Sausage, Potato and Cabbage Soup (Printable)

Savory sausage, creamy potatoes, and tender cabbage simmered in flavorful broth. Ready in just 50 minutes.

# Components:

→ Meats

01 - 14 oz smoked sausage or kielbasa, sliced into rounds

→ Vegetables

02 - 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
03 - 1 small head green cabbage, cored and chopped
04 - 1 large onion, chopped
05 - 2 carrots, sliced
06 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
07 - 3 garlic cloves, minced

→ Liquids and Broth

08 - 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
09 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Spices and Seasonings

10 - 1 teaspoon salt
11 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
12 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
13 - 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
14 - 1 bay leaf

→ Garnish

15 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
16 - Sour cream or crusty bread for serving

# Method:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add sausage slices and cook until lightly browned, approximately 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
02 - In the same pot, add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until softened.
03 - Stir in garlic, smoked paprika, and thyme. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Add potatoes, cabbage, and browned sausage back to the pot. Pour in broth and add bay leaf, salt, and pepper.
05 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes until potatoes and cabbage are tender.
06 - Remove bay leaf and adjust seasoning to taste. Ladle into bowls, garnish with chopped parsley, and serve hot with sour cream or crusty bread if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like a meal that took hours but comes together in under an hour, which feels like cheating in the best way.
  • The sausage does most of the flavor work, so you can actually relax while this simmers instead of standing over the stove.
  • Leftovers taste even better the next day, making this the perfect excuse to cook once and eat twice.
02 -
  • If you skip browning the sausage first, you'll lose half the flavor—those caramelized edges are doing real work, not just for looks.
  • Potatoes vary wildly in how long they take to soften, so start checking them at 20 minutes rather than trusting the clock blindly.
  • The soup continues thickening as it sits because the potatoes break down slightly, so if you're serving it hours later you might need a splash more broth.
03 -
  • Brown your sausage hard enough to get edges but not so long that it crisps up completely—you want it to still have some give when it finishes cooking in the broth.
  • If your soup tastes flat after 30 minutes, it's usually because the seasonings got diluted—a pinch more salt and smoked paprika will bring it right back.
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