Sausage and Cabbage Soup
The balsamic vinegar makes this Sausage and Cabbage Soup extra delicious, and this tasty soup is going to be a hit on a cold winter night! And this recipe makes a big pot of soup with sausage, cabbage, and cauliflower rice, so it’s perfect for Weekend Food Prep.
PIN Sausage and Cabbage Soup to try it later!
I mentioned how I’m updating some of my older recipes to create lower-carb versions. And this Sausage and Cabbage Soup is a low-carb version of a favorite soup that had lentils; I used cauliflower rice to replace them for the lower-carb soup! And Kara and I both thought the new soup recipe was so tasty! (If anyone was a fan of the original Soup with Lentils you can follow that link and see the printer-friendly version back in the archives.)
This is a stovetop soup recipe that makes a big pot of soup, and it freezes especially well so I hope you’ll consider making the full amount. But if that’s too much soup for you, just cut the recipe in half. You can still use the full amount of sausage or freeze half the sausage for another time, whichever you prefer.
We devoured this Sausage and Cabbage Soup on a day when we had a few different recipes to test, and loved it with a little freshly-grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on at the table.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- water
- homemade chicken stock or canned chicken broth (affiliate link)
- Better Than Bouillon Beef Base (affiliate link) or any beef bouillon base you prefer (Better Than Bouillon is not guaranteed to be gluten-free)
- Bay Leaves (affiliate link)
- Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
- Dried Thyme (affiliate link)
- Dried Oregano (affiliate link)
- Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) or another all-purpose seasoning blend
- tomato paste (affiliate link)
- turkey, chicken, beef, or pork precooked sausage (see notes)
- onion
- celery
- carrots
- cabbage
- frozen cauliflower rice
- Balsamic Vinegar (affiliate link), optional but good
- freshly-grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
What sausage should you use for the Sausage and Cabbage Soup?
A lot of the flavor in this soup comes from the sausage, so use a flavorful sausage for this recipe. You can make the soup with turkey, chicken, pork, or beef pre-cooked sausage, but there are some variations to consider in the different types of sausage. In general turkey and chicken sausage will be lower in fat, but they’re often higher in carbs. And Pork and Beef sausage will be higher in fat but usually lower in carbs. Check the carb and fat amounts on the packages to decide which works for your way of eating. We used Kroger Private Selection Smoked Sausage with Pork and Beef, which had only 1 carb per serving and was gluten-free.
Is this Sausage and Cabbage Soup low-carb and gluten-free?
This soup has mostly sausage and vegetables and with the sausage we used it makes a soup with about 10 net carbs per serving. If you use gluten-free sausage and gluten-free broth or soup base, the recipe will be gluten-free, and it’s also dairy-free without the optional Parmesan.
How to make a lower-carb version of Sausage and Cabbage Soup:
The two highest-carb ingredients in the soup are carrots and balsamic vinegar, and if you omit those that takes it down to 8 net carbs per serving. But personally I would probably make it with those included and just watch my carbs more carefully for other meals that day!
Can you make Sausage and Cabbage Soup in the Slow Cooker or the Instant Pot?
I test the recipes on this site carefully, sometimes making them several times (with the fantastic Kara) to be sure they work for you. So even though I’m sure you *can* make this soup in the slow cooker or Instant Pot, I haven’t tested it that way and don’t feel comfortable just guessing at the cooking times. If you want to try it I think you could still cook everything except the cauliflower rice together at first, then add cauliflower rice and cook a bit longer. If anyone tries one of those methods and has a good result, please share your cooking time in the comments so others can see it.
How to Make Sausage and Cabbage Soup:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Take cauliflower rice out of the freezer and let it start to thaw.
- The first photos shows the Kroger Private Selection Smoked Sausage with Pork and Beef we used. (Kroger has never paid me to mention their ingredients.)
- We cut the sausage lengthwise into fourths, and then sliced into smaller pieces.
- Add water, chicken stock or broth, beef flavor base, bay leaves, garlic, dried thyme, dried oregano, Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), tomato paste, and diced sausage to a large soup pot and start to simmer.
- Then cut up the carrots, onion, celery, and cabbage and add to the soup.
- Simmer the soup on very low heat for about one hour (or slightly longer.)
- Then add cauliflower rice and simmer at least 30 minutes more, or until cauliflower rice starts to somewhat dissolve into the soup. You can add more liquid during this time if you need it.
- When soup is done, remove bay leaves and stir in balsamic vinegar (if using) and cook a few minutes more.
- Serve hot, with freshly grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table if desired.
- This soup freezes very well and will also stay good in the fridge for at least a week.
More Low-Carb Soups with Cabbage:
Cabbage is one of my favorite low-carb ingredients, and I love using it in soup. Check out Low-Carb and Keto Soups with Cabbage to see a round-up of all the soups with cabbage on this site.
Weekend Food Prep:
This Sausage and Cabbage Soup recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Sausage and Cabbage Soup
The touch of balsamic vinegar makes this Sausage and Cabbage Soup extra flavorful, and this makes a large pot of soup that freezes especially well. If that's too much soup for you, just cut all the ingredients in half and make a smaller batch of soup.
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 8 cups chicken broth (see notes)
- 1 T Better-than-Bouillon Beef flavor base (see notes)
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 T minced garlic (or less)
- 2 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 T Spike Seasoning (see notes)
- 2 T tomato paste (I used the type from a tube)
- 14 oz. precooked turkey, chicken, pork, or beef sausage (see notes)
- 1 cup finely diced onion
- 1 cup finely diced celery
- 2 small carrots, diced
- 4 cups coarsely chopped cabbage (or more)
- 2 cups frozen califlower rice
- 2 T balsamic vinegar to add at the end (optional but recommended)
- freshly-grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table (optional)
Instructions
- Take cauliflower rice out of the freezer and let it thaw on the countertop when you start the soup.
- Cut sausage into fourths lengthwise, then into small pieces..
- Put water, homemade chicken stock or chicken broth, beef flavor base, bay leaves, minced garlic, thyme, oregano, Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), tomato paste, and sausage in large soup pot and start to simmer.
- Then cut up the carrots, onion, celery, and cabbage one at a time and add each to the soup. (You can use coleslaw mix instead of chopping up cabbage if you prefer, although I like the more coarsely chopped cabbage for this.)
- Let soup simmer on low 1 hour or a bit longer.
- Then add the cauliflower rice and simmer at least 30 minutes longer, or until the cauliflower rice starts to somewhat dissolve into the soup. You can add more liquid during this time if it seems like the soup is getting too thick.
- When the soup is done, discard bay leaves and stir in the balsamic vinegar (if using) and cook a few minutes longer.
- Serve hot, with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table if desired.
- This soup freezes very well and will also stay good in the refrigerator for at least a week.
Notes
Of course homemade chicken stock is best for soup like this, but if you don't have homemade chicken stock use canned chicken broth, or water with chicken soup base.
Better-than-Bouillon doesn't guarantee their flavor bases are gluten-free, so if you need that guarantee you might want to use a different brand.
If you don't have Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) use any all-purpose seasoning blend.
We usedย Kroger Private Selection Smoked Sausage with Pork and Beef, which had only 1 carb per serving and was gluten-free.
Recipe created by Kalyn and Kara as a lower-carb variation of an older favorite soup that had lentils.
Nutrition Information
Yield
10Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 225Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 5.2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3.8gCholesterol 35.5mgSodium 1074mgCarbohydrates 13.7gFiber 3gSugar 5.8gProtein 13.7g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This favorite Sausage and Cabbage Soup has about 10 net carbs per serving with the pork and beef sausage we used. If you want to make this recipe suitable for the original South Beach Diet, use turkey or chicken sausage that’s relatively low in fat. If you’re strictly following South Beach, the carrots wouldn’t be approved for Phase One, but I wouldn’t worry too much about the tiny bit of carrots we used.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Soup Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalynโs Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes Iโm sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was first posted in 2007 as a soup with lentils, sausage, and cabbage. The original recipe was moved to the archives and this lower-carb Sausage and Cabbage Soup was posted in 2024.
35 Comments on “Sausage and Cabbage Soup”
This soup is outstanding! So many great flavors complement each other. Don’t skip the balsamic vinegar!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Made this for dinner last night and it was delicious. ย I changed the order up a bit…sauteed the veggies first in a drizzle of EVOO, added the sausage, added the spices and tomato paste and then added the water and broth. Threw in a parmesan rind and let it simmer. ย Dinner was so tasty! ย Looking forward to freezing the leftovers for another time. ย Will definitely make this again!
So glad you enjoyed it Amanda; thanks for letting me know!
Pulled the leftovers out of the freezer for dinner tonight! ย So good for a second time! ย Had the leftovers with a little garlic bread on the side. ย This recipe is a keeper for sure. ย Both my husband and I really enjoyed it.
Comments before this one were for the original Lentil, Sausage, and Cabbage soup that has been moved to the archives.
So glad you are still enjoying it!
I’m getting to the end of my groceries and have very random things in the fridge and freezer. I googled what I had and this was one of the first recipes that came up. I was doubtful, but it turned out deliciously!
I used all green lentils (the bag was just slightly more than the 2 cups and I had a half pound of ground Italian sausage, which gave it great flavor. If I make this again, I would probably add a little more cabbage because it cooks down a lot, but this was a tasty recipe–thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it, and especially glad to hear you were able to make it with what’s in the house.
Could you make this in a crockpot?
I’m sure you can, but I haven’t done it that way so I won’t be able to tell you exactly how to adapt it. For sure I would use a lot less stock though, maybe about 5 cups. I’d love to hear how it works if you try it!
I came across this recipe looking for some soup for later this week. This one sounds perfect. I will probably use store bought chicken stock since I don't have any home made and I like Lawry's Seasoning Salt so I will use that instead of Spike's. I can't wait to see how it turns out.
Thanks Abby, hope you enjoy! The Lawry's should be great in this.
I've never met a lentil soup I didn't love! Thanks for linking to one of mine. I'm off to print this recipe and put it on my list for March, which is a great month for making soup.
Lydia, I feel the same way about lentil soup!
We're doing The Daniel Plan study at our church over the next 6 weeks, and this is perfect for our Food session. I'm thinking of making a batch for everyone to sample. Pinning to our Daniel Plan board so everyone can try it.
Thanks for the Pin Jeanette, hope you guys enjoy it!
Karen, I can't really imagine barley in this soup, but it might be okay.
Hi, I was wondering..I have some barley..Think i could use that instead of lentils..Wouldn't have to run to the store..Think it would taste ok? Thanks!
Mom-ster, thanks for the nice thoughts about the recipes. So glad to hear you're enjoying them.
Kalyn,
I haven't commented in ages — though a great many of your recipes are in my box of go tos. My father in law brought me a bunch of cabbage (which turns out to be the last of the garden produce for this year as his garden got flooded in all the bad weather we had in central PA this week). I was looking for something new to try and found this recipe. I also have several cartons of chicken broth flavored with white wine…it is cooking this afternoon and my house smells spectacular. Thanks again for all the great recipes you share…I love being a great (and healthy—but no one notices that part–b/c it tastes so good) cook.
Take care
Hi Kalyn, your lentil soup sounds delish! I have really enjoyed your blog. Just last week I revealed my own Lentil Soup recipe on my blog. I have held the “secret ingredients” close for years, but finally divulged them to the whole blogging world. While I don’t know how it works with South Beach, I do know it’s yummy. Very complex flavor. Now, let me go and try your recipe on this chilly day. I wondered what I would do with that head of cabbage in my ‘frig.
Kalyn, thanks for listing my lentil soup recipe. Yours looks yummy, especially in this cold weather we’re having (at last!) here in RI.
I’m lovin’ all the cabbage in this soup! I’m in the mood for lots of cabbage.
Paz
Hi Alanna, more soup to come!
Nau-dee, you’re my best recipe tester yet!
Michelle, it was great.
Toni, my dad loves posole!
Christine, do join us in the soup-making fun.
Mandira, the water is back. (Also, I can’t leave comments on your blog right now for some blogger reason. Your marinara sauce looked great, so I hope you see this.)
Sher, cabbage is the best!
Tanna, I agree that no soaking is one great thing about lentils.
Bill, it’s very low GI and really yummy.
Mimi, the sausage I used was quite spicy. I don’t have the package any more but it was from Costco. You could use Italian Sausage, but cook it first, and use the hot type. I think any type of sausage that you like the taste of would be fine.
I’m a little confused on what type of sausage to use, here. Italian?
I’d like to try this because it really looks and sounds healthy.
mmm…low on the GI index and looks great!
Really seems we are all thinking soup. I use a whole head of cabbage in my minestrone.
Lentils seem so neglected and I really do enjoy them. So nice that there’s none of that overnight soak!
mmm, my mother made a soup similar to that and it was so delicious. I love cabbage in soup
The soup looks delicious. In this cold weather, soups are a great idea ๐ Thanks for sharing. I hope your water connection was restored Kalyn.
This looks wonderful Kalyn! Maybe I’ll join in the fun with a soup of my own.
I adore lentil and sausage soup. In fact, I’ve got a big container of if in my freezer from the last time I made it. (I always seem to make enough to feed the Turkish army!) Never thought of adding cabbage — Love the idea!!
I just posted a recipe for posole, and discussed whether it’s considered a soup or a stew. Because of the corn, it wouldn’t be good for an initial South Beacher, but it’s definitely yummm in the winter!
Your soup looks delish! I have been looking for soup recipes perfect for the extra ‘cold’ weather we are having now. I don’t usually use lentils so this one will surprise my hubby.
Yeah Soup! sounds great I’ll have to give it a try.
Hey Mz Kalyn, Sure sounds good! It’s the cabbage, I’m sure, that provides the flavor and sweetness. It’s a miracle in soups! Thanks for participating in Soup’s On!