Hearty and filling stew with cabbage, sausage, bacon slow cooked with aromatic spices. Super delicious, gluten-free and paleo-friendly.
One Transylvanian Stockpot AH AH AH AH AH AHHHH…..twwwoooooo Transylvanian Stockpot AH AH AH AH AHHHHHHH….threeeeeeeee Transyl – quit it.
The Transylvanian Stockpot has wiggled its cute little hiney into the deep chambers of our hearts. Do they eat Transylvanian stockpot in Transylvania? Couldn’t tell ya. What makes American cheese American? Who is John Galt?
One of the first meals I made once I went paleo is this Transylvanian Stockpot from Mark Sisson’s The Primal Blueprint Cookbook. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this stew ever since! It’s super filling and comforting and is worth the time it takes to prepare it! If you have a ginormous stock pot, you can even double the recipe to have enough food for the whole family for several days.
The first time we made Transylvanian stockpot, we made a double batch, which meant we used an entire package of bacon…tweeeeeeeeeeeelve ounces of bacon AH AH AH AH AHHHHH (sweet Count Von Count, not a whole package of bacon)! We ended up eating stock pot for a week and a half straight…breakfast included.
I love adding a dollop of whole milk Greek yogurt to top the soup, and I often stir yogurt into the soup to make it nice and creamy. If you’re dairy-free, ignore these words meow.
Stock up!

Transylvanian Stockpot
Protein-packed low-carb sausage stew with cabbage makes for an amazing flavorful, healthful dinner recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed or olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 strips thick cut bacon, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-1/2 pounds turkey Italian sausage, either ground or cased works*
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
- 32 ounces low sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 head cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, to taste
- Plain yogurt for serving, optional
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch Oven, heat oil over medium. Sauté the chopped onion until very fragrant and nearly translucent.
- Add the chopped bacon and continue to cook until the bacon fat begins cooking out. Add the minced garlic and sausage.
- Cook just until sausage is browned on one side (let’s not over-cook our meat, now!), then add the paprika, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, the cinnamon stick and bring to a gently boil.
- Once soup hits a boiling point, add the chopped up cabbage (if you’re using a 6-quart Dutch oven, this will fill up the entire pot…but fear not – cabbage cooks down quite a bit and you can push the cabbage down into the soup if need be).
- Cover the pot and allow the soup to simmer at medium-low about 45 to 60 minutes, until the cabbage is soft.
- Remove the cinnamon stick, serve with plain yogurt on top and consume twoooooo bowls of Transylvanian stockpot AH AH AH AH AHHHH!
Notes
*Original recipe calls for 1 pound of Polish kielbasa, thinly sliced instead of turkey sausage. Original recipe also calls for 6 ounces of bacon, a couple of bay leaves, 1/3 cup golden raisins, and a cup less chicken stock than I used.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1 of 4Amount Per Serving Calories 447Total Fat 19gUnsaturated Fat 0gCarbohydrates 24gNet Carbohydrates 21gFiber 3gSugar 6gProtein 31g
Richard
Wednesday 20th of November 2019
I made this recipe last night and it turned out amazing beyond all my expectations. Will DEFINITELY be making this again!
Julia
Thursday 21st of November 2019
I'm so happy to hear it, Richard! I've made this recipe time and again over the years, myself! It's definitely a keeper! Thanks for the sweet note! xo
TwoPennyGal
Tuesday 13th of December 2016
I made this last night and it's great! I converted the recipe to cook in my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker, which made it much quicker to make. All-in-all it took me about 40 minutes to make it, start to finish.
The flavors are really nice. I think the cinnamon gives it a sweetness you don't expect.
Julia
Thursday 15th of December 2016
That sounds soooo amazing! Now you're making me crave the stew. So tasty and comforting!
Benjamin Mueller
Wednesday 30th of January 2013
You are so my hero! P.S. How do you get your picture to show up next to your comment? I can't wait to make this protein-o-lishous dish.
ashley - baker by nature
Tuesday 29th of January 2013
Oh girl... this looks ah-mazing!!! So perfect for winter, too!
Erin @ The Speckled Palate
Tuesday 29th of January 2013
So not only did you bust out your Transylvanian accent, but this dish looks pretty darn fabulous. I've never even *heard* of Transylvanian Stockpot before, but you'd better believe I'll be trying it after reading this. And speaking in that Transylvanian accent for the ENTIRETY of the cooking experience, probably much to my husband's dismay... and my delight. :)
Thanks for sharing this recipe, girl!