When it comes to fall foods the trick is to satisfy the primitive urge to fatten up for hibernation without actually fattening up. This simple Cabbage and Kielbasa recipe is one of my favorites. It completely indulges the desire to fill my belly with cozy food but I won’t need to loosen my belt at the end of the meal.

A slow cooker is your best friend for this rustic one-pot meal. Toss everything in and flip it on early in the day then walk away and let it simmer until dinner time. After slogging through rainy traffic it is hard to beat walking into a house that smells like your house keeper has been cooking all day. A slow cooker meal means sitting down to a hearty dinner in a matter of minutes. Best of all you get to drive straight home after work, no precious time wasted navigating dark and soggy fast food parking lots.

I recommend serving Cabbage and Kielbasa along side a baked potato. The starchy side soaks up the sweet and sour juices that pool at the bottom of the pot. To keep it quick “bake” your potatoes in the microwave. Poke each potato a few times with a fork then give them a few minutes on high to get soft and flakey. Take advantage of the cooking time to change into fuzzy socks and your favorite oversized sweater.

Slow cooked Cabbage and Kielbasa is my favorite take on “fast food” for Fall. Dig in and get ready to hibernate but leave your “fat pants” in the back of the closet where they belong.

Cabbage and Kielbasa

A warm and cozy dish that won’t add any bulk under your long johns. This recipe works fabulously in an electric slow cooker but can also be made in a dutch oven or foil covered casserole dish. Just pile everything in the pot and simmer slowly in a medium oven.

Ingredients

• 1 14 oz. Smoked Sausage – Turkey or Chicken recommended

• 1/2 head of green cabbage sliced in 1/2 inch strips

• 1 large yellow or sweet onion cut in half and sliced in 1/2 inch crescents

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds

• a few pinches of coarse salt

• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

• optional additions: any dark leafy green (chard, kale, etc.), 1 bell pepper sliced into 1/2 inch strips, 1 -2 apple sliced in thin wedges

Method

1. Cut the sausage into 5-6 shorter pieces then halve each piece from end to end (variation: slice sausage into 3/4 inch rounds)

2. Pile the veggies into the slow cooker pot and top with the cut sausage. Pour cider vinegar over the top and sprinkle in the caraway seeds and season with salt and pepper.

3.Cook on low setting for 6 – 8 hours or high setting for 3 -4 hours.

Nutritional Information will depend primarily on your choice of sausage. Please read the labels before purchasing so you know what you will be eating.

Read more from Rose McAvoy at Our Lady of Second Helpings.