valley cabbage soup is a traditional recipe from northern Italy. Like many Alpine dishes, it was born from simple, everyday ingredients and meant to be filling, warming, and deeply satisfying during long mountain winters.
Often compared to French onion soup, this version is unmistakably Italian and rooted in the mountain cooking of the Italian Alps. If you enjoy cabbage-based soups, you may also like my Italian bean and pancetta cabbage soup, which has a lighter, more brothy style found in other regions of Italy.
Why You’ll Love This Italian Alpine Soup
- Warm, hearty, and deeply satisfying: This rustic dish is so thick and hearty it’s closer to a casserole than a soup. It’s perfect for cold winter nights!Â
- Simple ingredients with traditional flavor: Made with layers of cabbage, bread, broth, and cheese, this recipe is a great example of classic mountain cooking.
Ingredient Notes
- Savoy cabbage: Traditional for this soup, Savoy cabbage softens easily and helps create its thick, hearty texture.
- Bread: Rye, sourdough, or a hearty whole wheat country-style loaf work best. Day-old or very dry bread holds up well and absorbs the broth without becoming mushy.
- Broth: Use a good-quality vegetable broth and taste before adding salt, since the cheese adds plenty of seasoning.
- Fontina cheese: Fontina from the Aosta Valley is traditional and melts smoothly into the layers. Gruyère or Swiss can be used if needed.
- Parmigiano: Sprinkled on top, Parmigiano adds depth and helps create a lightly golden crust.
- Olive oil and butter: This combination adds richness and flavor, especially when toasting the bread.
Choosing the Right Bread
This dish is a classic example of Aosta Valley mountain cuisine, where bread, cheese, and cabbage form the foundation of everyday cooking. The bread is essential to the structure of this soup. Use a hearty, crusty loaf that can hold its shape when baked.Â
Artisan rye is ideal and gives incredible flavor, but dense sourdough or a rustic ciabatta bread loaf also work well. Avoid soft commercial sandwich bread, which breaks down and turns mushy. Simple, sturdy bread is the key to the soup’s thick, layered texture.
How to Make Aosta Valley Cabbage Soup
Start by bringing the vegetable broth to a gentle boil, then add the chopped cabbage and cook just until tender. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning lightly, keeping in mind the cheese will add salt later.
While the cabbage cooks, heat the olive oil and butter in a skillet with the garlic clove. Add the bread cubes and fry them until lightly golden on all sides, then transfer to a paper towel to drain.
To assemble, build the soup in layers with the cooked cabbage, toasted bread, shredded cheese, and a ladle of broth.
Repeat the layers, finishing with Parmigiano on top, then pour over enough broth to moisten everything well without flooding the dish.
Bake until hot, bubbly, and lightly golden on top. Serve the zuppa right away, adding a little extra hot broth to each bowl if needed. This soup should be thick, hearty, and almost casserole-like.
recipe tips
- Amount of broth: If all of the broth doesn’t fit in the baking dish, simply ladle extra hot broth into the bowls when serving. Do not fill the dish to the top, as the soup will puff up slightly as it bakes.
- Savory additions: Some versions include a small amount of pancetta, bacon, or another Italian-style cured meat for a smoky note. If using, sauté it gently and layer it in with the cabbage.
- Fresh rosemary:Â A few small sprigs of fresh rosemary can be tucked between the layers for a subtle herbal flavor.
- Onion: For extra flavor, you can add a small chopped onion. Sauté it gently in a little olive oil or butter until soft, then layer it in with the cabbage.
- Toasting the bread:Â Frying the bread in oil and butter adds richness, but you can also toast the cubes in the oven like a crouton if you prefer a lighter finish.
This Aosta Valley cabbage soup is simple, hearty, and deeply comforting, just the way it’s meant to be enjoyed. Serve it hot with crusty bread and a generous sprinkle of cheese for a rustic, nourishing meal that brings a taste of the Italian Alps to your table.
- 4-6¼ cups vegetable broth (homemade or store bought) 1-11.2
- ¼ teaspoon salt (taste before salting, depending on how salty your broth is)
- 14 ounces chopped cabbage 400g
- 2-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove garlic
- 2-3 large thick slices of crusty bread (cubed into 1 – 1½ inch squares)
- 2-3 dashes black pepper
- 7 ounces shredded cheese (fontina, gruyere or swiss) 200g
- ½ cup parmigiano cheese 50g
-
Pre-heat oven to 400F/200C.
-
In a large pot add the vegetable broth bring to a boil and add the cabbage, cook until tender, approximately 10 minutes. Taste the broth for salt and pepper.
-
In a medium pan add the oil, butter and garlic clove, heat until hot, then fry the bread cubes until lightly golden on both sides, drain on a paper towel lined plate.
-
In a medium / large high sided baking dish make 2 layers of the cabbage, bread cubes, cheese, broth and top with parmigiano, pour the remaining stock over and bake 25-30 minutes. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
-
If all the broth does not fit in the dish just add it to the soup bowls when serving.
How to store the Aosta Valley Cabbage Soup
Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350°F/180C oven until warmed through and the bread on top is lightly toasty. Â
Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 1807mg | Potassium: 224mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1357IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 466mg | Iron: 1mg | Phosphorus: 288mg
Related
It’s All About Pasta
Amazing pasta recipes to make your mouth water!
Authentic Italian Desserts
75 Traditional Desserts Made Easy