This is my first new soup recipe of the fall, and it’s a great start.
About a month ago, when the weather started to cool down, I made a hearty potato and cabbage soup. I love all the plant-based foods in my pot: creamy yellow potatoes, tomatoes, Onions, and my favorite dark green vegetable, kale.
However, when the recipe is formed in my mind, I want it to be an energy plate—that is, a source of vegan protein, along with healthy carbs and some healthy fats.
What protein is it?
I thought about adding beans, but I already have plenty of soups at home that feature beans and greens, like my hearty butternut squash kale and lentil soup or my spicy black bean kale soup.
Instead, I decided to try vegetarian meat in the soup, and I’m glad I did. Plant-based sausage slices not only add a lot of protein to the recipe; they also give the meat the texture and smoky flavor.
Below, I will introduce some store-bought vegetarian sausages that you can use to make soup. I’ll also tell you how they were made—thankfully, it’s a simple process!
The inspiration for this country soup
This potato and cabbage soup is from the same family as my favorite rustic winter soups, which feature tomatoes, broths, scallions, and other vegetables.
For example, it is a relative of minestrone. If there’s cabbage, it’s reminiscent of ribollita(one of my favorite soups – Power Plate has the recipe!).
This soup reminds me of last spring’s favorite delicious vegetarian ravioli soup.
Although the taste is different, the ingredients remind me of my potato and corn chowder, in which vegetarian sausage is optional.
In other words, I’m keeping all patterns consistent with this recipe. But when you have a favorite food, it’s worth trying infinite variations. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop loving this delicious bowl.
What’s with the vegan sausage?
Let me talk more about protein.
I’m a big fan of vegetarian meat, both personally and professionally. It is readily available, convenient, and versatile, and it easily meets the protein needs of people on a 100% plant-based diet.
When I first became a vegetarian, vegetarian meat already existed, but the brands and varieties were somewhat limited. Nowadays, there are so many choices that I can’t even remember them.
I love exploring all the fantastic new products and innovations; They make this a very fun, exciting vegan.
However, many of my favorite vegan meats are old products from my early days of exploring plant-based foods.
These include Tofurky Deli Slices and Chick ‘n, Yves Veggie Ground Round, and Lightlife Smart Dogs.
It also includes vegetarian sausage. To be specific, field-roasted sausage and toast sausage.
Over the years, these sausages have been used in many pastas and soups. In delicious breakfast dishes, they’re paired with tofu stir-fries, piled over warm creamy polenta bowls, and seasoned with peppers and Onions.
My favorite store-bought vegan sausage
My favorite plant-based sausage choices are field-roasted sausage (I love Italian garlic and fennel as well as smoked apple and sage flavors) and Tofurky sausage (I love Italian varieties and beer).
When I want to branch out, though, I like Beyond Sausage, which has a very authentic texture. I’ll take the original because the Italian spicy is too spicy.
I’ve also always wanted to try The Very Good Butcher and Impossible Bratwurst.
No matter which vegetarian sausage you add, it will bring seasoning and flavor to the soup.
Can I use homemade vegetarian sausage?
Of course, you can!
When I eat vegan meat, I usually eat something that makes my life easier and saves me time in the kitchen. So, I tend to use store-bought vegetarian sausages in this recipe.
That said, I’m a big fan of homemade staples, and it’s great to prepare vegan sausages from scratch.
My only advice is to prepare a firm sausage.
In this potato and cabbage soup recipe, the sausage slices need to hold their shape twice. First, they should resist sticking or breaking before they are cooked brown.
Once in the soup, they should be strong enough not to fall apart in the hot liquid.
Gluten is a good base for vegetarian sausages. I like a gluten sausage recipe from Vegetarian Week, and you can find many other recipes online.
Vegetarian sausage is not for me. What can I use instead?
First, if you like vegan meat in general but don’t like sausage, you can brown some vegan beef slices, chicken, or powder and add them to your soup.
If not, I recommend cooked pasta beans, kidney beans, or chickpeas as an excellent addition to soup.
Add some smoked paprika to the soup if you’re using beans instead of sausages. It creates a smoky flavor, which is what sausage is for.
Finally, I highly recommend my easy tempeh meatballs as a sausage alternative!
But be aware that if you add them directly to the soup, they will become too mushy over time. Instead, add just a few meatballs to the soup.
How to make vegetarian potato, cabbage, and sausage soup
I love that this is a one-pot recipe and a soup that simmers for a relatively short time. Here are the steps.
Step 1: Brown the sausage
The goal of the first step is to avoid adding “naked” (that is, straight off the package) vegetarian sausages to the soup.
Browning cross-cut sausage slices enhance their flavor and give them a crispy texture. This reduces the chance of them turning mushy when added to the soup.
It is easy to brown it; just put some oil in the soup pot.
Step 2: Fry the vegetables
This soup’s vegetables are onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Saute in olive oil until the vegetables are soft and the garlic fragrant—very simple.
Step 3: Add potatoes, tomatoes, broth, and seasonings to the pot
Potatoes are the main ingredient in the soup, while tomatoes add acidity, umami, and flavor.
I added canned tomatoes to the soup for convenience. Using canned tomatoes when tomatoes are not in season is also a good option.
If you want fresh tomatoes instead, you can saut them with other vegetables in the second step.
I like to add yellow potatoes to my soup. However, russet potatoes are also a good substitute if you have them.
You can use homemade vegetable stock, store-bought broths, or water and vegetarian consomme for broths if you think it’s easy.
Step 4: Simmer
Bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Then, remove the lid and add the kale to the pan.
You can use Tuscan kale or curly kale in recipes. If you don’t like kale, you can substitute chopped beets, spinach, kale, or other leafy greens. You can add a few cups of broccoli instead of the green stuff.
Simmer for 5 to 8 minutes or until the kale is tender.
Step 5: Season and serve
Like many Italian country soups, which include a slice of Parmesan zest or grated Parmesan, I stir a quarter cup of vegan cashew Parmesan in a potato-kale stockpot.
This Parmesan cheese is made with cashews, nutritional yeast, and salt. It will add some saltiness, some umami, and a little texture to the soup.
I also like finishing the soup with a sprinkling of white balsamic vinegar (often added to roasted vegetables and soups) or sherry vinegar.
Other good ingredients for potato kale sausage soup are
- fresh or dried herbs,
- crushed red pepper flakes or
- a small amount of extra virgin olive oil.
Meal preparation & storage
As a vegetarian cooking enthusiast, I always wonder how long I can store food and how far in advance I can make it.
Fortunately, this soup is a strong contender for success. The soup can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week and frozen for up to a month.
How to pair vegetarian potato and cabbage soup with sausage
This soup is a hearty meal.
But if you ask me, almost any soup is better served with a slice or a hunk of bread. You want to take advantage of the chance to taste the delicious broth at the bottom of the bowl.
You can also match:
- Simple green salad
- Eat more steamed, baked, mashed, or baked yellow potatoes
- Focaccia
- Tofu feta Kale Salad (even more protein!)
- Crispy broccoli Caesar salad
Whatever you serve with your soup should give you a gracious, healthy hug.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 vegetarian sausages, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch / 1.75cm slices
1 white or yellow onion, diced
2 sticks of celery, diced
2 medium carrots, washed, trimmed and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
14.5 ounces canned tomatoes, diced, with juice (1 3/4 cups, or 415 grams)
1 lb yellow potatoes, quartered or cut into 1-inch / 2.5cm pieces (peeled or unpeeled – it’s up to you)
2 TSP Italian seasoning (replace 3/4 TSP each of dried oregano and dried thyme)
4 cups vegetable soup (950 ml)
1 cup of water (240ml)
1 bunch Tuscan kale or curly kale, stemmed and chopped
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar or sherry vinegar (optional)
1/4 cup vegetarian cashew Parmesan cheese (store-bought alternative vegetarian Parmesan cheese)
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large, heavy-based pot over medium heat. Brown the sausage slices, turning frequently, until golden brown on both sides. Remove the slices from the pan and set aside.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the same pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot. Cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes or until the Onions are translucent and all the vegetables are tender. Add the garlic to the pot and continue cooking the vegetable and garlic mixture for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the garlic is very fragrant.
- Add the tomatoes, potatoes, Italian seasoning, and broth to the pot. Turn on high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add the kale. Simmer for another 5-8 minutes or until the kale is tender. Add cooked sausage, vinegar, and vegetarian Parmesan cheese. Continue to simmer until all the ingredients are heated. Spoon the soup into bowls and serve.
