Creamy Cabbage and Kielbasa Soup
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This wonderful Creamy Cabbage and Kielbasa Soup is packed with healthy veggies, savory kielbasa sausage, and is loaded with flavor! It’s one of our family favorites and we’re confident it’s going to become a regular favorite in your home too! This is a terrific make-ahead soup because the flavor only gets better the next day.
Creamy Cabbage and Kielbasa Soup
Juicy kielbasa and tender vegetables are enveloped in a creamy broth that’s flavored with herbs and spices. It’s the ultimate comfort soup and is so perfect for those cool evenings when you just want to curl up and enjoy a hot bowl of deliciousness.
Cabbage and sausages go hand in hand and have done for centuries in several European countries. To add to that harmonious coupling is caraway seed, a uniquely earthy-flavored spice that pairs beautifully with cabbage and sausage. I’m adding just a touch so it doesn’t overwhelm the other flavors, but adds a wonderful undercurrent of flavor throughout the soup.
*Updated Recipe*
I first published this recipe in in 2014 and the base of this soup called for making another recipe, my homemade Cream of Celery Soup. While the original recipe received rave reviews from my readers, I found it too impractical and unnecessary to have to make a separate soup in order to make this one. So I decided to update the recipe and streamline the process. For those of you who have made and loved the original version don’t worry, not an ounce of flavor has been lost (in fact, the flavor is improved with the addition of caraway). Our Creamy Cabbage and Kielbasa Soup is as delicious as ever!
For those of you who would still like to make it the original way:
Here is the original recipe (**for the NEW UPDATED VERSION proceed below)
- one batch homemade Cream of Celery Soup, can be made ahead of time
- 14 ounces kielbasa ,sliced in 1/8 inch rounds
- 1 medium head green cabbage ,about 3 pounds, chopped
- 1 large carrot ,diced
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream or half and half
- 1 cup chicken broth mixed with 2 tablespoons flour ,make sure it’s dissolved
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Add the cabbage, carrot and kielbasa to the homemade Cream of Celery Soup along with the milk, cream, chicken broth, and seasonings, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Note: Once the soup is adequately thickened you can cover the soup for the remaining cooking time.) Serve hot. This soup tastes even better the next day.
Can you Freeze Creamy Cabbage and Kielbasa Soup?
Soups that contain milk or cream usually become grainy once frozen and thawed. If you want to freeze this soup I recommend leaving out the heavy cream and and then adding it after the soup is thawed and you’re heating it up.
Can You Make This In the Instant Pot?
Yes! Use the Sauté setting to follow the steps of cooking your veggies. After all the ingredients have been added, set your IP to HIGH and cook for 8 minutes followed by a quick release. Stir in the heavy cream and set your IP to Sauté to allow the soup to heat through.
Cabbage and Kielbasa Soup Recipe
Let’s get started!
Melt the butter in a heavy stock pot or Dutch oven and cook the onions until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the cabbage and cook for until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the kielbasa, thyme, salt, pepper, and crushed caraway seeds.
Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in the chicken broth and add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Stir in the cream and heat through (don’t boil). Add salt and pepper to taste. Discard the bay leaf.
Serve hot, garnished with some chopped parsley if desired.
This soup tastes even better the next day when the flavors have had more time to meld.
Enjoy!
For more delicious soups be sure to try my:
- Ultimate Chicken Noodle Soup
- Minestrone Soup
- French Lentil Soup
- Ham and Bean Soup
- White Bean Chili with Roasted Corn and Peppers
- Zurek (Polish Sour Rye Soup)
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Mushroom, Ham and Wild Rice Soup
- Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Soup
- Cream of Celery Soup
- Smoky Black Eyed Pea Soup
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Creamy Cabbage and Kielbasa Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion , chopped
- 2 large carrots , diced
- 2 large ribs celery , diced
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 large head green cabbage , roughly chopped
- 14 ounces quality smoked kielbasa sausage , sliced in 1/8 thick rounds
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed caraway seeds
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups quality chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon base (e.g., Better Than Bouillon, or two bouillon cubes)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a heavy stock pot or Dutch oven and cook the onions until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the cabbage and cook for until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the kielbasa, thyme, salt, pepper, and crushed caraway seeds. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, chicken bouillon base, and add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.Stir in the cream and heat through (don't boil). Add salt and pepper to taste. Discard the bay leaf.Serve hot, garnished with some chopped parsley if desired. This soup tastes even better the next day.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet on September 26, 2014
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
It’s sweeter than most soups we enjoy, but in a really nice way. This is not the recipw to go heavy on the garlic as it will detract from the sweetness. Totally delicious!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Rachel, thank you! :)
My hubby, the cook, cooked the soup too long in the instant pot and the cabbage turned out a little mushy. But the flavor, oh my, was it delicious! He promises the next time he won’t cook the cabbage so long. LOL Thanks for the recipe!
Wonderful, Vicki, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you! :)
I don’t see cream of celery soup in the recipe.
Hi Betty, I’ve updated the recipe and it no longer incorporates the homemade cream of celery soup. If you read through this blog post you’ll see where I posted the original recipe that includes it if you’d like to make that version.
Hi! This is just a question. Your photo looks as if it has potatoes in it, but there are no potatoes, correct? I just wondered! (Probably because Ii love potatoes!)
Hi Altie, no, there’s no potatoes in the picture or in the recipe; it’s probably just chunks of cabbage you’re seeing. You can certainly add some though if you like :)
I read all the reviews. I had a cabbage. I love kielbasa. I questioned making 2 soups. I questioned creamy cabbage and kielbasa. I questioned doing all that chopping. BUT I bit the bullet. I 💗 both soups!
Haha, awesome B.A. Banning, I’m glad you enjoyed them, thank you!
Do you have the nutritional info for this delicious soup?
Hi Mary, it’s there now! :)
Good morning! Can you publish the nutritional values? Specifically the total carbs and fiber? Thanks!!!
Great soup will make again
So, there’s a restaurant that has a big Oktoberfest party every year and they make a soup with sausage, potato, carrot, and I think possibly sauerkraut because it has a vinegar taste to it. I missed it this year and that soup is my favorite so I’m going to try and make it myself and I think this recipe is a really good base. I was wondering if you think I could sub the cabbage for kraut or if you think I should maybe just add some ACV instead to get that flavor. Also, if I add potatoes, when would be a good time to add them? Thank you so much for your help. This is the closest recipe I’ve found that looks so close to what they make.
Hi Reanna, I think some sauerkraut would add a nice touch. The soup only simmers for about 30 minutes so I would add the potatoes at the same time as the other veggies. I hope you’re able to recreate that flavor you’re after!
Thank you! I’m going to give it a try with those alterations and see how it goes :)
For the cream of celery soup can you substitute mushrooms for celery using the same ingredients to make a cream of mushroom soup?
You sure can, Josephine!
I was a big fan of this recipe. It is hearty and warms you from the inside. I decided to add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes while it was Simring, added a low level of heat and an extra layer to the soup. I will be making this again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Shawn, thank you!
Just made this and it is excellent. No need for further comments.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Mary, thank you!
Any chance you know how many carbs and net carbs are in this recipe? It’s my favorite but I am on the keto diet (not strict keto)
I made this the other week, and it turned out pretty good. I think next time I will add a few slices of potato. I also substituted Andouille sausage for the kielbasa for an extra kick!
Sounds great, Benjamin!
Can I us3 cream of chicken soup. Don’t like celery
Definitely, Gretchen, that’s a good substitute. Happy cooking!
Finally commenting on it…found this recipe last year and we didn’t have Kielbasa so I cooked and chopped up some bratwursts..we always have those on hand, and then you can cook some of the grease out of them since I make it for my parents and mom has gallbladder issues. And this soup became a staple at my house, I’ve made it for my sister who’s used to eating at fancy restaraunts and said she and her husband who is very picky, would order this in a restaurant. We do use bratwursts every time, why mess with something we love. This is an excellent recipe and very receptive to tweaking. I often leave any milk out of it, and we add half and half or cream to it after, or to individual bowls, for my mom… I also often just saute celery and onion and add it to the soup rather than making the cream of celery base, and it is excellent. I do imagine that if someone were to freeze that, it would be easy to just add cream when you thaw it out and serve it. I have also added kale to it, for an extra veggie and it was excellent as well, also have added blanched asparagus stems from our garden. This is one of my favorite recipes, and I do love the original version so much, but for mom I do usually have to tweak it. So I thank you very much for it. I am actually eating a bowl of it as we speak.
Hi Katelynn, I really appreciate you taking the time to leave this feedback and some of the alterations you have made for your family’s dietary needs. I’m so glad you enjoy this soup as much as we do – thank you!