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}
Karen says
My husband and I love soups in the winter months and this soup hit the spot! Easy, fast and very tasty! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Ann says
Love this soup. I make it often!
Janet Rosengrant says
Easy and delicious….
I used sweet Italian sausage (because it’s my favorite) and bone broth to up the protein. I served it with a delicious piece of crusty bread for a hearty & healthy meal.
My fiancé gave it 4 stars… he’s a chef and says he rarely gives anything a 5 – so when he says he really likes this soup that is high praise!!
Mary says
That sounds wonderful, Janet!
Kj says
Very good 😊 I doubled the cannellini beans & only had ground turkey which I would increase if I used it again. However, lots of different meats could be used in this recipe. Also, after Browning the meat, I removed it. Then sauteed the onions adding in a large clove of grated garlic along with the dried herbs to bloom their flavor. Also added a pinch of red pepper flakes. Continued cooking as written. I served it over a bed of mini-bow tie macaroni . Sprinkled with fresh basil chopped & lots of fresh grated Romano cheese…. Yummy 😋 will definitely make again !! Kj
Mary says
I’m so glad you like it!
Carolyn Richmond says
One of my favorite soup of all time.
Mary Younkin says
That’s awesome, Carolyn. I’m thrilled you like it!
David S says
Okay this is really good, still have some in the fridge, but I am going to tell you what we did.
Italian sausage, canned diced tomatoes with green chilies, a whole green cabbage is 4 cups, homemade chicken broth and could have used more Great Northern beans – like maybe another cans worth. We made a double batch and it is really good!
Mary Younkin says
So happy to hear that you like the soup, David!
Andrea says
I added crushed fresh garlic to my onions. Otherwise stuck to the recipe. I loved it!
Mary Younkin says
Garlic is always a great addition, Andrea!
Rhonda says
Making it now. I used Rotel tomatoes along with the boring ones😆
Mary Younkin says
I bet that’s delicious, Rhonda!
Mary Holmes says
Love the soup and so easy to make.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you love the soup, Mary!
Dolores Grace says
What do you think about using red cabbage? Tyia!
Mary Younkin says
I don’t think I’ve ever used red cabbage in a soup like this, Dolores. It should work fine, although it will definitely change the colors in the soup.
siciliangal says
I would love to know how the red cabbage turned out. Please let us know.
Ashley says
Our favorite soup! Making it tonight now that it’s getting chilly outside!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy you love the soup, Ashley!
Nancy Comer says
Can’t wait to make it! Used to make something like this all the time but this sounds a lot easier! Yes and Amen!
Mary Younkin says
I hope you love it, Nancy!
Deb Golub says
I don’t often comment on recipes, but this soup was the best! Both my husband and I enjoyed it so much. Very easy and quick to make. You can be sure that this is a soup added to my rotation! Thank you for sharing!,
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy that you’re enjoying the soup, Deb!
Elaine Copeland says
I made this exactly as written. It’s a keeper for sure. The directions call to simmer for five minutes until the cabbage is tender. Five minutes isn’t enough time to even warm the broth. I ended up simmering for 30 minutes after the broth got warm. Thanks for the recipe. I’ll be making it several times this fall and winter.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the soup, Elaine!
amy bc says
In my house this is called “Amy’s favorite soup”. I must have made this soup a thousand times since I found this recipe. It is wonderful and I can’t recommend it enough. I make it by the recipe except I use Italian sausage. Thanks for this one!
Mary Younkin says
I love this so much, Amy!
Paul Wilsom says
I don’t cook anything as I have tried and tried most of my life to cook meals but even though I follow a recipe exactly as shown and word for word, 95% of the time it doesn’t turn out and once again this has the same results. When I try to make a meal, I follow everything exactly, every measurement exactly, any spices exactly to the exact amount (right to the exact amount of grains), I also read any recipe at least 10 times before starting but it just doesn’t work out. This recipe looked so delicious so I went to buy all the ingredients, even though I had basil, thyme and oregano, I bought everything new again so that I would have a good meal but no, not meant to be. I started exactly as it says, Cook and crumble sausage (regular breakfast sausage) in a large pot over medium high heat, well, by the time the sausage was browned a bit the pot was almost burnt on the bottom and following exactly as it says, I put in the onions but by the time the onions were tender, the pot bottom was totally burnt, I knew that if I continue,the soup would taste burnt so right away I didn’t bother wasting any more time, everything went in the garbage like so many many, many, times before, I will just keep eating soups and stews from cans and maybe in a year get brave and try another recipe. I guess you have to read lots of ingredients that aren’t listed into recipes, like maybe put oil into the pot or butter and kind of make up your own recipe as you go. Looked so very good but the recipe didn’t work out.
Mary Younkin says
Oh, Paul! I’m so sorry for your frustration. I want cooking to work for you! This sounds very much like you have a thin or lightweight pan or the heat on your stove was too high. (All stoves are different and it’s possible that medium high on your stove is closer to high on another one.) For future reference, if you think something needs it, you can always add a teaspoon or two of oil to just about any recipe without it affecting the end results. That said, most sausage releases a good amount of fat as it cooks and it should’ve produced enough oil to also cook the onion. Did you by any chance use turkey sausage or low-fat sausage? The bottom of a pan does often brown while cooking, but it shouldn’t cause any problems. Lastly, if something does begin to blacken, you can often add a small splash of water (a couple tablespoons does it) most of the time and it will head off any potential burning issues. I hope that helps!
Paul Wilsom says
Hi Mary,
This soup looked so delicious that I decided to try to make it again and yes, you are absolutely correct, the sausage must have been very low in fat as this time it worked out perfectly and it was so good that I ate bowl after bowl until I just couldn’t eat anymore. Please remove my previous review as this soup definitely deserves 5 stars. Thanks for this amazing recipe. Paul.
Mary Younkin says
I am THRILLED that you enjoyed the soup, Paul! I can’t wait to hear about more of your cooking adventures.
Nita says
I made this EXACTLY as the recipe says. I used “hot” Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage and OMG this soup is delicious! I love it and will definitely make it again!
Mary Younkin says
That’s my favorite sausage for this soup, Nita!
Peter Frenzel says
After reading all the comments I made this soup and it also burnt on the bottom of the pot on med high heat but after browning the sausage and the onions, I removed them to a bowl and scrubbed out the pot, then returned the sausage, onions and carried on with the rest of the items. It tasted good but I didn’t get the sausage flavor. Good though.
Mary Younkin says
A thinner pot can cause the bottom of the meat to burn, and if the heat is too high, that can cause it as well, Peter. I’m glad you figured out how to make it work!
Jackie says
I think that the term “Medium HIgh” heat confuses a lot of people. I NEVER cook anything on what my stove button says a Medium High heat is….it is WAY too hot.
Mary Younkin says
While I don’t have a “medium high” button, Jackie, I do cook most of my recipes halfway between medium and high on my gas range. So, that’s why I call it that level of heat. As with all cooking, use your best judgment for the appliances you will be using. I’m glad you like the recipe!
Janice says
Used homemade stock, added lots of fresh garlic, some sage, rosemary, and had to sub in purple cabbage. It was delightful and pretty! Cooking time to soften cabbage was longer than described which was surprising since cast iron dutch ovens maintain pretty even heat, but I wasn’t in a rush and may have been a little conservative with the heat, but it was no big deal. Soup was also good with smoked paprika and/or sriracha at serving. Everyone including our toddler loved it so I’ll definitely make this again.
Mary Younkin says
I’m thrilled that you loved the soup, Janice!
Shelley C says
Looks delicious and I’m going to give it a try. Just a jovial observation……….you know it’s Spring that’s coming up not Fall, right?
Mary Younkin says
Yes, Shelley. Ha, as noted in the first couple of paragraphs, the first time I shared this recipe fall was approaching and I chose not to edit all of that out. I hope you love this soup as much as we do!
MJ says
Hi. Has anyone tried using Italian sausage? Sweet or hot?
Mary Younkin says
I’ve made this with both kinds, MJ. To be honest, hot breakfast sausage is still our favorite. Although, all the sausage varieties we’ve tried in this recipe have been tasty.