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 Vegetable Soup with Cabbage
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
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!
- 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
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Crumble sausage into a bowl and set aside.
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Peel, halve, and thinly slice onion. Finely chop garlic. Peel carrots and cut into 1/4" rounds.
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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.
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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.
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Remove sausage from pot and set aside.
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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.
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Add in garlic and carrots, stir continuously for 1 minute until garlic is fragrant.
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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.
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Add cooked sausage back in along with diced tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil.
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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!
- 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.
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
UPDATE NOTES: This sausage and cabbage soup recipe was originally published in February 2014 and was most recently updated in March 2021.
Catina says
Had leftover cooked onions & sausage from our recent campout and a head of red cabbage & carrots in the frig. I opened a can of Rotel instead of tomatoes, and boy, did this turn out well! Not too much kick, but some heat.
It was quite easy, very tasty, and required only a little energy which is great after camping, or on a week night. 😉 I’ll fix this meal again!
EverydayMaven says
Sounds great Catina! Thanks for taking the time to comment and let me know 🙂
Kelly McDermott DDS says
So Easy AND Delicious! I used a pressure cooker and cooked the whole meal in it. From browning the sausage and onions to cutting up the veggies, the soup was ready to eat in 45 minutes. My picky daughter even loved it! Thanks so much. I’m on to trying the Cheesy Stuffed Delicata Squash!
EverydayMaven says
That is great Kelly – thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment and let me know! Hope your family also loved the Delicata Squash 🙂
Lindsay says
Loved this recipie super easy first time making dinner and it was a HUGE hit!
EverydayMaven says
Thanks for taking the time to comment and let me know Lindsay!
Rachel says
Sooo delicious!! I did not even think I like cabbage till after making this soup for a friend. I make it all the time now! My 2 year old loves it!!
EverydayMaven says
Thanks so much Rachel – I love hearing that! 🙂
GabrielleP. says
My family LOVES this recipe! We use purple cabbage in place of green because my mother gave me a 4 heads of it.
EverydayMaven says
Thanks for taking the time to let me know Gabrielle! Love the idea of purple cabbage 🙂
MJ says
Great recipe. Thank you. I took the liberty of adding a small glug of red wine to the sausage after it was browned and let it cook down for a few minutes and I also used some fire roasted dice tomatoes. Would make again for sure.
EverydayMaven says
I bet that red wine added a lot of flavor MJ!
cutismama says
I finally made this last night. The texture created by shredding in the food processor was perfect. The soup was nice and thick. I halved the recipe because we have too many leftovers (i need to get that extra freezer!). Wonderful flavor. My sausage had a nice taste of fennel it it too. Thanks!
EverydayMaven says
I wish we had too many leftovers – they just seem to go so fast in our house. Glad you liked the soup! 🙂
Gloria says
Another snowy day, another wonderful Everyday Maven soup recipe made! I used turkey and chicken sausage, turkey stock, and didn’t shred the cabbage, but it tastes most delicious. Thanks for posting.
EverydayMaven says
That sounds wonderful Gloria. Turkey stock is my favorite – it’s so rich and flavorful!