“I JUST DON’T LIKE IT” they all said. Before any of them had tried a single bite.
Even I was worried. Would four kids under the age of six like sautéed cabbage and sausage with apples and, gasp, onions?
But I couldn’t help myself. A dinner like this is so nutritious, so colorful and it’s even a one-pot meal with that crowned glory of all dinner features: you can make it ahead of time.
This mattered not to the kids. They took one look at dinner and freaked out.
Making matters weirder, Paul’s are parents in town. So during the double meltdown at hungry o’clock, his mom and dad could only look on in the kind of quiet horror well-schooled grandparents have. The kind where they’d love to jump in but knew I was already about to lose it. So instead, they dug deep into those grandparent reserves and waited it out.
So did I.
When everyone came to, out of their End of the Day, I-Don’t-Like-It stupor, everyone had the same reaction to this dish. They LOVED it.
Those rascals loved it so much this is the only image I have. Of freshly sliced cabbage, Granny Smith apples and slivers of onions. Pre-pan. Pre-meltdown. Pre-chow down.
We’ll make it again and next time, I’ll take pictures before serving.
You know, if no one is screaming.
Printred cabbage with sausage, onions and apples
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 pound sweet or mild sausage (turkey, pork, any kind you like), casings removed
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 2 Granny Smith apples thinly sliced
- 1 medium head of red cabbage (though I think green would be fine too)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil on a medium setting and add sausage. Cook until almost browned through, about 5 minutes.
- When sausage is nearly done, add onion, apple and cabbage, plus salt and pepper, stirring often for about 5 minutes.
- Continue cooking on medium heat for about 15 minutes until the cabbage leaves are soft and wilted. If along the way you notice any pieces sticking to the pan, add about 1/4 cup of water and deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping with a spatula. Be sure to allow the water to boil off before serving.
- Offer malt vinegar or soy sauce at the table.
Foodlets rating: 5 thumbs up (including grandparents). Violet (10 months) even ate a lot–I really couldn’t stop her–but she’s not great with the Thumbs Rating System yet.
Could this be done in the slow cooker? I use a slow cooker for sausage links. I’ve also used it for pork and sauerkraut with apples. I just don’t know how fresh cabbage in a slow cooker would turn out without any added liquid. Any suggestions?
Hi Allie! A slow cooker here would definitely be an experiment BUT you could (and should) totally try it. For liquids, I’d go with about 1/2 cup of chicken broth and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (which will highlight the apple slices). I think they’d work together to bring a lot of flavor while providing moisture too. Let us know if you take this one on!
So – is this like a ground sausage, or can you use link sausage and slice it? Confused a bit about removing the casings.
And I really love how honest and realistic you are with your kids reactions. It gives me hope for mine 🙂
Hi Liz! You can use ground sausage or links. If you choose links you will squeeze the meat out of the casings (that outer skin that holds it together in a hotdog shape) before you cook it. Squeeze it right into the pan. Or just use a pack of ground sausage that looks more like ground beef. Hope that helps!
And thanks so much for your note!
Your link didn’t work quite right. How did you prepare this ahead of time? How did you reheat it?
Hi Kendra! What link didn’t work right? Let me know so I can fix it.
If you prepare this ahead of time, you just make the whole thing, cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to re-heat. I just reheat right on the stove, on very low heat with the lid on. But you could also pop the whole thing in the oven at around 350 — again, covered, for about 15-20 mins.
Microwave would also work. 🙂