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Sausage and Cabbage Stew (with Instant Pot option)
Yield: 4-6 servings
Comforting and loaded with flavor (and lots of veggies), this one-pot meal may become a new favorite!

Ingredients

  • 3 slices thick cut bacon (or 5 regular), chopped
  • ½ a yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced (omit if not fan)
  • 1 pound Italian turkey sausage, bulk or removed from casings*
  • 2 teaspoons regular sweet paprika
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano (Julia uses 1 tablespoon)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
  • 1 (32-ounce) carton chicken bone broth**
  • 1 (14- to 15-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
  • 1 head cabbage (about 2 to 2½ pounds), thinly sliced or chopped into bite-size pieces
  • Fresh, chopped parsley to garnish, optional

Instructions

  1. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and add the bacon. Cook until it begins to soften and sweat, about 2 minutes. Add the onion, carrots and garlic, and continue cooking until the vegetables have softened but are still al dente, about 5-8 minutes.
  2. Scoot the vegetables off to one side of the pot and add the sausage, paprika, oregano and salt. Allow the meat to brown on one side for 2 minutes, then flip and continue cooking for another minute or so, breaking it up as it continues to cook. Add the bone broth and diced tomatoes with juices.
  3. Bring to a full boil, and then add the cabbage. (The pot may seem very full, but the cabbage will wilt and cook down a lot.) Stir to incorporate, and then cover and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 25-30 minutes or until the cabbage is tender.
  4. Taste and add a sprinkle of salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with a dusting of optional fresh parsley. Leftovers may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 7 days – and the flavor improves with age!

Instant Pot variation:

To date, I have only cooked this delicious meal on the stovetop, but Julia has made it often in her Instant Pot using the following method:

  1. Plug in your Instant Pot and put it on the ‘Sauté’ mode. Allow it to heat for a couple of minutes.
  2. Add the chopped bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until much of the fat has rendered but the bacon is still tender.
  3. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes.
  4. Scoot the vegetables off to the side of the Instant Pot and add the ground turkey Italian sausage. Allow the meat to brown for 2 minutes on one side, then flip and allow it to brown another 2 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks. Stir the turkey into the vegetables.
  5. Add the remaining ingredients to the Instant Pot in the order in which they appear on the list. Stir well. Note that the cabbage will sit on top and will not fully be submerged – this is perfectly fine. Just do your best to stir.
  6. Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and place it on the ‘Stew/Meat’ setting. Set the time for 30 minutes. Once the Instant Pot has finished pressure-cooking, allow it to go into the ‘Keep Warm’ mode for 30 minutes. Set the release to venting to release the steam.
  7. Stir everything well and serve.

Notes:

*May substitute pork sausage if preferred.
**You may use regular chicken broth instead of the bone broth if preferred. Bone broth usually has no salt added, so you may find you need less added salt when using regular broth. (I’d start with 1/2 teaspoon, adding more to taste.)

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