I know all the cool kids were eating corned beef and cabbage yesterday for St. Patrick’s Day, but I have never been one of the cool kids. I have never made corned beef and cabbage, and I think I have only eaten it once or twice. Not a lot of Irish influence in my life I guess. I do love to take advantage of all of the cabbage on sale this week, however, to make this yummy cabbage soup.
This soup is not very photogenic, but it is hearty and delicious. Sausage is one of my favorite foods, so this one was almost a guaranteed winner for me. With lean sausage and lean hamburger combined with lots of cabbage and tomatoes, this soup is pretty low in calories and fat too. There is a lot of room for innovation in this soup. If you like spice, you can easily modify the ingredients to make it spicier. You can add or substitute some other vegetables. This recipe originated as jambalaya with rice included, so you can certainly add the rice back in if you prefer. I like it best as a soup without the rice.
We have snow falling today and a (hopefully) brief return to winter here in Colorado, so a warm bowl of soup and some fresh bread sound heavenly to me.
Cabbage, Tomato, and Sausage Soup
Yield: This makes a large pot full of soup; I would estimate 6-8 servings.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- 3-4 stalks of celery, diced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 medium head cabbage, chopped (The amount will vary. I used about 3/4 of the head this time because it was large and my pot was as full as I could get it.)
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed or diced tomatoes
- 1 (10 ounce) can tomatoes and green chilies
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can beef or chicken broth
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can water (just fill the empty broth or tomato can with water)
- 1 pound sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices (I use smoked turkey sausage, but you could also use a spicy sausage, kielbasa, Italian, or andouille)
- garlic salt, creole, or Old Bay type seasoning to taste
*This recipe is open to innovation. If you like spice, add more spicy seasoning and be sure to choose the hotter variety of tomatoes and green chilies and a spicier sausage. You can also add or change the vegetable choices. Some people like green pepper or okra or even diced jalapenos added. Depending on what you do, you may need to add more water or broth than stated. You can also make this into jambalaya instead of soup by adding rice.
Directions:
- In a large stock pot over medium high heat, combine ground beef, onion, celery, and garlic. Cook until beef is evenly brown. Drain fat if necessary.
- Stir in cabbage, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Stir in sliced sausage and seasoning. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until cabbage is tender.
- Leftovers are delicious. (You may need to add more water or broth.) I have also successfully frozen leftovers.
Source: Adapted from Allrecipes.com
