It isdefineately soup season here!! Last week I even pulled out the slow cooker for the first time since the spring- a sure sign that I am in the mood for warm, comforting foods.
I decided to make this soup from Kalyn's Kitchen. We had a cabbage from the CSA to use up andthis seemed ot bejust the way to do it. Pieces of chicken sausage give heft to this cabbage soup, while fennel and thyme add in lots of flavor.
The great thing about soups is you often just dump everything in the pot and then ignore it for some time. With this slow cooker soup you get to ignore it for a long time - although you'll not forget it is there because the house is soon full of delicious smells!!!
This is a soup to warm your bones and make ou forget that snow is on the way!
Slow Cooker Cabbage Soup with Tomatoes, Chicken-garlic Sausage, and Parmigiano
6 cups chopped cabbage (1 pound)
1 onion, chopped small
1 cup celery, diced small
2 cans (14.5 oz.) petite dice tomatoes
6 cups beef stock
2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. ground fennel
fresh ground black pepper to taste
4 (or 6) links Chicken Sausage
2 tsp. olive oil
freshly-grated Parmigiano cheese for serving
Chop the cabbage, onion, and celery and place in the slow cooker. Add the 2 cans of tomatoes, beef stock, dried thyme, ground fennel, and black pepper to the slow cooker. Cook 8-9 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.
When the cabbage is well-softened, slice the sausage into pieces about 1/4 inch thick. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan and cook over medium-high heat until the sausage is nicely browned. Add the well-browned sausage to the soup, turn to high if you were cooking on low, and cook 30-45 minutes more. Serve hot, with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese if desired.