This hearty Cabbage Soup with Sausage is made with smoky kielbasa, tender green cabbage, red potatoes, carrots and a rich broth made with both beef and chicken stock. Browning the kielbasa and cooking the tomato paste until it deepens in color builds extra flavor, while smoked paprika, caraway and a splash of red wine vinegar round everything out.
If you’re in full soup-season mode, this is right at home alongside my
old fashioned ham and bean soup, and beef barley. For something creamy, my beer cheese soup recipe is another cold-weather favorite.
Recipe Summary: Cabbage Soup with Sausage
- ✅ Recipe Name: Cabbage Soup with Sausage
- 🕒 Ready In: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- 👪 Serves: 6 (easy to scale)
- 🍽 Calories: 364 per serving
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: Kielbasa sausage, green cabbage, red potatoes, carrots, celery, tomato paste, beef stock, chicken stock, smoked paprika, caraway, red wine vinegar
- 📖 Dietary Info: Dairy-free, make-ahead friendly, gluten-free if using certified gluten-free kielbasa and stock
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: This hearty cabbage soup with sausage is smoky, savory and loaded with tender vegetables and potatoes, with a rich broth that’s perfect for an easy cold-weather dinner.
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This cabbage soup with sausage is the kind of cold-weather dinner that earns its keep: smoky kielbasa, tender cabbage, red potatoes and vegetables simmered in a deeply savory broth. If you’re stocking up on cozy soup recipes for fall and winter, my old fashioned ham and bean soup is another hearty one to keep in rotation.
Browning the kielbasa first gives this kielbasa cabbage soup a much better flavor base than simply tossing everything into the pot. The tomato paste gets cooked until it deepens in color, then beef and chicken stock, smoked paprika and caraway build out the broth. A splash of red wine vinegar at the end keeps everything balanced. For another beefy, broth-based option, try my beef barley.
It’s hearty, inexpensive and made with simple ingredients, which makes it just as useful for a weeknight dinner as it is for a lazy Sunday when you want a big pot of soup on the stove. And if you want something richer and cheesier, beer cheese soup recipe is another cold-weather favorite.
Thanks for a delicious recipe. I added a shake of red pepper flakes to my portion. Soooo good ! This one is a keeper. -Lynn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Why you'll love this recipe
- Hearty enough for dinner. Kielbasa, potatoes and cabbage make this much more substantial than a basic vegetable soup.
- Big flavor from simple ingredients. Browning the sausage and cooking the tomato paste until darkened adds a lot of depth.
- A richer broth without being too heavy. Using both beef and chicken stock gives you the best of both.
- Great for cold weather. This sausage cabbage soup is exactly the kind of thing I want when it gets chilly.
- Easy to customize. Pork, beef or turkey kielbasa all work.
- Good leftovers. The flavors get even better after sitting together.
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Key Ingredients
- Kielbasa sausage. Kielbasa is commonly made with a combination of pork and beef, though turkey kielbasa is also available. Use your preferred variety; pork-and-beef kielbasa will give the soup the richest, smokiest flavor.
- Green cabbage. Use 6 cups chopped green cabbage, about 1¼ pounds. It may look like a lot going into the pot, but it cooks down considerably as the soup simmers.
- Red potatoes. Red potatoes hold their shape well in soup and don’t need to be peeled.
- Tomato paste. Cooking the tomato paste until it deepens in color adds extra richness and savory depth to the broth.
- Caraway seeds. Caraway pairs especially well with cabbage and smoked sausage and adds a subtle earthy flavor.
- Beef and chicken stock. Using both gives the broth more depth without making it feel too heavy.
- Red wine vinegar. A splash at the end brightens the soup and balances the smoky sausage and rich broth.
See the recipe card at the end for the full list of ingredients with the quantities.
Variations
| Turkey kielbasa | Use turkey kielbasa if you want a leaner version of the soup. |
| Different potatoes | Yukon Gold or russet potatoes can both be used instead of red potatoes. Yukon Golds have a creamy texture and hold their shape well, while russets will break down a bit more and make the broth feel slightly thicker. |
| Add bell pepper | Dice one and sauté it with the onion, carrots and celery for a little extra sweetness. |
| Swap the onion | Red onion can be used in place of yellow or white onion for a slightly stronger flavor. |
| Use one stock | You can use all chicken stock for a lighter broth or all beef stock for a richer, deeper flavor. |
How to make Cabbage Soup with Sausage
- Step 1: Brown the kielbasa. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot. Add the sliced kielbasa and cook until well browned on both sides. Remove and set aside.
- Step 2: Sauté the vegetables. Add the onion, carrots and celery to the same pot. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook until they begin to soften, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom.
- Step 3: Add the seasonings and tomato paste. Stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika and caraway seeds. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring, until it deepens in color.
- Step 4: Simmer the soup. Add the cabbage, red potatoes, beef stock, chicken stock, bay leaves and browned kielbasa. Cover and simmer for 45–60 minutes, or until the cabbage and potatoes are tender.
- Step 5: Finish and serve. Remove the bay leaves, stir in the red wine vinegar, and taste for salt and pepper before serving.
Expert Tips
- Brown the kielbasa well. Let it get good color before removing it from the pot- the browned bits left behind add a lot of flavor to the broth.
- Cook the tomato paste until it darkens. Give it a minute or two in the pot before adding the stock to deepen the flavor.
- Don’t over-salt early. Kielbasa, beef stock and chicken stock can all be salty, so taste and adjust near the end.
- Cut the potatoes evenly. Similar-size pieces will cook at the same rate.
- Don’t worry about all that cabbage. Six cups looks like a lot at first, but it cooks down considerably.
- Add the red wine vinegar at the end. It brightens the soup and balances the rich, smoky flavors.
Cabbage Soup with Sausage FAQs
Yes. Smoked sausage like kielbasa adds richness and a smoky, savory flavor that pairs especially well with tender cabbage, potatoes and the beef-and-chicken broth.
Kielbasa is a great choice because its smoky flavor works really well with cabbage. Pork-and-beef kielbasa gives the soup the richest flavor, but turkey kielbasa also works.
Not browning the sausage first is a big one. You also don’t want to skip cooking the tomato paste until it deepens in color, or over-salt the soup before tasting since the kielbasa and stocks already add plenty of seasoning.
Yes. Brown the kielbasa and sauté the vegetables first, then cook the garlic, spices and tomato paste until the tomato paste deepens in color. Transfer everything to a 7-quart slow cooker with the cabbage, potatoes, beef stock, chicken stock and bay leaves. Cook on HIGH for about 4 hours or LOW for about 8 hours, then stir in the red wine vinegar before serving.
What to Serve with Cabbage and Kielbasa Soup
Honestly, this soup doesn’t need much. A piece of crusty bread with butter is my first choice because the broth is worth soaking up, but garlic bread or a simple green salad also work well. For something a little more substantial, serve it with my cheddar cheddar biscuits.
Storage and Reheating
Allow the soup to cool, then transfer it to airtight containers.
Refrigerator: Store for up to 4 days.
Reheating: Warm individual portions in the microwave or reheat the soup gently on the stovetop until hot.
More Hearty Soup Recipes
If you tried this Cabbage Soup with Sausage or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!
Cabbage Soup with Sausage Recipe
Equipment
- stock pot or large dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 14 oz kielbasa, cut into ¼” half moons
- 2 ribs celery, finely diced
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 2 carrots, finely diced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 large cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups diced red potatoes (about ¼”)
- 6 cups green cabbage, cut into bite sizes pieces, (washed, outer leaves removed)
- 1 quart chicken broth
- 1 quart beef broth
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar , preferably organic)
Instructions
- In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until shimmering.
- Add kielbasa, and brown, 2-3 minutes a side. Transfer to a plate and set aside once browned.
- Add celery, onion and carrot to the pan, and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes, until softened, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add tomato paste, garlic, Italian seasoning, caraway seeds and smoked paprika, stir well and cook 2-3 minutes, until deepened in color.
- Add kielbasa back to pot, along with bay leaves, potatoes, cabbage, beef stock and chicken stock. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until cabbage is cooked through and potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. Stir in red wine vinegar, and taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Remove bay leaves before serving.
Notes
- Brown the kielbasa well before adding the vegetables. Those browned bits in the pot add a lot of flavor to the broth.
- Cook the tomato paste for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until it deepens in color before adding the stock.
- Using a combination of beef and chicken stock gives the soup a richer broth without making it overly heavy.
- Pork, beef or turkey kielbasa all work. Turkey kielbasa will be leaner and a little less rich.
- Red potatoes don’t need to be peeled. If you use russets, peel them first.
- The cabbage will look like a lot at first, but it cooks down quite a bit.
- Taste before adding extra salt at the end since the kielbasa and stocks can already bring plenty of sodium.
- Stir in the red wine vinegar at the end to balance the smoky sausage, tomato paste and rich broth.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- For the slow cooker, brown the kielbasa, sauté the vegetables, and cook the tomato paste until darkened before transferring everything to the slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for about 4 hours or LOW for about 8 hours.
Sharon says
This one is such a good cold-weather dinner. Browning the kielbasa and cooking the tomato paste until it deepens in color gives the broth so much more flavor, and I love the little hit of red wine vinegar at the end. Hope you love it!
Lynn says
Thanks for a delicious recipe. I added a shake of red pepper flakes to my portion. Soooo good ! This one is a keeper
Sharon Farnell says
So happy to hear this, Lynn! I love a little heat myself!
Rita F. says
This was so good on a cold day and I love the fact that it lasts so we can have leftovers another night..easy too