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Slow Cooker Cabbage & Sausage

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Slow cooked cheddar sausage, shredded cabbage mix, potatoes and apples is a hearty and flavorful stew that warms the belly and the soul. Personally I love an easy crock pot recipe, and this sausage and cabbage recipe makes prepping and cooking dinner incredibly easy.

large slow cooker with sausage and cabbage stew on a wooden spoon

While a similar recipe may include heavy pieces of potatoes, large chunks of carrots and onions, this particular recipe has a more complex pairing of flavors that include apple.

If you haven’t included a slow cooker sausage and apple into your slow cooker recipes rotation, I firmly believe this is a great balance of that sweet and savory taste we all love at dinner.

Now if you are looking to try out cabbage soup, that is also amazing and here is our original recipe for that complete meal. This isn’t a slow cooker cabbage soup but is a very similar and delicious comfort meal with great flavor.

Ingredients

  • Coleslaw Mix – This is often referred to as a shredded cabbage slaw mix and its fine to use straight shredded cabbage or the cabbage with shredded carrots as seen here. It is also fine to simply shred down cabbage on its own as a substitute.
  • Sliced Carrots – Personally I buy what is known as “carrot chips” and cut any large ones down. This keeps the carrots pretty thin for slow cooking. You can also cut down baby carrots or large carrots into slices if you prefer.
  • Red Apple – Cut one large red apple without removing any skins.
  • Cheddar Sausage – I love the cheese taste in the cheddar sausage, but this easy recipe can also use any flavor of fully cooked sausage
  • Apple Juice & Chicken Broth
  • Spices – Black Pepper, Salt

How to make Slow Cooker Sausage Cabbage Stew

Make sure to check out the printable recipe card for full step by step instructions and ingredients.

ingredients for sausage and cabbage soup
  1. Dump 16 oz. bag of coleslaw mix in a large 8 quart slow cooker. The bagged mix will be very full in the slow cooker until cooked.
  2. Add sliced carrots, chopped red apple (with skins), chopped red potatoes and sliced cheddar sausage on top of cabbage mixture.
  3. Pour in chicken broth and apple juice.
  4. Season with salt and black pepper.
  5. Place lid on slow cooker and cook for 7 hours on LOW or 3.5 -4 hours on HIGH heat.

FAQS

Can this soup be made with kielbasa? 

Kielbasa is the German word for a polish sausage and its the same thing – so yes. Andouille, Italian, Turkey and pork sausages can all be substituted or mixed as a medley. 

What kind of baby potatoes can be added?  

Potatoes go amazing in a slow cooker, just make sure to use smaller bits or cut into quarters or halves to make sure they finish at the same time. We recommend using smaller varieties like baby reds or creamer potatoes.

What sides go with sausage and cabbage?

You wont need much more of a side with this dish. It’s SUPER FILLING Just add a bit of golden brown and crusty garlic bread if you like, but its filling enough to serve on its own.

Alternative Seasoning for Slow Cooked Cabbage

When it comes to soup and stews, there really are a variety of ways to season the dish. I kept the sausage and cabbage super simple because I enjoy the fresh flavors the vegetables bring, but feel free to season with garlic powder, onion powder or even a seasoned soup mix like Italian Seasoning to really liven up the soup.
Other bright and bold flavors often include fennel seeds or caraway, but I personally find those ingredients quite large and generally leave them out of my recipes.

spoon with cabbage soup and sausage
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Slow Cooker Cabbage & Sausage


Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Slow cooked smoked cheddar sausage and cabbage is a perfect "stew" with hearty chunks of meat and vegetables in one. Slow cooked cabbage and sausage soup with the sweet taste of apples is the perfect week night dinner that you can set it and forget it. Combining cheddar or apple sausage, a coleslaw mixture of raw cabbage and shredded carrots, with potatoes and carrots creates a nearly perfect and filling stew that will leave no stomach growling. If you have room, add a side of golden brown toasted bread. This soup is so easy to make it just might be on your menu every month!
 

Ingredients
 

  • 16 oz. bag of Coleslaw Cabbage Mix
  • 1 cup sliced carrots
  • 1 cup red apple chopped
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup apple juice
  • 14 oz. Fully Cooked Cheddar Cheese Sausage
  • 1 1/2 cups red potatoes diced

Instructions

  • Dump 16 oz. bag of coleslaw mix in a large 8 quart slow cooker. The bagged mix will be very full in the slow cooker until cooked.
  • Add sliced carrots, chopped red apple (with skins), chopped red potatoes and sliced cheddar sausage on top of cabbage mixture.
  • Pour in chicken broth and apple juice.
  • Season with salt and black pepper.
  • Place lid on slow cooker and cook for 7 hours on LOW or 3.5 -4 hours on HIGH heat.

Video

Notes

  • If you have a smaller 4-6 quart slow cooker, reduce amount of cabbage.
  • It is fine to double the amount of sausage in this recipe.
Can this soup be made with kielbasa? 
Kielbasa is the German word for a polish sausage and its the same thing – so yes. Andouille, Italian, Turkey and pork sausages can all be substituted or mixed as a medley.
What kind of baby potatoes can be added?  
Potatoes go amazing in a slow cooker, just make sure to use smaller bits or cut into quarters or halves to make sure they finish at the same time. We recommend using smaller varieties like baby reds or creamer potatoes.
What sides go with sausage and cabbage?
You won’t need much more of a side with this dish. It’s SUPER FILLING Just add a bit of golden brown and crusty garlic bread if you like, but its filling enough to serve on its own.
Alternative Seasoning for Slow Cooked Cabbage
When it comes to soup and stews, there really are a variety of ways to season the dish. I kept the sausage and cabbage super simple because I enjoy the fresh flavors the vegetables bring, but feel free to season with garlic powder, onion powder or even a seasoned soup mix like Italian Seasoning to really liven up the soup. Other bright and bold flavors often include fennel seeds or caraway, but I personally find those ingredients quite large and generally leave them out of my recipes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 511kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 1102mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 14g

Nutritional Disclaimer: The nutritional data provided here is auto-calculated and intended for your convenience only. As it’s generated via automation, its accuracy may be compromised. For precise nutritional insight, please compute the values utilizing the actual ingredients in your recipe through your chosen nutrition calculator or application.

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