Crock Pot Sausage and Cabbage Soup is a beautiful combination of fresh vegetables, rich tomato broth, and Italian sausage. This simple recipe is easy to customize and is the perfect weeknight dinner for the chilly months of the year.
This cozy sausage soup includes all the trappings of a comforting meal.
It’s like a big hug for your belly!
Plenty of protein, ingredients that are inherently filling, and a plethora of flavors to tickle the taste buds, this easy soup recipe is an all around win for me.
Using my Ground Beef and Cabbage Soup as inspiration for this sausage cabbage soup, I employ Italian sausage this time instead of ground beef. In addition, I make it in the slow cooker instead of the stove top for an easy set-it-and-forget-it approach.
The combination of hearty sausage and cabbage with a tomatoey broth and fresh veggies makes a swoon-worthy meal. It really hits the spot on a chilly evening!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
Flavorful: Governed by the flavor of sausage, this soup boasts hearty, meaty, rustic flavors. Those of you who enjoy tomato-based soups and/or c
Simple to Prepare: Everything goes into the slow cooker, which does all the hard work for you.
Versatile: Easy enough to toss together for busy weeknights yet impressive enough to share with guests, I love that this slow cooker sausage soup is versatile, budget-friendly, and nutritious. You can easily mix up the ingredients based on what you like and what you have on hand.
Nourishing: Loaded with protein and a decent source of carbs and fiber, this filling soup recipe is ideal for those who track their macros or who follow a low calorie diet. Plus, it makes for an all around healthy dinner, so it’s a something-for-everyone soup regardless of dietary restrictions or goals.
Let’s chat about the simple ingredients for slow cooker cabbage soup.
Ingredients for Crock Pot Sausage and Cabbage Soup:
Sausage: Pick up your favorite kind of ground Italian sausage for the absolute best sausage soup. I use mild Italian chicken ground sausage, but pork sausage and turkey sausage are marvelous too.
Any type of sausage is great as long as you know you enjoy it. Andouille sausage, kielbasa, and smoked sausage are a great way to boost the flavor.
Cabbage: Sliced cabbage adds heartiness and soft texture to the soup.
Avocado Oil: Used to sauté the onion and brown the sausage, we need a little high-temperature cooking oil. I prefer using avocado oil over olive oil because it has a high smoke point.
Fresh Vegetables: Yellow Onion, Garlic, Bell Pepper, Carrots. These fresh veggies add delicious flavor to the soup and some yummy texture.
Chicken Broth and Crushed Tomatoes: The broth of this delicious sausage soup is comprised of chicken stock and crushed tomatoes. This brings a balance of warm and acidic flavor for those who love tomato-based soups.
Seasonings: Bay leaf, paprika, dried parsley, black pepper, and sea salt.
Customize This Recipe:
- Use diced tomatoes instead of crushed tomatoes.
- Add your favorite hearty veggies like green beans, peas, potatoes, celery, or bok choy.
- Swap out the sausage for any kind of ground meat you love.
- Make it low carb by omitting the crushed tomatoes and carrots. You can replace them with more low-carb vegetables like cauliflower and green beans if you’d like.
- Add 2 to 3 cups of cooked white rice or brown rice to the soup after it has finished cooking.
- Note that while you can use pre-cooked sausage, I recommend using uncooked raw sausage. This results in a ground meat texture and turns out nice and tender. Nevertheless, if you prefer pre-cooked sausage, feel free to make the switch.
Now that we’ve covered the simple ingredients list, let’s make slow cooker sausage cabbage soup!
How to Make Crock Pot Sausage and Cabbage Soup:
Heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Transfer the raw Italian sausage and minced garlic to the skillet and use a spatula to break it up into small chunks. Brown the sausage for a few minutes until the outside is slightly golden-brown. It doesn’t need to be fully cooked just yet.
Transfer the sausage mixture to the bottom of your crock pot.
Add in the chopped carrots, bell pepper, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, all of the seasonings (bay leaf, paprika, dried parsley, salt and pepper), and about a third of the chopped cabbage. Give everything a big stir.
Add the remaining cabbage and if you’re able to stir it into the soup mixture, great. If not, it’s perfectly fine to leave it hanging out on top as it will begin to cook down as the soup cooks.
Secure the lid of the crock pot and cook on High heat for 4-5 hours or Low heat for 6-8 hours. If you’re able to stir the soup after about an hour of cooking to get the cabbage to mix in, great!
Serve soup in big bowls with crusty bread like garlic bread, toasted baguette, or cornbread, and enjoy!
How to Store Sausage Soup:
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
You can freeze this soup in a large freezer bag for up to 3 months. I recommend double bagging it.
If you’re all about hearty soups, if you are sausage’s number one fan, and if you can dig a head of cabbage, this soup will be your pride and joy.
A great option if you follow a carb-conscious or low-carb diet, this crockpot cabbage soup includes everything you need in a complete meal.
If you love soup recipes like this, also try out these delicious recipes.
More Healthy Soup Recipes:
- Beef Noodle Soup
- Sausage 15-Bean Soup
- Curry Ground Turkey Cabbage Soup
- Chunky Tomato Basil Soup
- Cabbage Roll Soup
- Rustic Minestrone Soup with Rice and Kale
An easy soup with great flavor, this crock pot cabbage soup may just become a household staple!
Crock Pot Sausage and Cabbage Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1.5 lbs ground Italian sausage *
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 large carrots chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- Sea salt to taste
- 6 cups green cabbage sliced**
Instructions
- Heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Transfer the raw Italian sausage and minced garlic to the skillet and use a spatula to break it up into small chunks. Brown the sausage for a few minutes until the outside is slightly golden-brown. It doesn’t need to be fully cooked just yet.
- Transfer the sausage mixture to the bottom of your crock pot. Add in the chopped carrots, bell pepper, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, all of the seasonings (bay leaf, paprika, dried parsley, salt and pepper), and about a third of the chopped cabbage. Give everything a big stir. Add in the remaining chopped cabbage and if you’re able to stir it into the soup mixture, great. If not, it’s perfectly fine to leave it hanging out on top as it will begin to cook down as the soup cooks.
- Secure the lid of the crock pot and cook on High heat for 4-5 hours or Low heat for 6-8 hours. If you’re able to stir the soup after about an hour of cooking to get the cabbage to mix in, great!
- Serve soup in big bowls with crusty bread like garlic bread, toasted baguette, or cornbread, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
I make cabbage soup, but I don’t add green peppers. Also, I use good kielbasa cut in medallions instead of Italian sausage. I also add celery and marjoram.
Ooh, I love the idea of using kielbasa! Thanks so much for sharing, Sally – sounds delicious! xoxo
Both my husband and I thought the soup was delicious! I followed the recipe using mild Italian sausage, and fire roasted diced tomatoes. It’s filling, flavorful and comforting. Keeping this in my rotation! Thank you for sharing your recipes!
Yaaaay, I love hearing that, Dawn! And my pleasure, I’m happy to share! xo
Is the sugar coming mostly from the carrots or sausage?
Hi Felicia! The sugar is coming from the canned tomatoes and the cabbage 🙂 Believe it or not, both tomatoes and cabbage are fairly high in natural sugar. One thing to keep in mind is they also come with a decent amount of fiber, which helps blunt the blood glucose response. In this sense, there is no actual table sugar in the recipe, but there are natural sugars from the veggies. Let me know if you have any other questions! xo