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The best thing about cold weather? It’s the best excuse to make a big pot of soup or stew! This recipe is an Italian take on our standby cabbage soup.
More a stew than a soup, it uses Savoy cabbage (you could also use Napa cabbage), which is milder than regular cabbage, Italian sausage, white beans, fresh parsley, and Parmesan cheese.
I’m so used to German treatments of cabbage, I’m surprised at how good this stew is with the Italian sausage and Parmesan. I don’t usually think of Parmesan and cabbage paired together, but they really do work in this stew.
Easy to make and easy on the budget. Buon appetito!
Italian Sausage and Cabbage Stew Recipe
We use savoy cabbage for this recipe, but you could use regular cabbage, or even collard greens or dinosaur kale. If you want to make this stew vegetarian, leave out the sausage and double the beans.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, bulk, or removed from casings
- 1 large yellow onion, half sliced and half minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 cups white wine
- 1 15-ounce can of white beans (cannellini, Great Northern, or Navy), drained
- 1 quart vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 quart water
- 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1 large (2-pound) savoy cabbage, quartered, then sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup chopped parsley, loosely packed
- 1/2 cup to a cup of freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese for garnish
Method
1 Cook the sausage: Heat the olive oil on medium heat in a large (8-quart), thick-bottomed pot. Add the sausage, breaking it up into pieces as you put it into the pot in a single layer.
When the sausage has cooked on all sides, remove it with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2 Sauté onions, garlic: Add the minced onion (save the sliced onion for later) and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring often.
Once the onions give up some of their water, use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Add the minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
3 Add wine, beans, boil, lower heat to simmer: Add the white wine and the beans and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. If you want, for a thicker base, use an immersion blender to blend some (or all) of the beans and onions.
4 Add water, stock, salt, cabbage, sliced onion, bay leaves, sausage, then simmer: Add the water, stock, salt, cabbage, sliced onion half, bay leaves and browned sausage. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, then uncover and continue cooking until the cabbage is tender, about another 10-20 minutes.
To serve, sprinkle on chopped parsley and grated cheese.
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Links:
EASY and delicious Cabbage Soup here on Simply Recipes
Kale Sausage Soup with Tomatoes and Chickpeas here on Simply Recipes
Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup from Skinny Taste
Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family's recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
Italian Sausage and Cabbage Stew
We really liked this. I made it with regular cabbage, as thats what’s coming out of our gardening ears just now. The broth was a little light on flavor so I deepened it with a tablespoon of brewers yeast, my go-to for stock enhancement/replacement, and I did puree half the beans. The sausage I had on hand was American style, so I added a bit of rosemary, basil and a pinch of crushed pepper flakes to make up the flavor difference. This may become a standby this winter.
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Amazingly good!
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I used a regular head of cabbage but followed everything else to a t. It is fantastic! Will definitely be adding this recipe to the repertoire.
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Really delicious. I did not have wine so used apple cider vinegar. Otherwise followed as closely as I could. The whole family was surprised and loved it. I even got a high five from my daughter. Garlic bread served with it went over well too.
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I was looking for a way to use Italian sausage I bought too much of by mistake… this looks like it! Does it freeze well?
I wouldn’t freeze this stew, because of the cabbage. It may turn oitvalright but I thithinthithink the cabbage will become mushy when unthawed.
Hi Derek,
Freezing and thawing does soften cabbage a bit, but I love it that way. I freeze my cooked and cooled cabbage rolls and they come out nice and tender in a way I don’t find mushy. So Josie, I’d say it’s a matter of personal preference.
Yes indeed. I tried this a while ago with excellent results. My picky family loved it – they asked for it again… ..I tripled the recipe and cooking it now for a New Year’s treat, as I won’t be with the family. Each can have a take home “sample”. I know they’ll be surprised and well pleased.