German White Cabbage Soup with Sausage Recipe
A hearty soup with white cabbage, potatoes and sausage is an everyday dish in many rural regions of Germany. It’s somewhere between Polish kapuśniak and a goulash soup – lots of vegetables, some meat and a pronounced but not overpowering flavor. It’s perfect as a one-pot lunch or dinner on cooler days when you want to really warm up.
Such eintopf-style soups with cabbage, potatoes and sausage are a staple of German home cooking, especially in the colder federal states. They’re cooked in a large pot to last for several days, often with various leftover cured meats thrown in.
This soup showcases simple German country cooking: inexpensive ingredients, long simmering and a balance of vegetables and sausage that makes the dish both filling and relatively light. Caraway and marjoram give it a distinctly Central European character.
Why this version works
- Thoroughly browning the sausage at the start builds a deep, meaty flavour without needing extra cuts of meat.
- Finely shredded cabbage softens evenly and doesn’t stay tough while the potatoes are already tender.
- Caraway and marjoram balance the richness of the sausage and make the cabbage easier to digest.
Chef's tips
Don’t skip browning the sausage at the beginning – those browned bits at the bottom of the pot add a lot of flavor to the broth. If your cabbage is very strong in flavor, you can briefly blanch it in boiling water and drain before adding it to the soup for a milder taste.
How to serve
Serve as a complete meal in deep bowls, with plenty of crusty bread for dipping. For a heartier version, top each portion with a spoonful of sour cream or a sprinkle of grated cheese. A simple beet or cucumber salad makes a nice side.
Watch out for
- Don’t add the potatoes too early if your cabbage is cut into thick pieces – they’ll fall apart before the cabbage softens.
- Don’t boil the soup over high heat; a rolling boil easily breaks up the potatoes and makes the broth cloudy.
- If you don’t like a strong caraway flavour, add only half the amount at the beginning and adjust to taste at the end.
Ingredients
- white cabbage - 500 g
- potatoes - 400 g
- carrot - 2 pieces
- leek - 1 piece
- sausage - 200 g
- vegetable stock - 1200 ml
- vegetable oil - 1 tablespoon
- bay leaf - 2 pieces
- marjoram - 1 teaspoon
- caraway seeds - 0.5 teaspoons
- salt - 1.5 teaspoons
- black pepper - 0.5 teaspoons
Preparation
- Shred the cabbage into thin strips, discarding the hard core. Peel the potatoes and cut into medium-sized cubes. Peel the carrot and slice into half-moons of similar thickness so they soften evenly.
- Wash the leek thoroughly, fanning out the layers under running water. Cut it in half lengthwise and slice into half-moons. Slice the sausage into rounds or half-rounds about 0.5 cm thick so it doesn’t dry out in the soup.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the sausage and fry for 4–5 minutes without stirring too often, until the edges are well browned and brown bits form on the bottom of the pot.
- Add the leek and carrot and fry together for 3–4 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the leek softens and turns translucent and the carrot starts to soften at the edges but is still firm.
- Add the cabbage to the pot and mix well with the sausage and vegetables. Fry for another 3–4 minutes, until the cabbage wilts, clearly reduces in volume and starts to soften.
- Pour in the stock, add the potatoes, bay leaves, marjoram, caraway seeds, salt and pepper. Stir, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently over low heat for 25–30 minutes.
- After about 20 minutes, check the potatoes and cabbage – they should be tender but not falling apart when pierced with a fork. If needed, cook for a few more minutes over low heat.
- Remove the bay leaves. Taste the soup and, if necessary, season with additional salt, pepper or a pinch of marjoram. The flavour should be bold, with a noticeable but gentle hint of caraway.
Storage
The soup keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days and often tastes even better the next day as the flavors meld. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water or stock if it has thickened too much. If freezing, cool completely first and store in portions.
This kind of cabbage soup is the sort of dish that quietly simmers in many German kitchens on cold days. It’s not fancy, but it’s deeply satisfying and flexible – you can easily adjust the amount of sausage or vegetables to suit what you have on hand.
