Sweet and Sour Crock Pot Cabbage Soup with Sausage

This delicious crock pot cabbage soup changed my mind about cabbage. The truth is, I haven’t always been a fan. I recall turning my nose up at cabbage rolls when I was young. Now that I’m older and do a lot of cooking, I appreciate cabbage. It’s very versatile, playing a starring role in salads (delicious, easy chicken ramen noodle salad), and adds wonderful flavor as a condiment on bratwurst. Cabbage is also budget-friendly and an amazingly tasty ingredient in soup. Today, I’m going to share with you the simple recipe for sweet and sour crockpot cabbage soup with sausage. It’s a terrific, hearty weeknight meal, and it makes enough to feed a crowd.

One Quick Grammar Note

Here’s a quick note for my grammar-loving friends: The words “crock pot” may be found spelled as “crockpot” or “crock-pot”. One of my spellcheckers favors “crock pot” and another favors “crockpot”. For the duration of this post, I’m going with “crock pot”. If you feel strongly about this, please let me know in the comments. I always welcome a robust grammar discussion. Anyway, onward with this fabulous recipe!

My Crock Pot Cabbage Soup Backstory

I found a version of this recipe in a cookbook. It was a slow cooker recipe book, but I can’t remember the name. The original recipe called for only 3 cans of chicken broth. I increased the amount of broth to 2 quarts. I like to cover the cabbage completely with liquid in the crock pot. I also switched to using beef broth, because the flavor seemed to complement the sausage better. The original recipe did not include any kind of meat. That would not have gone over well with the meat-lovers in my family. I’m quite fond of cabbage and sausage together, so I decided to add the sausage component. I increased the amount of tomato paste to one can because if I open a can of something, I usually like to use it all. It also made sense since I was adding more liquid to the crock pot.

Ingredients for Crock Pot Cabbage Soup with Sausage

1 pound of ground sausage, browned

1 head green cabbage (2 to 2.5 pounds), cored and coarsely chopped (about 10 cups)

1 large onion

2 quarts beef broth

1 can (28 ounces) peeled, diced tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

In a large skillet, brown the ground sausage. Alternatively, you can add 1 pound of cooked ground meat mix (one of my favorite kitchen shortcuts) to save time. While the meat is cooking, chop the cabbage and onion, then place in the crock pot. Add the rest of the ingredients to the crock pot, including the cooked meat. Cook on low heat setting for 7 to 8 hours, until the cabbage is tender. See how easy this recipe is? If you have a long day at work, you will come home to the delicious aroma of a cooked meal, ready to go. This recipe makes at least 8 generous servings. The crock pot will be quite full.

The Essential Crock Pot

This 6-quart crock pot is a great one to use because it’s programmable and has clamps to keep the lid on if you are traveling with it. I make many things in my crock pot, even mashed potatoes! You can also use an instant pot on the slow cooker setting.

 

What Goes Well Alongside Crock Pot Cabbage Soup with Sausage?

I like to serve this soup with a dollop of sour cream on top. Many types of bread would go well with this soup, such as homemade rolls. Pumpernickel bread or rye bread would also be good choices.

Is Crock Pot Cabbage Soup with Sausage Good for Weight Loss?

After I started writing this post, I realized that there is something out there called the 7-Day Cabbage Soup Diet. How much weight can you lose by doing this? There are 300 calories in a 2 cup serving of crock pot cabbage and sausage soup, and about 140 calories in crock pot cabbage soup without sausage. If you are serious about trying to use this soup for weight loss, you would want to omit the sausage. According to an article on the Mayo Clinic website, people do lose weight on the cabbage soup diet because it severely limits calories. Does cabbage burn belly fat? If you want to get more information about the Cabbage Soup Diet, I encourage you to read the Mayo Clinic article. 

Is Crock Pot Cabbage Soup with Sausage Healthy?

Our family eats this soup because it tastes great, but there are some benefits to eating cabbage. According to the Healthline website, cabbage is packed with vitamins, fiber and promotes good health in many ways.  Is cabbage healthier than lettuce? Healthline also has information comparing cabbage and lettuce. When compared side-by-side, cabbage is more beneficial in most areas related to nutritional value.  If you want to make this particular recipe healthier, consider using a brown sugar substitute like Sukron Gold or molasses with stevia.

Who Should Not Eat Cabbage?

There is at least one unfortunate side effect to eating cabbage. Cabbage does tend to make some people gassy. How do you avoid gas after eating cabbage? One way is to take an over-the-counter product like Beano, which contains an enzyme that aids in the digestion of foods like cabbage.

 

Without going into great detail, I can testify that Beano is effective when taken according to the directions. It really does help alleviate the problem. What happens if you eat cabbage every day? Well, you might just need to stock up on a supply of Beano.

Is Cabbage Better for you Cooked or Raw?

Surprisingly, according to a post on the Scientific American website, cooked cabbage is one vegetable that supplies more antioxidants to the body than when it’s eaten raw. The list of other vegetables that are more beneficial when boiled or steamed includes carrots, spinach, asparagus, and peppers. Who knew?

Other Recipes to Warm You Up

Interested in other cozy, comfort food recipes? Try these!

• Easy Cola Chicken Recipe with 4 Simple Ingredients
• Raclette: More than Just a Meal, It’s a Fun Family Activity
• Easy Curried Turkey
• Easy Ham and Potato Hash
• Easy Thai Curry Chili

Are You Excited to Make Sweet and Sour Crock Pot Cabbage Soup with Sausage?

This delicious soup is calling my name. If you decide to try this easy crock pot cabbage soup recipe, I’d love to see pictures. If you do make this recipe, take a picture and tag me on Instagram! I’ll feature the photo in my Instagram story.

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Lisa Mitchell is a wife, mom, and school librarian who likes to create and share recipes, often using fresh ingredients from her family’s small Pacific Northwest farm. To learn more about what this website has to offer, click on over to the Welcome page.

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