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.
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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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Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- Chef’s Knife
- Measuring Cups Spoons
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 is fine, but not as flavorful as I would have hoped–that might be related to the specific sausage used, and perhaps even the particular steak seasoning. Anyway, if making over, I would probably brown the sausage first. I’d also use the whole cabbage head, as it cooks down a lot. It was super easy, though, and very nice to be able to come home to a hot meal after a very long day at work!
Turned out great even with over cooking. (late nap almost ruined dinner) I did opt to brown my sausage first. Will definitely have again.
I made this exactly as written, although I lost track of time at work and it ended up cooking for 5 hours on High instead of 4. Maybe that was a factor, but it ended up more watery than I expected, and the flavor was pretty flat. It was edible, and everything was cooked through, but it was a bit boring. I’m hesitant to add any more of the steak seasoning because it has salt, and between the kielbasa, the broth, and the 2 tsp of steak seasoning, the salt level was fine. Maybe some salt-free Creole seasoning blend would help make this more interesting.
Would this work with beef broth?
That should be fine!
Simple and delicious! I used turkey keibasa and cooked it in the instant pot for for 25min. Came out perfect! Served with some French bread. Definitely a keeper!
I improvised on this recipe, a little I Used, Italian sausage meatballs, and added chopped carrots and celery, and added extra little bit of hickory smoked salt with the steak seasoning came out great
I liked this recipe because of the ease, and it is all things I already like. I did add carrot to try and get another veggie in, and I used mixed peppercorns and the usual seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic, onion). If I did it again, I would sauté the garlic and onion, brown the sausage and add caraway seeds instead of peppercorn. They just didn’t have it at my store.