Cabbage Sausage Soup

The other week cabbage was on sale at the store for about 35 cents. 35 cents!?! Are you kidding me? There is NO WAY I can pass up buying something that cheap. Even if I have no idea what to do with it. 

My normal use of cabbage is to make African Stew and then Turkey Crescent bake in the same week, because between the two recipes I can usually use up a whole head of cabbage. Sadly, I made them both too recently for us to do a repeat. And in desperation I searched online for other recipes that could use up vast quantities of the stuff. And I found this surprisingly simple recipe. With a few changes to the original, I found myself going back for seconds and then licking the bowl. 

Cabbage Sausage Soup

Source: Taste of Home

Shown here with homemade croutons

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 small cabbage, chopped (about 10 cups)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 pound turkey kielbasa or smoked sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
• 1 cup milk

Directions

• In a Dutch oven, bring broth, cabbage, carrot and onion to a boil. reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until cabbage is tender. Add sausage and seasonings; heat through. (Add the salt gradually--the soup will already be a little salty from the broth and kielbasa).
• In a bowl, combine the flour and milk, stirring until smooth. Gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Adjust seasonings to taste. Yield: 8 servings (about 2 quarts).