Slow Cooker Recipe for Cabbage Soup with Tomatoes, Chicken-Garlic Sausage, and Parmesan

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Slow Cooker Recipe for Cabbage Soup with Tomatoes, Chicken-Garlic Sausage, and Parmesan

 

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Slow Cooker Cabbage Soup with lots of flavor from Tomatoes, Chicken-Garlic Sausage, and Parmesan.

Next up for A Month of Daily Phase One Recipes is this delicious Slow Cooker Cabbage Soup.  I hope no one has flashbacks of The Cabbage Soup Diet when they hear the name of the recipe, because this soup is a perfect South Beach Diet Phase One recipe, but you won't think about being on a diet when you're eating it.  My cabbage soup is loaded with flavor from tomatoes, beef stock, seasonings, and Chicken-Garlic sausage, and it gets even better if you top it with a spoonful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  And best of all, if you do a little chopping the night before, this is one of those "throw in the slow cooker and cook all day" kinds of recipes that so many people love.  When you get home, just brown the sausage, add to the soup and cook on high for 30-45 minutes more, and dinner is ready!

Yes, this is the fourth recipe I've made with Sabatinos Chicken Sausage with Mozzarella, Artichokes and Garlic, and just in case anyone is wondering, Sabatinos has no idea I'm alive and they have certainly not paid me to promote their sausage or given me any samples.  I'm just a bit infatuated with this sausage at the moment, but if you can't find this brand use any low-fat chicken or turkey sausage that has good flavor.

You'll need about a pound of chopped cabbage.  (Bad photo; I forgot to check the camera exposure and it was turned way too dark!)

Also chop up a medium onion and about 1 cup of celery.  I prefer my soup veggies chopped on the small side, but it will work even if you like them a little bigger. 

Put the cabbage, onion, celery, 2 cans petite diced tomatoes, beef stock, and spices in the slow cooker and cook all day on low or 3-4 hours on high.

Here's how the soup will look after you've cooked it that long.

Then slice four chicken-garlic sausages into thin slices and brown then well.  (Okay, we browned a couple of them a little too well, but no worries.  When I bring the sausages home from Costco I separate them into packages of six and seal in FoodSaver bags, but if you wanted to use 6 sausages in this soup it would certainly not hurt!)

Add the sausage to the slow cooker (and turn to high if you were cooking on low) and cook for 30-45 minutes more.  Serve hot, with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese if desired.

Slow Cooker Cabbage Soup with Tomatoes, Chicken-Garlic Sausage, and Parmesan
(Makes 6-8 servings; recipe created by Kalyn when she became infatuated with Sabatinos Chicken Sausage with Mozzarella, Artichokes and Garlic.)

Ingredients:
6 cups chopped cabbage (1 pound)
1 onion, chopped small
1 cup celery, diced small
2 cans (14.5 oz.) petite dice tomatoes
6 cups beef stock (Homemade beef stock is best, but you can use canned beef broth if you don't have it.)
2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. ground fennel
fresh ground black pepper to taste
4 (or 6) links Sabatinos Chicken Sausage with Mozzarella, Artichokes and Garlic (or use any low-fat chicken or turkey sausage that has good flavor)
2 tsp. olive oil
freshly-grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional, but very good!)

Equipment:
I used a 5.5 quart slow cooker for this recipe, but it could have been a little smaller.

Instructions:

Chop the cabbage, onion, and celery and place in the slow cooker.  (If you're making this to cook while you're at work I would chop those the night before and store in the fridge in a plastic bag.)  Add the 2 cans of tomatoes, beef stock, dried thyme, ground fennel, and black pepper to the slow cooker.  Cook 8-9 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.  

When you get home, or when the cabbage is well-softened if you're cooking on high, slice the sausage into pieces about 1/4 inch thick.  Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan and cook over medium-high heat until the sausage is nicely browned.  (You might need to do this in 2 batches if you use 6 sausages.)  Add the well-browned sausage to the soup, turn to high if you were cooking on low, and cook 30-45 minutes more.  Serve hot, with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese if desired.