Lentil, Sausage, and Cabbage Soup

The touch of balsamic vinegar makes this Lentil, Sausage, and Cabbage Soup really delicious, and this tasty soup is gluten-free! This soup is pretty low in net carbs, but if you want an even lower-carb version use more sausage and fewer lentils, and maybe reduce the amount of carrots.

PIN Lentil, Sausage, and Cabbage Soup to try it later!

I’ve been re-shooting the photos for my recipes for many years now, and it’s always satisfying to get a new photo that shows off the recipe a little better. But what really feels great is being able to replace a truly horrible old photo with a nicer one, and the original photo of this Lentil, Sausage, and Cabbage Soup was so bad that I’m so happy to update with better photos!

When I took the new photos I couldn’t resist the urge to add some balsamic vinegar to the soup, which I think only improved it! I love lentils and cabbage, and they’re delicious together in this soup. We gobbled this up on a day when we had a few different recipes to sample, and I loved it with a little freshly-grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on at the table.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

• chicken broth
• 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)
• brown lentils (see notes)
• precooked sausage
• onion
• celery
• carrots
• cabbage
• balsamic vinegar or white balsamic vinegar (affiliate link), optional but good
• freshly-grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

What kind of lentils should you use for this soup?

You can definitely make this lentil and sausage soup with all brown lentils if that’s what you have. But if you have some red lentils too, I urge you to replace some of the brown lentils with red ones. The red lentils cook a bit more quickly so they break apart into the soup and thicken it in a delightful way.

How can you make a lower-carb version of this soup?

This soup that has a lot of sausage and vegetables along with the lentils is surprisingly low in net carbs. And Lentils are one of the slow-digesting carbs that many carb-conscious eaters eat in small amounts. But if you want an even lower-carb version of this soup I would use more sausage, fewer lentils, and maybe skip the carrots and use more of the other vegetables. 

Starting to make Lentil, Sausage, and Cabbage Soup:

(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)

1. Add the water, chicken stock, Bay Leaves, garlic, Dried Thyme, Dried Oregano, Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), tomato paste, and brown lentils (and red lentils if using) to the soup and start to simmer.
2. Then cut up the sausage, 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. For a lower-carb option use 4 cups coleslaw mix and skip the carrots.)

Finishing the Lentil, Sausage, and Cabbage Soup:

1. Simmer the soup on very low heat for 2-3 hours, or until lentils are soft and starting to dissolve into the soup and some of the vegetables are breaking down. Add more liquid part way through the cooking time if it seems like the soup is getting too thick. (The long cooking time doesn’t improve the looks, but it does add flavor!)
2. When you’re ready to serve the soup, stir in a couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (or white balsamic vinegar) and cook for a few minutes.
3. Serve hot, with freshly grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table if desired.

More Lentil Soups to Try:

Lentil Soup with Sausage and Roasted Red Peppers 
Slow Cooker Indian-Spiced Red Lentil Soup 
Vegan Lentil Soup with Spinach 

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep  to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

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Yield: 10 servings

Lentil, Sausage, and Cabbage Soup

Prep Time 35 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 35 minutes

The touch of balsamic vinegar makes this Lentil, Sausage, and Cabbage Soup with Balsamic Vinegar really delicious.

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 8 cups chicken broth (see notes)
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 T minced garlic (or less, but I love garlic)
• 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)
• 2 cups brown lentils (see notes)
• 4 - 5 links precooked sausage, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup finely diced onion
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 1 cup finely diced carrots
• 3 cups coarsely chopped cabbage (see notes)
• 2 T balsamic vinegar or white balsamic vinegar to add at the end (optional but recommended)
• freshly-grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table (optional)

Instructions

1. Put water, homemade chicken stock, bay leaves, garlic, thyme, oregano, Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), tomato paste, and lentils in large soup pot and start to simmer.
2. Cut sausage in fourths lengthwise, then into small pieces and add to soup.
3. Add finely chopped onion, celery, and carrots and coarsely chopped cabbage.
4. Let soup simmer on low 2-3 hours or more, until lentils are starting to dissolve, and some of the vegetables have been incorporated into soup. You may want to add a little more water or chicken stock partway through, depending on how much liquid evaporates as it cooks.
5. When the soup is done, discard bay leaves and stir in the balsamic vinegar (if using) and cook a few minutes longer.
6. Serve hot, with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table if desired.

Notes

If you have red lentils I would use a mix or brown and red lentils for the soup.

Of course homemade chicken stock is best for soup like this, but if you don't have homemade chicken stock use chicken broth, or water with chicken soup base.

You can use shredded coleslaw mix instead of cabbage, and for a lower-carb version you might want to use 4 cups of coleslaw mix and skip the cabbage.

If you don't have Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) use any all-purpose seasoning blend.

Recipe created by Kalyn for a soup event at A Veggie Venture.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 150Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 1396mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 5gSugar: 6gProtein: 8g

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.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This soup is surprisingly low in net carbs for a soup with lentils. But if you’d like a lower-carb version of this soup, use more sausage and less lentils, and omit the carrots and use more of the other vegetables. Or replace the cabbage and carrots with four cups of coleslaw mix. If you make this  Lentil, Sausage, and Cabbage Soup with carrots as written, that would make it Phase Two for the original South Beach Diet. 

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Soup Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was first posted in 2007 for a blogger soup event. It was updated with better photos in 2016 and the recipe was last updated with more information in 2021.

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