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 three times 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.
Hope you love this one as much as I do, friends!
(This recipe contains affiliate links.)
Cabbage, Sausage and Potato Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
Description
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
- 1 pound kielbasa sausage*, sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 medium leeks, sliced into ⅛ inch rounds, white and pale green parts only
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 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.
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. :)
I’m so making this!
Wonderful, 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 have cabbage and potatoes in my garden right now! So excited to make this soup this weekend.
Oh awesome! Hope you enjoy 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 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 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!
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?
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. ;)
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!