Red Bean and Cabbage Soup

In a soup pot, begin browning the sausage.

Add the diced onions and green peppers and saute.

Drain the excess grease and return to heat.

Add the tomato juice and the Rotel tomatoes. (Here’s another chance to adjust the heat level. My mom uses mild Rotel, but I use original or sometimes hot. It’s a matter of taste. Additionally, if you have trouble finding Rotel, canned petite diced tomatoes and canned green chilies work fine here.)

Drain the red beans and add.

Coarsely chop the cabbage and add to the pot. Depending on the size of your head of cabbage, you may not use it all. When you add it to the mix, the cabbage should be above the liquid level. Don’t worry – it will cook down eventually.

Cover and simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently until all of the cabbage is mixed in and down into the soup.

Simmer until the cabbage is tender. This is a personal choice. I don’t like it too mushy, but I don’t want it crunchy either. Thirty minutes is probably about right.

This is a real stand-alone dish, but I do like to serve it with cornbread.