Make Ahead

Red Cabbage and Sausage Soup

by:
October  3, 2014
4.8
4 Ratings
Red Cabbage and Sausage Soup
Photo by Bobbi Lin
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

This soup is dense enough to be a full meal. In addition to the cabbage and sausage, it’s filled with potatoes and black-eyed peas. But it can also work as a first course, as its brothy base doesn't make it overly heavy; just serve a cup-size portion to enjoy the deep flavors without filling up. This recipe is adapted from the cookbook "Soup" by Jon Gordon. —Vicky | Things I Made Today

Test Kitchen Notes

WHO: Vicky has lived in three countries, but currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her husband and son.
WHAT: A hearty, one-pot stew we wish we'd discovered earlier in the season.
HOW: In a Dutch oven, bring vegetable stock, potatoes, and sausage to a simmer, flavored with a hefty amount of garlic. Add cabbage and black-eyed peas, then stir in cream during the final few minutes of cooking. Serve with smoked paprika, then rejoice that you only have one pot to clean.
WHY WE LOVE IT: Cabbage soup, which can be bland and soggy, doesn't usually elicit excitement. This version; however, trades in traditional savoy for sturdier purple cabbage and incorporates black-eyed peas and potatoes, too. The rich trademark pork flavor is achieved through sausage rather than pork broth, which means you can easily make the soup vegetarian or vegan by omitting the sausage and/or the cream. —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 cup black-eyed peas, uncooked (or 2 cups cooked)
  • 1 bay leaf (if using uncooked peas)
  • Salt, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 leeks, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 6 cups vegetable stock, divided
  • 1 pound red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1/2 pound pork sausages, cooked then sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
  • Pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 pound red cabbage, shredded
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • Smoked paprika, to garnish
Directions
  1. If starting from uncooked black-eyed peas: Soak peas overnight in a large bowl of water. Drain water and transfer peas to a pot. Cover with at least 1 inch of water. Add bay leaf and a healthy dose of salt and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until peas are tender and soft. Drain and set aside. If using cooked black-eyed peas: Rinse peas, then drain and set aside.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add garlic and leeks and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often.
  3. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup stock. Whisk until cornstarch dissolves. Pour cornstarch mixture into Dutch oven and cook for 1 to 2 minutes over medium heat. Add remaining 5 3/4 cups stock, potatoes, and sausage. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes uncovered.
  4. Add cabbage and black-eyed peas to pot and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Stir in cream and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more. Remove from heat, ladle into bowls, and top with smoked paprika to serve.
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5 Reviews

lovemcm
lovemcm October 24, 2022
Grateful for previous reviewers who made me less nervous about what seemed to be an unusual combo of ingredients, esp. the corn starch and heavy cream, and a dearth of seasoning (S & P and the paprika as a garnish only?). Worth every moment of prep (and there were many moments).;-) Will definitely make this again!
 
omega6
omega6 March 8, 2022
What an amazing tasty recipe! I cooked this soup last night for my family and the three kids are super picky and find in everything an ingredient that they don’t like - but not this time.
I used smoked pork sausage and it gave the soup a lovely Smokey flavor. 5 stars, an absolute recommendation.
 
Lorée T.
Lorée T. December 24, 2020
Just made this for Christmas Eve soup. So good and forgiving. Used carrots instead of potatoes and my own chicken stock. Next time I’d leave out the cream. Was more visually appealing without it, and cooled off the flavor bomb a bit. Serving with corn bread. I’ve got a happy house tonight.
 
Marty H.
Marty H. October 17, 2020
This is really good! Just what you need when the temperature starts to dip. I used ground pork and threw it in after I had sauteed the leeks and garlic until translucent then followed the recipe to a "t" after that. My red cabbage turned the soup a bit pink, but it was fine. Who doesn't need more color these days? Will definitely make again because I seem to always have leeks and red cabbage kicking around. Thank you!
 
amanda C.
amanda C. April 23, 2015
This was delicious! I simmered it for about 30 minutes longer at the end. Also didn't have heavy cream or leeks -- but satisfied and looking forward to leftovers tomorrow!