Recipe: Spicy Cabbage and Sausage Soup

I am proud to say that I have gone to my local Farmers Market almost every week this summer. The only exceptions were a couple of weeks that I was out of town, but on those weeks I made up for it by stopping at a nearby roadside farm stand. This time of year the selection changes, and with it so does our diet around here. It’s coming into soup season, and I am ready for action!

Today I made my first batch of soup of the season. It’s cabbage soup, a veggie that is cheap and plentiful around here in the fall months. My cabbage soup has a dark, rich broth with a touch of spicy heat, an irresistible treat to warm you up on a chilly autumn day. I used two small heads of cabbage, one green and one red. You could use whichever you prefer, but since they have slightly different nutrition I like to use both. The addition of the red cabbage also contributes to the wonderful color of the broth!

I also make my soup in very large batches because I like to freeze some for later. (And I have an extra large crock pot!) If this is too much soup for you, the recipe can easily be halved.

Ingredients:

• 2 small heads of cabbage (one green, one red), cored and cut into ribbons
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large (32 oz.) containers reduced sodium chicken broth
• Splash of vinegar
• Splash of hot sauce (to taste)
• 2 to 3 cups sliced sausage

Directions:

1. Mix together cabbage, onion, garlic, and broth in a crock pot.
2. Stir in a splash of vinegar (just a touch!) and a splash of hot sauce. We love hot stuff so I added a fairly generous splash; use whatever amount is suited to your taste. (I used chipotle hot sauce from a local company called Food For Thought.)
3. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. Add chopped sausage. Any sausage you like will work. For this batch I used some smoked chicken sausage, but Polish sausage is another of my favorites for this recipe. If your sausage is pre-cooked, let it simmer in the soup for 1 to 2 hours; for uncooked sausage, simmer on low for 3 to 4 hours.

Serve with French bread or crusty rolls on the side. And, of course, enjoy!

Share this post:

•