Sour cabbage soup with smoked sausage
I have made this sour cabbage soup with smoked sausage several times, especially when I want something hearty and easy to prepare from ingredients that I usually have in the fridge or pantry. The soup is quite popular in our house because it breaks the routine of any meal and keeps well in the fridge. I can honestly say it fixes any tough day, much like a tripe soup, but it’s much simpler to cook.
Quick Info
Total time: about 1 hour and 30 minutes
Preparation time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 - 1.5 hours (depending on the cabbage and sausages)
Servings: 6-8
Difficulty: easy to medium
Recipe type: hearty soup with smoked meat, suitable for lunch or dinner on chilly days
Ingredients
1 homemade smoked sausage, about 1 kg
1 medium carrot
1 onion
1 slice of celery (about the size of your palm)
2 potatoes
2 hot peppers (preferably one red and one green)
1 small pickled cabbage (500 g)
1.5 l cabbage brine (sour liquid from pickled cabbage)
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon sweet pepper paste
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper paste (Eros Pista or another hot paste)
300 ml sour cream
dill
salt
Preparation method
1. Clean and wash all the vegetables: onion, carrot, celery, and potatoes. Cut the onion, carrot, and celery into small cubes. Set the potatoes aside for now, cut into suitable cubes.
2. Put 2 liters of salted water in a pot and add the onion, carrot, and celery. Boil them over medium heat until the carrot starts to soften (about 15-20 minutes).
3. When the vegetables are almost cooked, add the potato cubes to the same pot. Continue boiling for another 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
4. Meanwhile, in another pot, bring the cabbage brine to a boil with the finely chopped pickled cabbage. Add the bay leaf as well. Let it boil for a good 15-20 minutes until the cabbage softens and the flavors combine.
5. In a larger pot, combine the two boils: the vegetables with their water and the cabbage with the brine. Stir gently. If it seems too sour or concentrated, you can adjust with a little hot water.
6. Add the smoked sausage cut into suitable pieces or slices, according to preference. Also add the sliced hot peppers, chopped dill, sweet pepper paste, and if you want the soup spicier, the hot pepper paste (Eros Pista).
7. Let the soup simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes to cook the sausage well and blend the flavors.
8. Taste and adjust with salt. The brine and pickled cabbage can be quite salty, so don’t add salt at the beginning.
9. Once you reduce the heat to minimum, incorporate the sour cream. You can mix it separately with a little soup liquid to prevent it from curdling, then pour it into the pot.
10. Turn off the heat. Serve the soup hot, with additional hot peppers or fresh bread, according to preference.
Why I make this recipe often
I like to return to this recipe because it’s quick for a soup with cabbage and meat, it has no complicated steps, it’s filling, and if there are leftovers, it tastes even better the next day. The ingredients are accessible, and the cabbage brine gives it that sour taste that completely changes it from any ordinary soup. You can easily adapt it based on what you have in the fridge.
Tips and variations
Tips
If you want a thicker soup, you can add a handful of rice along with the potatoes. Don’t overdo it, because the cabbage and sausage already make it hearty.
If your pickled cabbage is too salty or too sour, rinse it quickly under cold running water before boiling it.
Homemade smoked sausage gives the best flavor, but a store-bought one works too, as long as it’s smoked.
Substitutions
If you don’t have sweet pepper paste, you can use a roasted sweet pepper or a little sweet paprika.
If you want the soup to be less sour, reduce the amount of brine and make up with water or clear broth.
The hot pepper can be replaced with hot pepper flakes or omitted if you want it not spicy at all.
Variations
You can skip the finely chopped pickled cabbage if you only want the flavor of the brine.
Sour cream is optional; the soup is also good without it if you prefer it lighter or have lactose intolerance.
You can change the proportions of vegetables to taste or based on what you have at home.
Serving ideas
This soup goes well with homemade bread, polenta, or flatbread.
It’s also good with a little freshly ground black pepper on top or extra hot peppers.
When serving, you can add fresh dill leaves for freshness.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use another type of meat instead of smoked sausage?
You can, but the smoked sausage provides the base flavor. If you don’t have it, you can try with smoked ribs, bacon, or smoked ham, but the texture and final aroma will be different.
What do I do if the soup turned out too salty?
If you added too much brine or the cabbage was salty, dilute it with hot water or add extra potatoes, which will absorb some of the salt.
How can I make the soup spicier?
You can add fresh hot peppers or hot paste to taste, even at the end, directly in the bowl.
Can this soup be frozen?
Cabbage soup with sour cream does not freeze very well because the sour cream can separate after thawing. If you want to freeze it, remove the part you won’t consume and add the sour cream only after reheating.
Can I skip the sour cream?
Yes, sour cream is optional. Without it, the soup is lighter and works just as well.
Nutritional values
The values are estimated for an average serving (without bread):
Calories: 350-400 kcal
Protein: 18-22 g
Carbohydrates: 20-25 g (from vegetables, possibly a little rice)
Fats: 22-28 g (from sausage and sour cream)
Sodium may be high due to the brine and sausage. If you follow a low-sodium diet, use less brine or rinse the cabbage.
Storage and reheating
Sour cabbage soup with smoked sausage can be stored in the fridge, in a covered container, for up to 3 days. The taste gets even better the next day. Reheat over low heat, stirring gently. If you added the sour cream from the beginning, heat without boiling to prevent curdling. If you keep it without sour cream, it can be added only at serving. The soup does not freeze well if it already contains sour cream.
Ingredients: 1 traditional smoked sausage - 1 kg 1 carrot 1 onion 1 slice of celery 2 potatoes 2 hot peppers - red + green 1 small pickled cabbage [500 g] 1.5 l sour cabbage juice 1 bay leaf 1 tablespoon of Kapia pepper paste 1/2 teaspoon of hot chopped pepper paste [Eros Pista] 300 ml sour cream fresh dill salt
