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My Easy Cabbage and Sausage Soup Recipe is a simple, hearty soup packed with tons of flavor thanks to red cabbage and Polish sausage! I absolutely love cabbage soup in the winter – it is simple, healthy, bursting with flavor – and full of ingredients you can feel good about. It warms you up without making you feel heavy or greasy.
This cabbage and sausage soup is perfect for a keto diet – but if you’re following the low carb eating plan (my husband has completely changed the way he looks and feels from it, so I have taken it back up again lately) cabbage is not only keto, it’s also low in carbohydrates.
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At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
How to Make Cabbage and Sausage Soup
This hearty and delicious Easy Cabbage and Sausage Soup tastes just like a cabbage roll with sausage – but in a rich, comforting hot soup! This one pot cabbage roll soup is low carb, making this a keto cabbage soup recipe you can eat over and over again without the guilt! While I am making this easy cabbage and sausage soup on the stovetop, it can easily be made in the slow cooker!
Keto Cabbage Sausage Soup Ingredients
First assemble the following ingredients:
- Olive oil (2 tbsp) – Olive oil helps sauté the vegetables and kielbasa, building flavor and preventing sticking.
- Red cabbage (½ head, diced) – Red cabbage adds a tender bite, natural sweetness, and a deeper color to the soup.
- White onion (½) – White onion provides a savory base flavor and sweetness as it cooks down.
- Stalks celery (3, diced) – Celery adds aromatic freshness and a subtle crunch that softens into a savory texture.
- Carrot (1, diced) – Carrot contributes mild sweetness and body, helping round out the soup’s flavors.
- Sea salt (1 tsp) – Sea salt enhances and balances the flavors of every ingredient.
- Pepper (1 tsp, freshly cracked) – Freshly cracked pepper adds warmth and complexity with a slightly sharper bite.
- Diced garlic (2 tbsp) – Garlic brings bold, fragrant flavor and a savory depth that permeates the soup.
- Hungarian paprika (1 tbsp) – Hungarian paprika adds smoky-sweet warmth and a rich, earthy color to the broth.
- Dried oregano (1 tbs) – Dried oregano contributes herbal, slightly bitter notes that make the flavor more layered.
- Smoked polska kielbasa (1 lb, sliced into rounds) – Kielbasa adds smoky, salty, and savory richness while infusing the broth with meat flavor.
- Beef broth (3 cups) – Beef broth forms the main liquid base, providing strong savory flavor and depth.
- Water (2 cups) – Water helps loosen the soup to the desired consistency while extending the broth flavor.
- Bay leaf (1) – Bay leaf adds a gentle herbal aroma that becomes more noticeable as the soup simmers.
Steps to Make Sausage and Cabbage Soup
Once you have assembled the ingredients, use this method:
Sauté Onions. In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, heat olive oil until shimmery. Add diced onion and cook until softening.
Add Veg and Season. Add in diced cabbage, carrots, garlic, and celery and cook until lightly browned and fragrant. Season well with salt and pepper, oregano, and paprika.
Add Meat and Finish. Stir in kielbasa and let cook another 4-5 minutes until warmed and lightly browned. Stir in water, bay leaf, and stock and bring to a rapid boil. Let reduce for about 5-10 minutes. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks to Perfect Sausage and Cabbage Soup
Slow Cooker Version. Follow these simple steps to get a delicious Slow Cooker Sausage and Cabbage Soup Recipe:
- Add all ingredients except stock to slow cooker and let cook down, about 2 hours, until vegetables are soft.
- Stir in stock, water, and herbs and cover – cook until piping hot and well combined, about 1-2 hours.
- If freezing, brown the vegetables quickly – so they have a little color – but don’t let them get very soft. Thawing will make vegetables in this soup break down even more, so I recommend only very briefly softening them for flavor – not to get soft – when freezing this easy sausage and cabbage soup.
Don’t skip browning vegetables. This soup relies on simple, rustic flavors from the vegetables and herbs – not from tons of crazy ingredients. To get the most flavor, let your vegetables cook down and brown slightly.
Don’t overcook. Don’t leave soup cooking on the stove forever – it will turn to mush! Cook soup to hot, and brown vegetables – but don’t leave simmering.
Use what you have on hand. Don’t have a specific ingredient? Don’t sweat it! This recipe is insanely versatile, so you can swap out something you have for something you dont – or just change up the ingredients to create a cabbage roll soup that you love!
What to Serve With Cabbage Soup
This soup pairs perfectly with lots of different sides – some of our favorites are below!
Try my favorite Khachapuri Georgian Cheese Bread, Easy Sour Cream Cornbread Recipe, Bacon and Broccoli Charred Salad, Easy No Knead Bread, 10 Minute Broccolini, Sauteed Zucchini and Squash, The Best Easy Buttery Soft Dinner Rolls Recipe, and The Best Easy Irish Brown Soda Bread Recipe.
Try my favorite other soups next time like 20 Minute Creamy Sausage and Mushroom Soup, One Pot Cheesy Chicken Taco Skillet Soup, Easy Loaded Leftover Mashed Potato Soup, Slow Cooker Creamy Sausage and Broccoli Cheese Soup, One Pot Hamburger Cabbage Soup, and Spicy Black Bean Soup.
Try these recipes:
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Sausage and Cabbage Soup Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ head red cabbage, diced
- ½ white onion
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp pepper, freshly cracked
- 2 tbsp diced garlic
- 1 tbsp Hungarian paprika
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 lb smoked polska kielbasa, sliced into rounds
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven or stock pot, heat olive oil until shimmery.
- Add diced onion and cook until softening.
- Add in diced cabbage, carrots, garlic, and celery and cook until lightly browned and fragrant.
- Season well with salt and pepper, oregano, and paprika.
- Stir in kielbasa and let cook another 4-5 minutes until warmed and lightly browned.
- Stir in water, bay leaf, and stock and bring to a rapid boil. Let reduce for about 5-10 minutes.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Cabbage and Sausage Soup FAQ’s
This soup can be frozen in an airtight container for up to four months.
Let soup fully thaw in refrigerator before reheating, add to pan and simmer under piping hot to serve.
You can absolutely swap other vegetables, or add up to a cup of other vegetables you love to this soup.
Add a can of rinsed kidney beans to this recipe for a hearty protein packed addition.
Adding beans to the recipe is not considered keto.
You can add 1-2 cups of boiler potatoes, diced into 1u0022 chunks, for a delicious hearty addition to this soup.
Adding potatoes to the recipe is not considered keto.
My husband asked for this to be his birthday dinner. And even though it has cabbage, my kids love this soup. It is so dang good and simple to boot. Very awesome recipe. Thank you!
So glad you loved it!
A friend gave me this big , beautiful deep purple cabbage (along with a gorgeous butternut squash as well) and had no idea what to do with. I got on Pinterest and found this lovely recipe. I really used just about everything as was called for, but did add orange bell pepper I had as well, and I only had regular Paprika and smoked Paprika so I put a 1/2 tablespoon of each. The smoked flavor really added to the flavor greatly but did not go over board! It was just an excellent November Evening Comfort Soup!! I am going to share a taste with my grown kids tomorrow to see what they think and going to freeze the rest for a few winter nights to come. I know I will be sharing this recipe with family and friends! Thank you so much for this great new soup!!!