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This Cabbage, Sausage and Potato Soup recipe is totally hearty and comforting, full of the best savory flavors, easy to make, and it’s guaranteed to warm you right up!
Guys, this soup.
It’s only the middle of September, and I have already made it threetimes this past month. And when I say three times, keep in mind that I’m now married to a handsome vegetarian who won’t come anywhere near this one. Which means this huge, simmering, delicious pot of soup (plus leftovers) are exclusively for Yours Truly.
And I still can’t get enough of it!
This is probably due in part to the fact that I’m about 30 years late to the party that is cabbage soup. I’m not sure why, but our family never grew up eating it, and for years I used to only think of it only in terms of those crazy fad diets, and never really tried a good bowl until a few years ago. But the second I did — oh man, guys — it was cabbage soup love at first bite. Especially when you add some smoked kielbasa sausage to the picture, and some hearty potatoes, and lots of savory and garlicky seasonings — this feel-good, hearty, savory, delicious soup is comfort food to the max.
I wish I squeeze you all around my table and ladle you up a steaming bowl for yourself right now. But instead, I’m just going to beg you to stir up a pot for yourself. Because this soup = magic. ?
Cabbage Soup Recipe | 1-Minute Video
And the good news? It’s also incredibly easy to make!
Begin with your starring ingredient — a small head of green cabbage. We’re going to use it all in this pot of soup. And even though it’s going to turn into a small mountain of greens once it has been chopped, don’t worry, because it’ll all wilt down once we add it to the soup.
The second most important ingredient here is a good package of kielbasa sausage. Really, you can use just about any kind of smoked sausage here (or even bratwurst). But I’m partial to kielbasa here with its smoky, garlicky flavors (that usually include caraway, too). You’re welcome to use traditional pork sausage here, or chicken or turkey or vegan sausage. You pick.
Begin by sautéing the sausage for a few minutes in a large stockpot(affiliate link) until it is lightly browned. Then transfer it to a separate plate to save for later.
Sauté the rest of your veggies and all of that cabbage, then add the remaining ingredients and let the soup simmer until those potatoes are nice and tender. Season with salt and pepper (I recommend extra black pepper with this one), and soon enough…
…these delicious bowls of cabbage soup will be yours to serve and enjoy.
This Cabbage, Sausage and Potato Soup recipe is nice and hearty and comforting, it’s full of the best savory flavors, and it’s guaranteed to warm you right up!
Ingredients
Scale
1 pound kielbasa sausage*, sliced into bite-sized pieces
1 small green cabbage, chopped into bite-sized pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 pound red potatoes, diced
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, homemade or store-bought
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
Instructions
Add sausage to a large stockpot and cook over medium-heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring and flipping occasionally, until the sausage is lightly browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a separate plate, and set aside.
Add the olive oil, leeks, carrots and celery to the pan, and stir to combine. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the cabbage and garlic, and sauté for 4 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the stock, potatoes, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, cooked sausage, and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked and tender.
Remove and discard the bay leaf. Taste and season with a few generous pinches of salt and black pepper as needed. (Also, depending on how seasoned your sausage is, feel free to stir in a extra few teaspoons of Italian seasoning if you think it needs some extra flavor. A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes will also help bring out the flavors.)
Serve warm. Or refrigerate in sealed containers for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
*Feel free to use traditional kielbasa sausage, or any kind of smoked pork, chicken, turkey, or vegan sausage that you’d like. (Bratwurst also works!)
**If making this recipe gluten-free, be sure to double-check that your sausage is certified GF.
From what I learned years ago, black pepper is the seasoning in kielbasa as opposed to paprika in the Hungarian version. That might be why black pepper goes so well with this. This soup is a definite must-make for me. I think there is a food blogger conspiracy going – with you as leader – to get me to become a soup eater. Based on reading this recipe, I’m sure the food blogger conspiracy will win this one. :-D
Yum!! Can’t wait to make! If I do all the steps and put in my slow cooker how long would you suggest cooking?
My thoughts were 2-3 hrs on low??? Thanks
Tina B —
Kathleen, if you do this in your crockpot, I would recommend not sauteeing the cabbage, but adding it with the potatoes and broth at the end, then cooking on low for 2-3 hours. The recipe is good, so it’s worth a try. Will you come back and let us know how it turned out once you try it in your crockpot?
I made this using Chicken Sausage by Aidell’s…all natural, no nitrates and fully cooked.
I chose their Roasted Garlic with Grueyre Cheese Sausage. One of my favorites!
I sliced it into bite sized pieces and sautéed it with just a smidgen of E V O O until
browning and proceeded as above…Wonderful!
I can’t wait to make this when the temperatures dip back down again (currently sitting at 80° in September in the Midwest!). But it will be a perfect slow cooker soup for a Sunday night. Thank you for the recipe!
OK, so I was going to try to ‘vegetarianize’ this anyway, as a vegetarian of over 20 years, but knowing that your husband is a veg-head makes it a must challenge! I’m going to try it with vegan Kielbasa and I’ll let you know how it goes. It really looks too good not to!
Awesome, let me know how it turns out! We use Field Roast sausage regularly around here too, and it holds up fairly well in soups if browned beforehand. :)
Just made this delicious soup! I made a few adjustments due to what was available at the farmers market and my pantry. :) I used beef broth, skipped the celery and doubled the carrots. Came out great! Thank you!
Soup tasted great ! Never had cooked with leeks , but they have the soup a fresh taste. I also added a dollop of sour cream when I served it, went well together. Thank you for the recipe!
This soup is delicious, filling, and easy to make. I had mushrooms on hand and an army to feed, (7 adults) so I added mushrooms. I added red pepper flakes for a little bit more zing. We had a little left for lunch tomorrow.
I recommend this soup! It’s inexpensive to make, as well as fast.
I made this on the weekend. My spousal unit loved it. I took some to knitting group and shared it. Both shop owners asked for the recipe. Shared some with a friend who works at my favorite local restaurant. She wants the recipe. My SU asked me to make it again tonight. Two things: we had no leeks, so I used plain old white onion. Worked fine. When it’s really winter (instead of the 90 degrees we are having right now in northern lower Michigan), I might add a can of white beans to this. This is definitely a “keeper” recipe!
Oh, my goodness! this was my mother’s go-to soup when we were growing up! I am so happy to see it here. She used water rather than broth for it though. It gave it a nice, clean flavor, but still very good…this is a real flavor of childhood! and now that we are facing October and colder weather, I am looking forward to making it again…I’ll use your recipe! I am doing your Italian lentil soup recipe for a group of fellow Third Order Franciscans who are meeting for a a retreat this coming weekend…am going to add a handful of pasta shells at the end…
thank you for your site….Victoria
Good, but not exceptional. A tablespoon of Italian seasoning was a little heavy. I will try other recipes that include tomato, mushrooms and beef broth rather than chicken to see if I like it better.
I will have to make this soup very soon! I LOVE cabbage…and put it in most of the soups I make that use veggies. I also love kielbasa sausage. I can take this soup to my friend who is gluten, dairy, and sugar free. She will love it as well!
I made this tonight along with some french bread buttered and pan fried. Perfect meal for a rainy, chilly day. I’ve made cabbage soups before but this tops them all. Maybe it’s sauteeing the vegetables. Whatever, it’s a keeper!
This soup was awesome. We didn’t have leeks so used green onions and also used smoked turkey kielbasa. It says 8 servings. Do you know how much in a serving? I am trying to figure out points for WW. Thanks. Will definitely make again. Thumbs up.
I made it tonight!! It was delicious!! Family loved it!! Used Down Home sausage (I am in Louisiana and it is a locally made spicy sausage, fully cooked). I made a pan of jalapeno cornbread to go with the soup!! Yummy!!
Looks awesome! Can’t wait to try it. I wonder how well it would freeze and reheat?? Would love to make a big batch to have in the freezer to just reheat all winter.
I’ve been this soup for years! We love it, introduced my “foodie” brother who had never had cabbage soup he loves it, always requests it when we visit……we live in OK he lives in WA. I generally use white onion and add greenbeans and a large can of crushed tomatoes! As I said we love it, served with cornbread!
It is a cold blustery evening in Seattle. The soup turned out perfect! I added an extra half pound of sauteed hot bulk sausage. Easy, quick, and yummy.
Oh my goodness, I’m always looking for something different to cook. I have new potatoes from the garden and have frozen my homegrown carrots and celery. Just need a head of cabbage and I’ve got a pot of soup. Sounds delicious. It’s getting cool here (finally), so I’m thinking of nothing but luscious pots of soup. I will post a review after I made it. Sounds delicious.
Hi Ali! My husband saw this recipe on Facebook and showed it to me. I made it for him as a surprise this week and it was delicious! Even though it will take a long time for winter to arrive here in north Florida, it looked so good I made it the next night. It’s on my Favorites List now!
I have made this soup for years and it is the best soup EVER! No one in my family likes it, which is okay with me :) Five starts just isn’t enough
Thanks for sharing
Ha, all the more soup for you! (At least that’s what I say with my vegetarian husband.) ;) So glad you like it!
From what I learned years ago, black pepper is the seasoning in kielbasa as opposed to paprika in the Hungarian version. That might be why black pepper goes so well with this. This soup is a definite must-make for me. I think there is a food blogger conspiracy going – with you as leader – to get me to become a soup eater. Based on reading this recipe, I’m sure the food blogger conspiracy will win this one. :-D
Oh interesting, that makes sense. And cheers to soup!!! Oh man, it’s my favorite. I hope the conspiracy wins. ;)
Yum!! Can’t wait to make! If I do all the steps and put in my slow cooker how long would you suggest cooking?
My thoughts were 2-3 hrs on low??? Thanks
Kathleen, if you do this in your crockpot, I would recommend not sauteeing the cabbage, but adding it with the potatoes and broth at the end, then cooking on low for 2-3 hours. The recipe is good, so it’s worth a try. Will you come back and let us know how it turned out once you try it in your crockpot?
I love cabbage whether it is in slaw or cooked, added to casseroles or soup. I use lemon pepper in many recipes hoping to modify salt intake.
Lemon pepper is a great swap! :) Cheers to cabbage!
I made this using Chicken Sausage by Aidell’s…all natural, no nitrates and fully cooked.
I chose their Roasted Garlic with Grueyre Cheese Sausage. One of my favorites!
I sliced it into bite sized pieces and sautéed it with just a smidgen of E V O O until
browning and proceeded as above…Wonderful!
Sounds delicious! So happy you enjoyed it!
I can’t wait to make this when the temperatures dip back down again (currently sitting at 80° in September in the Midwest!). But it will be a perfect slow cooker soup for a Sunday night. Thank you for the recipe!
Wonderful, hope you enjoy it! :) (And I hear ya, it’s 90 today in Kansas City, crazy!)
I have cabbage and potatoes in my garden right now! So excited to make this soup this weekend.
Oh awesome! Hope you enjoy it!
Yum!! Looks and sounds soooo flavourful and just the ultimate Autumnal soup! We’ll have to see if we can find Kielbasa sausages here in England! :)
Sochal – The Healthy Social Network
Awesome, hope you enjoy it! And just about any smoked sausage will work. :)
I’m so making this!
Wonderful, hope you enjoy it!
OK, so I was going to try to ‘vegetarianize’ this anyway, as a vegetarian of over 20 years, but knowing that your husband is a veg-head makes it a must challenge! I’m going to try it with vegan Kielbasa and I’ll let you know how it goes. It really looks too good not to!
Awesome, let me know how it turns out! We use Field Roast sausage regularly around here too, and it holds up fairly well in soups if browned beforehand. :)
Simmering on the stove now, but I snuck a little taste!! So GOOD! Im going to try freezing a portion to see how it does.
Yay!! And yep, it should freeze well! :)
Ali, I made this tonight. So good! It’s now on our regular rotation. Thanks!
Yay, so happy to hear it! :)
Just made this delicious soup! I made a few adjustments due to what was available at the farmers market and my pantry. :) I used beef broth, skipped the celery and doubled the carrots. Came out great! Thank you!
Awesome, sounds great!!
i made it at home ,it was awesome,
Thank you Ali , keep it up.
Awesome, so glad you enjoyed it! :)
Soup tasted great ! Never had cooked with leeks , but they have the soup a fresh taste. I also added a dollop of sour cream when I served it, went well together. Thank you for the recipe!
Wonderful, so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
This soup is delicious, filling, and easy to make. I had mushrooms on hand and an army to feed, (7 adults) so I added mushrooms. I added red pepper flakes for a little bit more zing. We had a little left for lunch tomorrow.
I recommend this soup! It’s inexpensive to make, as well as fast.
Oooh, mushrooms and red pepper flakes sound delicious. So happy to hear you all enjoyed it!
I made this on the weekend. My spousal unit loved it. I took some to knitting group and shared it. Both shop owners asked for the recipe. Shared some with a friend who works at my favorite local restaurant. She wants the recipe. My SU asked me to make it again tonight. Two things: we had no leeks, so I used plain old white onion. Worked fine. When it’s really winter (instead of the 90 degrees we are having right now in northern lower Michigan), I might add a can of white beans to this. This is definitely a “keeper” recipe!
So happy to hear that you enjoyed it! And onion is a terrific substitute. :) Stay warm up there!
This soup was delicious! The whole family loved it. Definitely going to be a go to dish!
Wonderful!!
Oh, my goodness! this was my mother’s go-to soup when we were growing up! I am so happy to see it here. She used water rather than broth for it though. It gave it a nice, clean flavor, but still very good…this is a real flavor of childhood! and now that we are facing October and colder weather, I am looking forward to making it again…I’ll use your recipe! I am doing your Italian lentil soup recipe for a group of fellow Third Order Franciscans who are meeting for a a retreat this coming weekend…am going to add a handful of pasta shells at the end…
thank you for your site….Victoria
Sounds delicious!! And yay, hope you enjoyed the lentil soup!
Good, but not exceptional. A tablespoon of Italian seasoning was a little heavy. I will try other recipes that include tomato, mushrooms and beef broth rather than chicken to see if I like it better.
I will have to make this soup very soon! I LOVE cabbage…and put it in most of the soups I make that use veggies. I also love kielbasa sausage. I can take this soup to my friend who is gluten, dairy, and sugar free. She will love it as well!
Absolutely loved making this dish! It made the kitchen smell so nice! I will most definitely be making it at Thanksgiving– thank you for sharing! :)
Awesome, enjoy!!
I have a pot on the stove now!! Made this with fresh bratwurst!!! Yummy!! Can’t wait to eat a bowl!
Sounds delicious!!
Just love this soup !! Love this time of year !!
Yay and yes!!
I made this tonight along with some french bread buttered and pan fried. Perfect meal for a rainy, chilly day. I’ve made cabbage soups before but this tops them all. Maybe it’s sauteeing the vegetables. Whatever, it’s a keeper!
Awesome!! So happy to hear it!
This was excellent. I have leftovers in the refrig for DH and enough in the freezer for another meal.
Awesome!!
I HAVEN’T MADE THIS SOUP YET BUT I WILL…I LOVE ALL VEGGIES COOKED. I’M A SOUP PERSON. WINTER OR SUMMER.
Awesome, I’m a fellow soup person too. ;)
This soup was awesome. We didn’t have leeks so used green onions and also used smoked turkey kielbasa. It says 8 servings. Do you know how much in a serving? I am trying to figure out points for WW. Thanks. Will definitely make again. Thumbs up.
I made it tonight!! It was delicious!! Family loved it!! Used Down Home sausage (I am in Louisiana and it is a locally made spicy sausage, fully cooked). I made a pan of jalapeno cornbread to go with the soup!! Yummy!!
Ooooh, that sausage and cornbread sound delicious! So glad you enjoyed it!
I WAS BROUGHT UP ON THIS STYLE OF FOOD, IN FACT WE HAD THIS THIS FRIDAY,BUT WE STUFFED IN INTO A HOG MAUL ”PIG STOMACH” MMM
made ,it’s great and will make it again..
Wonderful, so glad you enjoyed it!
This soup is delicious and so filling!!!!
Yesss!
Looks delicious I can’t wait to try it
Wonderful, enjoy!
Absolutely delicious! And whole30 compliant to boot.
Yay and yes! :)
This is delicious!! I have never cooked with leeks before. What should I use the darker green parts for now?
I can’t wait to make this!!! Going to use the crock pot while at church Sunday am. Finally getting a little chilly in the mornings in TEXAS
Love this soup! This was my first time cooking with cabbage and leeks.
Awesome, two great ingredients! :)
Does this heat up well? I’m planning to make it the night before and heat up/serve from a crockpot in my Office the next day. Thoughts? Thanks!!
Looks awesome! Can’t wait to try it. I wonder how well it would freeze and reheat?? Would love to make a big batch to have in the freezer to just reheat all winter.
Made today and was deliciousl.
Wonderful!!
I’ve been this soup for years! We love it, introduced my “foodie” brother who had never had cabbage soup he loves it, always requests it when we visit……we live in OK he lives in WA. I generally use white onion and add greenbeans and a large can of crushed tomatoes! As I said we love it, served with cornbread!
I KNOW THIS SOUNDS DELICIOUS SO IT IS GOING INTO MY SOUP POT !!
THANK YOU FOR THE NICE RECIPES !
Awesome, enjoy! :)
It is a cold blustery evening in Seattle. The soup turned out perfect! I added an extra half pound of sauteed hot bulk sausage. Easy, quick, and yummy.
Wonderful! So happy to hear it!
Oh my goodness, I’m always looking for something different to cook. I have new potatoes from the garden and have frozen my homegrown carrots and celery. Just need a head of cabbage and I’ve got a pot of soup. Sounds delicious. It’s getting cool here (finally), so I’m thinking of nothing but luscious pots of soup. I will post a review after I made it. Sounds delicious.
delicious!!!
honestly, the most expensive part was the sausage!!
So good and hearty. I admit I left out the celery and added a bit more garlic. There’s hardly any left. Super easy.
Sounds delicious!
looks delish going to make this for sure.
Awesome, hope you enjoy it!
Hi Ali! My husband saw this recipe on Facebook and showed it to me. I made it for him as a surprise this week and it was delicious! Even though it will take a long time for winter to arrive here in north Florida, it looked so good I made it the next night. It’s on my Favorites List now!
Awesome, so happy to hear it!! :)
Sunday soup-can’t wait to make it!
Wonderful, enjoy!!
Oh my gosh! This is a quick and easy soup to make! It is such a good and tasty soup; a must try if you haven’t already.
Yay, so happy to hear it! :)