I think I mentioned somewhere that my CSA is experimenting with a winter share this year. They’ve never done one before but for $400 we get 16 weeks worth of crops from November through March (or so). It sounded like a good experiment, so I bought in. Though the quantity of crops has not been as rich as the summer, the quality is still good.

That said, last week, I received a cabbage head, that’s, well, bigger than Becky’s head.

(she’s not happy up there because it’s right after swim practice). Anyway…
At first, I thought I’d make Roasted Cabbage Rolls but then I saw this recipe in the March Bon Appetit, Cabbage and White Bean Soup with Sausage and it stuck in my head plus the Roasted Cabbage seemed too labor intensive and I didn’t feel like it. So Wednesday, when I was at the farm market, and they had chicken apple sausage I decided to make the soup instead. Only problem, when I got home I realized I didn’t have everything I needed. So this is what I came up with.

Cabbage, Sausage and White Bean Soup

(my notes to their instructions are in parenthesis)

4 cups cabbage — thinly sliced
2 large onions — thinly sliced
10 ounces chicken and apple sausage — halved lengthwise/sliced crosswise
15 ounces canned cannellini beans — rinsed and drained
7 cups chicken broth, fat free (they used low sodium and 8 Cups))
1 cup water
2 cups baby carrot — sliced
4 teaspoons olive oil (they used 4T olive oil)
2 tablespoons tomato paste (they used tube, I didn’t have, so used canned)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil (they used 2T olive oil) in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage slices and sauté until brown around edges (my sausage wasn’t cooked and theirs was – so I poached mine first until cooked), about 5 minutes. Add cabbage; sauté 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Add remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil (again, they used 2 tablespoons) to same pot and heat over medium heat. Add leeks (I didn’t have leeks thus the large onions, sliced) and carrots and sauté until soft, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste (I didn’t have tube, so just used normal canned), parsley (I didn’t have parsley so just left it out), and rosemary and stir 1 minute. Add broth (they used 8C but I had 4, 14 oz cans, which is why I added 1C water), sausage-cabbage mixture, and beans and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead – yep had this for lunch again the next day and it was good. I’m going to freeze what’s left.

Each serving is about 1 3/4 cups – there were about 7 servings and each is 3 Weight Watcher points. I really liked this and will definitely make it again.

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 177 Calories; 5g Fat (23.6% calories from fat); 12g Protein; 23g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 31mg Cholesterol; 865mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat.
Oh, and that big cabbage – I only used less than half. Last night, I sauteed cabbage and onions as a side dish to meat loaf and I still have 1/4 of that head of cabbage left in the fridge.