Cabbage-Sausage Soup

Lisa at Living Easy wanted to know more about Cabbage Sausage Soup that was on my meal plan both last week and the week before (leftovers the second time).

To begin with, I'll say that we like cooked cabbage quite a bit, and this thick, chunky soup turned out to be one of our favorite cabbage recipes so far. It may not be pretty, but it tastes really good.

Like so many of the recipes I try, it originally came from Taste of Home magazine, but was originally written to make 16 servings. I've cut the recipe in half, which makes just the right amount for Shane, Kat and me to have on two different evenings.

I made a few changes, as usual: I increased the amount of cabbage a little (so I wouldn't have any left in the crisper) and instead of 2 (28-oz.) cans of diced tomatoes, I used 2 (15 oz.) cans of stewed tomatoes along with 2 cans of water.

When I make this again, I think I will use sweet Italian sausage instead of the hot variety. The hot Italian sausage made it just a little too spicy for Kat.


Cabbage-Sausage Soup

1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small head of cabbage, chopped
2 cans (15 oz.) stewed tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 bay leaf
3/8 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, cook sausage, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is browned. Add cabbage; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until cabbage is crisp-tender.

Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until cabbage is tender. Discard bay leaf before serving.

Makes 8 servings.