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!
It was good but I felt like it could have been more flavorful. Maybe add some garlic or spices??
YUM! Loved this one. I used a basic steak seasoning recipe I found online (1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper), so I ended up with 3 tsp seasoning, but I had a little extra cabbage and sausage so it worked out perfectly. Had garlic bread on the side. This one will definitely be going in the regular rotation.
Any chance you have ever tried this in an instant pot? I love my slow cooker, but sometimes working all day doesn’t allow me to get the ingredients in there fast enough. If you recommend any adjustments for an instant pot I am excited to try this recipe!
Hi ! We haven’t tested this recipe in an Instant Pot, so we cannot tell you what will work for sure. However, if it were me, I’d brown the sausages in the Instant Pot using the saute function. Then I’d add the rest of the ingredients, making sure to reduce the amount of chicken stock to 1 cup. Then I would cook it on high pressure for three minutes and allow for a natural release. Again, this isn’t a tested method, but if you’re willing to experiment, it’s what I would do. XOXO -Monti
I tried the instant pot method out and it worked great! It took a little over 30 minutes to naturally release. In addition to the steak seasoning, I put in a tsp of creole seasoning (Tony Chachere’s) and about a 1/4 tsp – 1/2 tsp of salt. Super yummy!
This turned out fantastic!!! I skipped the onion because of the kids, used kielbasa, and only seasoned with pepper, onion powder and oregano and the flavor was amazing!!!
I love this. Only thing I do differently is use creole seasoning because that’s what I have on hand. I wanted to comment because I thought it was funny that someone commented that it was under seasoned- it says in the recipe to adjust to your liking. Just add more if you thought it wasn’t enough?
I am applauding this comment. XOXO -Monti
Just made this for my dinner. I couldn’t get smoked sausage so I panfried Lincolnshire sausages for a few minutes before adding to slow cooker. It was delicious. Perfect for meal prep as I can get 4 portions out of it and then add some fresh veg on the side.
I’m usually impressed with all Budget Byte recipes and this one missed the mark. I followed the recipe exactly and it came out incredibly bland. Skip this one and make another one of Beth’s great recipes instead. :)
Have not made this yet. What are your thoughts on using sauerkraut? Warming it and adding it while serving instead? Would the taste conflict with the seasonings you used?
Sauerkraut goes really well with the rest of the ingredients in this dish, although I’m not sure how it holds up to slow cooking, so I’d probably just warm it up and add it to my plate. :)
I tried this today. I’m curious to know if you used 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. The cabbage was a little soft for my taste, so I think I would add it later in the cooking process next time. I went with the 8 hours on low, but ended it after 6 hours as the cabbage was already very tender. I did enjoy adding the kraut and the vinegar was a nice contrast to the meat and steak seasoning flavor.
I did 4 hours on high, but slow cookers can certainly vary, so you may need to adjust for your particular machine. My cabbage was very soft, but I kind of like it that way. :)
I made this with non-smoked vegetarian sausage, and added smoked paprika and fennel seeds to the seasoning, along with a slug of sunflower oil to carry the flavours. It worked well and I enjoyed the unctuous, almost-caramelised texture of the cabbage after the long cooking. Next time I will try with smoked veggie sausage.
There is a sauerkraut and sausage recipe exactly like this.. w/o the cabbage and potatoes.. I tend to do 6-8h low
It is my third time making this recipe ! I really love it !!! I personally add salted smoked bacon also and i serve it with stiff polenta miam ! I just have a question, do you think i could freeze some ? Will it hold it self or become a mushy mess ? Tx again !
Hmm, I think this one would probably become pretty watery/mushy if frozen and thawed. :)
I loved this recipe and will make again and again. However, even after 6 hours on high it was only just beginning to get good. We ate and enjoyed some, but then I left the cooker on low overnight for the remainder and, wow, the next day it was perfect! Mind you, I nearly had the cooker on for 24 hours. After 24 hours, the sausage fats had completely broken down into the broth (I used 4 cups broth instead of 2; two seemed insufficient) and the potatoes were firm but fully cooked.
Very easy and very delicious. I made it a few days ago because I wanted something easy to throw together. I ate it with mustard on the side to dip the sausages. Will make again.
This one was just okay. The recipe was very similar to the sheet pan kielbasa with green beans and the sheet pan kielbasa and cabbage recipe. I’m underwhelmed with this recipe to be honest. I might make it again if I can find a higher quality sausage because this whole recipe was under 5 minutes of effort.
I am a big fan of this site and the recipes are always great. This one was…okay. It tasted nice right out of the slow-cooker, and the vegetables still tasted great as leftovers. But the sausage (I used a kielbasa from Trader Joe) was disappointing. I get it that the flavors meld into the cabbage and potatoes and onions, but the sausage itself was borderline gross after cooking, and I ended up tossing most of it after the first night. It became water-logged and lost almost all of its flavor, and I couldn’t stomach it.
This was delicious and easy. Due to time, I had to use my instant pot. I put it on high for 15 minutes and it came out perfectly. Great weeknight meal!
Could you use cole slaw mix in place of the chopped cabbage?
Thinly sliced cabbage like that might not hold up well to the long cook time. But I’m not sure without testing it first.
Ok. Thank you for responding. Love your site, I use it all the time 😸