Cabbage and sausage is one of the most delicious and satisfying combinations, IMHO. I’ve cooked cabbage and sausage together several ways in the past, but I wanted to test them out in the slow cooker to see if this easy, hands-off cooking method would work too. The verdict? It works! Cabbage and sausage cooked in a slow cooker turns out tender, brothy (almost like a cabbage and sausage soup), and totally delicious.
What Kind of Sausage to Use
You’ll want to use a smoked sausage for this recipe. I suggest using something like kielbasa or andouille. This smoky flavor and spices in the sausage help flavor the entire pot during the long, slow simmer, which makes everything extra flavorful!
Potato Options
I used baby creamer potatoes because they’re easy and didn’t require me to do any chopping, but you could also use red potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes, chopped into 1 to 2-inch pieces. Russet potatoes would probably fall apart a little too much to be practical in this recipe.
How to Season Cabbage and Sausage
My goal for this recipe was to keep it as simple as possible, so I only added a couple of teaspoons of steak seasoning (a chunky mix of salt, pepper, garlic, and red pepper). You could also use something like Cajun seasoning, or you could do something simple like a little salt, pepper, paprika, and caraway seeds.
How to Serve Cabbage and Sausage
I spooned the cabbage, sausage, potatoes, and broth into a bowl and at it as sort of a brothy bowl (not quite a soup, but not quite dry), but you could use a slotted spoon to leave the broth behind if you prefer. Either way, some crusty bread and butter on the side really solidifies this as the ultimate comfort food. :)
Slow Cooker Cabbage and Sausage
Servings 6 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 1.5 lb. baby potatoes ($2.99)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 1/2 head chopped cabbage (5-6 cups) ($1.14)
- 2 tsp steak seasoning ($0.20)
- 14 oz. smoked sausage ($2.79)
- 2 cups chicken broth ($0.26)
- 1 Tbsp chopped parsley (optional garnish) ($0.10)
Instructions
- Chop the onion into 1-inch pieces. Place the baby potatoes and onions in the bottom of a 5 quart or larger slow cooker.
- Chop the cabbage into 1-inch pieces. Add the cabbage and steak seasoning to the slow cooker.
- Slice the sausage into ½-inch thick rounds. Add the sausage to the slow cooker along with the chicken broth. Stir slightly to nestle the sausage down into the cabbage. It's okay if the broth does not cover all the ingredients.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
- After 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low, stir to combine the ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking. Top with chopped parsley, if desired, then serve hot.
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Nutrition
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How to Make Slow Cooker Cabbage and Sausage – Step by Step Photos
Chop one yellow onion into one-inch pieces. Place 1.5 lbs. baby potatoes and the chopped onion in the bottom of a 5 quart or larger slow cooker.
Chop ½ head of cabbage into one-inch pieces (about 5-6 cups once chopped). Add the chopped cabbage to the slow cooker along with 2 tsp steak seasoning.
Slice 14oz. smoked sausage into ½-inch thick rounds. Add the sliced sausage to the slow cooker along with 2 cups chicken broth.
Slightly stir the ingredients in the slow cooker just so the sausage gets nestled down into the cabbage a bit.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours. After cooking, it will look a little like this.
Stir everything together, top with chopped parsley (optional), and serve hot!
Ridiculously simple. I can’t even begin to describe how fantastic it was to have a hot lunch that even I couldn’t make prep take an hour.
This was great! We often make your Sheet Pan version of this meal and so we had all of the ingredients ! I was able to whip it up over lunch so that we could go sledding after school and come home to a hot dinner ready to serve! We used Andouille sausage this time, I’m looking forward to trying with Kielbasa in the future.
Delicious! Albeit a little over seasoned, I would just use 1tsp of steak seasoning next time.
I cooked it in an Instant Pot on high for 15 minutes and it came out tasty for me! I’m guessing it would turn out fine with half the liquid but I kept everything the same just to see the outcome.
Can you make this vegan with sausage substitution
I think it would depend on whether or not the type of vegan sausage substitute holds up well to slow cooking, which might vary by brand.
Do you think I could use a plant-based sausage without a casing, like field roast? Or would it be too overcooked? Thanks!
I’m not sure, unfortunately, because I’ve never tried cooking field roast in a slow cooker, so I’m not sure how it would hold up.
I cook pretty regularly with plant-based sausage, and I think you could use something like the field roast, trader joe’s vegan italian sausage, or beyond meat. However, I’ve found veggie sausages in soups tend not to have the same nice, firm texture as they do cooked in other ways like roasted or pan-fried. I also think they don’t add layered flavor to a dish like this like a meat sausage would. What I tend to do is to cook the veggie portion of the soup/stew as recommended adding additional seasoning (maybe here something smoky like paprika? or trader joe’s mushroom umami seasoning, and then before serving, pan fry the veggie sausage in a little bit of oil. That way you get the best version of the flavors and textures, and it’s really minimal cooking still.
This recipe looks delicious! I’m definitely going to try it the next time I get my hands on some cabbage; probably with some field roast sausage ;-)
I’ve never cooked cabbage before, is this a certain type or will any work? I’ve only used cabbage in coleslaw!
Green cabbage is best for this recipe. :)
Making this tonight! The lady checking me out at the grocery store pulled the sausage and cabbage out and said “are you making these together? With potatoes?” and said this was one of her favorite meals growing up. Can’t wait!!!
I can’t wait!! I’m making this tonight! This looks like the perfect winter recipe. :)
Interesting. I never would have thought to put steak seasoning in something like this. I might have to try this next after we finish up the current bean soup.
My family has been making a recipe like this for years but we add broth to make it even more of a soup! We also cut the sausage into little cubes instead of rounds.
“After 4 hours on low or 8 hours on high” — I think you have that reversed
Thanks for the heads up! All fixed now. :)
If I don’t have slow cooker, can I put it in instant pot?
This would probably work in an IP, but I don’t know what setting or how long without testing first. :)
Any ideas on how to convert to instant pot?
I’d need to test it, honestly. But I’m sure it would convert pretty well because nothing fancy is going on here as far as the cooking method. :)
Have you tried using slow cooker liners and do you recommend them?
I don’t use them, personally. I never have a problem cleaning the slow cooker and something about cooking in a plastic bag is just kind of off-putting to me. 😅