Italian Sausage and Cabbage

Italian sausage and cabbage come together in one pan with a simple spice blend and a splash of tomato sauce, and the whole thing is on the table in 30 minutes. I use fresh Italian pork sausage removed from the casing so it breaks down into the cabbage as it cooks, which gives every bite a deeply savory flavor that holds together far better than sliced sausage links would.

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Why I Love This Italian Sausage and Cabbage

This recipe came to me the way a lot of my best ones do, by accident. I had visited one of my aunties in Brazil, the one who makes the most delicious sautéed cabbage I have ever tasted. Simple, fresh, perfectly seasoned. I have always loved her version.

Then one evening back home in Toronto, I was staring into the fridge trying to figure out dinner and I spotted some Italian sausage and half a head of cabbage. I thought, why not make my auntie’s sautéed cabbage and just throw the sausage in for protein? Simple as that.

I honestly did not expect much. I was just trying to get dinner on the table. But the combination of the fresh Italian sausage with the spice blend and a little tomato sauce turned out so much better than I anticipated, and it has been on regular rotation ever since. What I love most about it is that it is a one-pan dinner that comes together in 30 minutes and leaves almost no dishes behind.

On nights when I want something heartier, I turn this same base into my Cabbage and Sausage Stew, which works especially well when the temperature drops here in Toronto.

What makes this version stand out from most cabbage and sausage recipes online is the spice blend and the tomato sauce. Most recipes you will find use kielbasa or smoked sausage with almost no seasoning. I find that approach too flat. Fresh Italian sausage has fat and flavor built in, and when you layer it with paprika, oregano, garlic powder, and a splash of tomato sauce, you get something that tastes like it simmered all afternoon.

Key Ingredients

All ingredients and their amounts are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Fresh Italian Pork Sausage: I always buy sausage links and remove the casing myself rather than buying pre-ground. When you break fresh sausage out of the casing yourself, it goes into the pan in uneven crumbles that get golden and a little crispy at the edges. Pre-ground sausage tends to cook into a uniform paste. I’ve made this with both sweet and hot Italian sausage and both work. Sweet gives a milder, rounder flavor that Thomas, my kid, prefers. Hot adds a kick that Pierre and I love. If you want a middle ground, use one link of each.

Pro Tip: Cook the sausage over medium-high heat without stirring too much at first. Let it sit for a minute or two before breaking it up. This builds the browning that gives the whole dish its base flavor.

Green Cabbage: One small head, thinly sliced. I like to cut the cabbage in quarters, remove the core, and slice it into strips about half an inch wide. Too thick and it won’t soften evenly in the time the recipe calls for. Too thin and it will go mushy before the sausage finishes cooking. After many rounds of making this, half an inch is the sweet spot.

Tomato Sauce: Just a quarter cup, but it matters. It adds acidity and body to the dish without making it feel like a pasta sauce. I use a plain tomato sauce here. You can also use my homemade basic tomato sauce if you have it on hand, and I recommend it because the flavor is noticeably cleaner than store-bought.

The Spice Blend: Salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, and optional chili powder. This is what separates this recipe from the plain kielbasa versions you will find everywhere else. I’ve tested scaling the paprika up and it can go heavy fast, so I recommend starting with exactly the amounts in the recipe card and adjusting from there once you know the dish.

Instructions to Make Italian Sausage and Cabbage

Preheat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Have your cabbage sliced and your vegetables chopped before you start cooking, because once the sausage goes in, things move quickly.

Step 1. I add the olive oil to the pan and then add the sausage, breaking it out of the casing directly into the hot oil. I let it cook for about a minute before I start breaking it up, so it gets a chance to brown on the bottom. This browning is the flavor foundation of the whole dish. I cook it until there is no more pink, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Step 2. I add the chopped onion and bell pepper directly to the sausage without draining any fat. The fat from the sausage is what the vegetables cook in, and it is full of flavor. I stir and cook for about 3 minutes until the onion starts to soften, then I add the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Garlic goes in after the onion and pepper, not before, because it burns quickly and bitter garlic is one of the most common ways this dish goes wrong.

Step 3. I add the entire spice blend at once and stir everything together for about 2 minutes. Cooking the spices for a couple of minutes in the fat before adding the cabbage is important. It wakes them up and deepens the flavor. If you skip this step and add the cabbage immediately, the spices taste raw.

Step 4. I add the cabbage to the pan. It looks like a lot at first, and it is. I stir it frequently and let it cook for about 5 minutes until it wilts down and is almost tender. Almost is the key word here. You do not want fully soft cabbage at this stage because it has more cooking to do.

Step 5. I pour in the tomato sauce and beef broth, stir well to combine everything, then put the lid on and reduce the heat to medium-low. I let it cook for another 5 minutes. The lid traps the steam and finishes cooking the cabbage without drying it out. After 5 minutes, the cabbage should be very soft and the liquid should be mostly absorbed.

Step 6. I taste for seasoning and adjust if needed, then top with chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately.

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Italian Sausage and Cabbage

3.70 from 126 votes

Author: Olivia Ribas

ServingsServings: 6 people

Prep TimePrep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook TimeCook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total TimeTotal Time: 40 minutes minutes

Italian sausage and cabbage come together in one pan with a simple spice blend and a splash of tomato sauce, and the whole thing is on the table in 30 minutes. I use fresh Italian pork sausage removed from the casing so it breaks down into the cabbage as it cooks, which gives every bite a deeply savory flavor that holds together far better than sliced sausage links would.

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Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 1/2 lb fresh Italian pork sausages removed from the casings
• ▢ 1/2 onion chopped
• ▢ 1 small red bell pepper chopped
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 1 tsp salt and cracked black pepper to taste
• ▢ 1/2 tsp onion powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• ▢ 1 tsp paprika
• ▢ 1/2 tsp oregano
• ▢ 1/2 tsp chili powder optional
• ▢ 1 small green cabbage thinly sliced
• ▢ 1/4 cup sugar-free tomato sauce
• ▢ 2 tbsp beef broth
• ▢ 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped

Instructions 

• In a large pot add olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until no longer pink.
  
• Add the onion and bell pepper to the sausage meat and cook for about 3 minutes. Then, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
  
• Season with salt, and pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, and chili powder. Stir all well to combine.
  
• Add cabbage. Sauté for 5 minutes and stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is almost tender. Add tomato sauce and beef broth.
  
• Mix well to combine all the ingredients together. Close the pot with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Keep cooking for more 5 minutes.
  
• When the cabbage is very soft, it's done. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley. Enjoy!
  

Notes

To store: Tightly wrap or transfer to an airtight container once cooled and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

To reheat: Reheat in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of broth or water to loosen it up, or in the microwave until warmed through.

To freeze: Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6, Calories: 294kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 22g, Cholesterol: 45mg, Sodium: 533mg, Potassium: 346mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 5g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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