Italian Sausage and Cabbage Soup

This popular and easy Italian Sausage and Cabbage soup recipe is a delicious meal-in-a-bowl that is gluten-free, keto, and Whole30 compatible!

This sausage and cabbage soup was born out of convenience and the onset of chilly weather!

This past weekend, we had pretty much no groceries left in the house except for a head of cabbage, some carrots, and a couple of packages of Italian Sausage in the freezer. Since I always have garlic, onions, and canned tomatoes of some sort in my pantry, I am not counting those.

I had the idea to make this soup a while ago but I always imagined fresh parsley as part of the equation. When I realized that all I had left in my house were these ingredients (except for the parsley!), I decided to go for it anyway.

This is a hearty winter soup, loaded with vegetables and sausage in every bite. Mild in flavor but with a nice balance from the tomatoes, this will please everyone in the family and is kid-approved!

Since I prefer a bit of heat, I like to sprinkle some crushed red pepper flakes on mine but that is totally optional. If everyone you are serving likes a bit of heat, I highly recommend using spicy Italian sausage in place of the mild sausage!

Sausage and Cabbage Soup Ingredients:

• Mild Italian Sausage
• Olive Oil
• Yellow Onion
• Garlic
• Carrots
• Green Cabbage
• Spices (Salt, Pepper, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes)
• Canned Unsalted Diced Tomatoes
• Chicken Stock

Recipe Tips:

• What is Bulk Sausage? Bulk sausage is another way of saying “loose sausage” or sausage outside of casings. If you can only find Italian sausage in casings, make sure that it is uncooked. Use a paring knife to slice a slit down the length of the uncooked sausage, remove the casings and crumble into a bowl. On that note, whatever type of sausage you buy, make sure it is gluten-free, MSG-free, and free of anything artificial.
• To save time, buy already shredded green cabbage!
• You can substitute red cabbage but just know that the color of the soup will be purple.
• Substitute Spicy or Hot Italian Sausage for a kick and omit the optional crushed red pepper flakes.
• If you want to use Italian seasoned Chicken or Turkey Sausage, I suggest adding an additional Tablespoon of olive oil and using it for sauteeing the Chicken Sausage.
• This sausage and cabbage soup freezes and reheats GREAT.
• To reheat: place defrosted OR frozen soup in a pot, cover, and cook over medium-low heat until warmed through.

More Gluten-Free Cabbage Recipes:

Roasted Cabbage Steaks

Jewish Stuffed Cabbage

Asian Cabbage Slaw

Easy Turkey Soup with Cabbage

Roasted Vegetable Soup with Cabbage

Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!

Italian Sausage and Cabbage Soup

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 45 mins

Total Time: 55 mins

 

This popular and easy Italian Sausage and Cabbage soup recipe is a delicious meal-in-a-bowl that is gluten-free, keto, and Whole30 compatible!

Course: Soups

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: easy cabbage soup recipe, Italian sausage And Cabbage Soup, keto cabbage soup, sausage and cabbage recipe, whole30 cabbage soup

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 451 kcal

Author: Alyssa Brantley

4.96 from 42 votes

Print

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds bulk mild Italian sausage crumbled
• 1.5 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion halved and thinly sliced
• 6 medium cloves garlic finely chopped
• 4 medium carrots peeled and cut into 1/4" rounds
• 2 pounds green cabbage core removed and shredded
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt plus a few pinches for cooking
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes unsalted
• 6 cups chicken stock or broth
• crushed red pepper flakes for serving optional

Instructions

PREP:

1. Crumble sausage into a bowl and set aside.

2. Peel, halve, and thinly slice onion. Finely chop garlic. Peel carrots and cut into 1/4" rounds.

3. Remove core from cabbage and shred. I used the food processor with the shredding blade inserted. Alternately, you could cut the cabbage into very thin slices.

COOK:

1. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Once hot, add crumbled sausage. Cook, stirring occasionally, mostly to break up the sausage with a wooden spoon, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until most of the pink is gone.

2. Remove sausage from pot and set aside.

3. Keep the pot over medium heat and add olive oil. Once hot, toss in sliced onions along with a pinch of kosher salt and a couple turns of freshly ground pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, until onions are soft.

4. Add in garlic and carrots, stir continuously for 1 minute until garlic is fragrant.

5. Raise heat to medium-high and add in cabbage along with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Toss to combine and continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until cabbage begins to wilt and release some moisture. 

6. Add cooked sausage back in along with diced tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil.

7. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, remove from heat and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve with a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes and Enjoy!

NOTES:

• What is Bulk Sausage? Bulk sausage is another way of saying "loose sausage" or sausage outside of casings. If you can only find Italian sausage in casings, make sure that it is uncooked. Use a paring knife to slice a slit down the length of the uncooked sausage, remove the casings and crumble into a bowl. On that note, whatever type of sausage you buy, make sure it is gluten-free, MSG-free, and free of anything artificial.
• To save time, buy already shredded green cabbage!
• You can substitute red cabbage but just know that the color of the soup will be purple.
• Substitute Spicy or Hot Italian Sausage for a kick and omit the optional crushed red pepper flakes.
• If you want to use Italian seasoned Chicken or Turkey Sausage, I suggest adding an additional Tablespoon of olive oil and using it for sauteeing the Chicken Sausage.
• This sausage and cabbage soup freezes and reheats GREAT.
• To reheat: place defrosted OR frozen soup in a pot, cover, and cook over medium-low heat until warmed through.

Nutrition Facts

Italian Sausage and Cabbage Soup

Amount Per Serving (2 Heaping Cups)

Calories 451 Calories from Fat 288

% Daily Value*

Fat 32g49%

Saturated Fat 11g69%

Cholesterol 70mg23%

Sodium 1645mg72%

Potassium 917mg26%

Carbohydrates 23g8%

Fiber 5g21%

Sugar 11g12%

Protein 20g40%

Vitamin A 5323IU106%

Vitamin C 57mg69%

Calcium 115mg12%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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UPDATE NOTES: This sausage and cabbage soup recipe was originally published in February 2014 and was most recently updated in March 2021.