Cabbage Soup with Sausage is loaded with great flavors and it’s filled with far more vegetables and meat than broth. Today, I’m giving you the first new soup recipe for the fall and I couldn’t be more excited about it–Italian White Bean, Cabbage, and Sausage Soup.
Updated to add: I’ve made this soup countless times over the past few years and it’s a favorite freezer meal now too.
When I first made this, we were living in the desert and that meant cranking the a/c to really enjoy a bowl of soup. Now? Living in Ohio as the weather begins cooling off? Soup is a beautiful way to warm up at dinner time!
Cabbage Soup with Sausage
Best of all, this soup comes together in under 30 minutes. I am so very ready for cooler weather and this soup represents my wishful thinking for more of the rain that we were lucky enough to see here in the Arizona desert last week.
This was a dinner that I pulled together without any advance planning at all. (The ingredients were about all we had in the house after a couple of weeks of travel!)
All it takes is browning some sausage, adding broth, beans, cabbage and simmering it all together. Onions, tomatoes, and lots of Italian herbs and spices add the finishing touches.
Italian White Bean and Sausage Soup is ideal for a weeknight meal and also makes enough that you’re likely to have leftovers for lunch the next day!
I love adding sausage to my soups. It adds a terrific flavor and holds up very nicely both for leftovers and for soups stashed in the freezer.
This soup is so hearty that it’s almost more of a stew. This is plenty filling enough for a full meal on its own, especially served with a side of crusty Italian Bread or soup crackers.
When you’re feeding a crowd, cabbage and sausage soups are an economical choice, too. Cabbage is one of the least expensive vegetables per pound and sausage can be found at a bargain, too.
Cabbage and Sausage Soup
You can use either regular breakfast sausage or a spicier variety of sausage to make this soup recipe. I’ve used both depending on what I have on hand and it turned out well both ways. If you’re a spice lover, using hot sausage adds a kick you’re sure to love!
The Italian white beans add a lovely element of texture and flavor to the sausage soup with cabbage. White beans, navy beans and Cannellini beans all work beautifully in the soup. I enjoy that they don’t get mushy but the creaminess contrasts well with the bits of sausage and cabbage.
The first time I made this soup it turned out so well that my husband commented twice about how much he liked it. So, I decided to photograph my dinner before sitting down to eat it.
It’s super easy to whip up a double batch of this recipe in order to keep plenty on hand in the freezer. When he was working outside the home, Sean used to take this soup for his lunch at work on a regular basis.
More Favorite Soups for Fall
If your weather is cooling off and you’re ready for even more soup recipes, here are some of our best soups that go from start to finish in less than 30 minutes: Three Bean Minestrone Soup, Creamy Mexican Chicken and Corn Soup, Reuben Soup, Chicken, White Bean, and Kale Soup, White Bean, Spinach, and Beef Soup, and Pasta Pizza Soup are all big favorites with my family.
This classic French Onion Soup and this Mexican Noodle Soup are calling my name as well, so they’re on my must-try list for fall as well.
There is just something about tomatoes and Italian spices simmering that never fails to make me smile. Luckily for me, everyone in my family shares this love of Italian flavors in Italian Chicken and Vegetable Soup.
Kitchen Tip: I use this pot or this (fantastic deal ->) dutch oven when I make this recipe!
Sausage Cabbage Soup
- Cook and crumble the sausage in a large pot, over medium high heat.
- When the sausage has almost finished browning, add the onions.
- Cook for a few more minutes, until the sausage has browned and the onions are tender.
- Add the cabbage, beans, tomatoes, broth, and spices.
- Stir to combine and bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes to soften the cabbage.
Sausage Soup Recipes
I almost always have sausage on hand in my fridge for quick and easy meals throughout the week. Pair it with cabbage or another veggie and you have a delicious filling meal that pleases both kids and adults.
If you like sausage soups, check out our Hearty Italian Vegetable Beef Soup, this Cabbage, Potato, and Sausage Soup, and Sean’s favorite Corned Beef and Cabbage Stew.
Along with soups, I love sausage and cabbage in these Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls and Cabbage Ribbons with Sausage and Thyme Marinara Sauce. This fall I also plan to make at least a few batches of Italian Corn Soup with Sausage to stock in the freezer for easy lunches and dinners.
Tender chunks of roast chicken, creamy white beans and fresh kale combine with a sprinkling of herbs and a bit of chicken broth to make a surprisingly hearty meal.
When the weather is chilly, it’s hard to beat the comfort of a steaming bowl of soup. And this sausage soup is delicious enough that I’ve even found myself making it when it’s not exactly fall weather outside. (We do live in Arizona, so that’s often.)
Add this one to your meal plan for the week; you won’t be sorry!
Italian White Bean, Cabbage, and Sausage Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound hot or regular breakfast sausage
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 small cabbage sliced into bite size pieces, about 4 cups worth
- 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 15 ounces canned great northern beans drained
- 48 ounces chicken broth store-bought or homemade
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon basil
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
Instructions
- Cook and crumble the sausage in a large pot, over medium high heat. When the sausage has almost finished browning, add the onions. Cook for a few more minutes, until the sausage has browned and the onions are tender.
- Add the cabbage, beans, tomatoes, broth, and spices. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes to soften the cabbage. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
{originally posted 8/6/14 – recipe notes and photos updated 9/6/22}
Angie Cunningham says
I am going to try this recipe for my family gathering on New Year’s day. What is the total volume of the complete recipe? I am wanting to double it but was curious what size pot to use
Mary says
I typically make this in a 6 qt pot. If you have a larger one, I’d recommend using it for a doubled recipe. I’m not certain that a 6qt pot will work for the doubled recipe. I hope that helps!
Stephanie says
Made this today with (instead of) and added adjustments.
I am homebound cuz I now have a new rt.knee.
I used vegetable broth(chicken broth), savory(oregano), a Bay leaf, garlic, and sweet Italian sausage with fennel (breakfast sausage).
Have to dry more oregano this summer.
It tastes delicious.
Outside temperature is 28° and feels 18°.
Perfect soup day.
Love and Peace to all.🤒
Cary says
I am making soup but I have ground pork instead of sausage will that be ok
Mary says
You won’t have nearly as much flavor from ground pork, versus the sausage. You’ll need to add a good bit more seasoning and salt, but it will work!
karen p says
sounds great-can’t wait to try it–I would like to ask a favor–could you add the nutritional value to your recipies? thank you
Kay says
Like.
Jeanne L says
The soup is on the stove now and it tastes delicious. The only thing I added to it was some small pasta and 1 potato. Can’t wait until it is done!
Craftybj says
How many servings does it make and how much is a serving?
Rebecca says
Delicious….thank you for sharing…..so easy also
Terri Maize says
This is spectacular!
Don’t let the sausage component put you off. The soup is VERY fresh-tasting.
I added about 1/2 tsp fennel seed browned with sausage toward the end of its cooking, and another can of cannelini beans. Delicious!
Will definitely make again, and will likely add more veggies and cheese bread on the side (for protein, y’know).
Kudos!
Shannon says
This was great! Tweaked it a bit by adding garbanzo beans, bay leaf, red potatoes, then doubled the cabbage! Great for a cold day!
Toni Newberry says
This is the second time I have made this soup. I made extra this time. I added sweet orange bell pepper. Also my local grocer makes hot sausage in the store. This is delicious.
Kelly says
It would be great if you included calories per serving
Sandy says
I made this and added chopped potatoes and carrot. It was delicious. I will make this again.
Jenna says
Can you make this in the crock pot? Low for 8 hours?
Mary says
I’ve never tried that, but I think it should work fine.
Dave Walker says
Very nice. Great cold weather soup (as most soups are), and healthy to boot. This can be viewed as a template in that the basic recipe can be altered considerably depending on preference and what you’ve got on hand. I used bone broth because I had 6 cups in my freezer waiting for something and I needed to clear out the space. I would also consider adding 2 cans of beans instead of 1, and perhaps a 2nd can of tomatoes (and reducing broth to 5 or so cups). Personal preference, but I didn’t feel this soup really came alive until liberally salted just before serving (I think you get more bang for your buck when salting foods before serving instead of during cooking). Also, I added a couple big cloves of garlic (minced). Lastly, I used turkey sausage rather than pork. Anyway you make it though, this is going to be a nice soup.
Maureen Shinall says
This recipe was a terrific way to use up my leftover cooked cabbage and carrots from St. Patrick’s Day. The flavors were delicious, simple and quick soup!
Nanabridge says
This is sooo good. I used a slow cooker. After four hours on high, the cabbage was still.a little crunchy but we were starving so we dug in. I only used four cups of chicken broth because I was doing it in a slow cooker. I agree that another can of beans would be good. I also snuck in an additional can of tomatoes because we like them. It had plenty of broth for a very satisfying soup.