This Meal Works for Every Diet (Except Vegetarian)

There are a few things I keep on hand all the time for nights when I need something that I can throw together in about 10 minutes, let it cook a bit and voila, dinner is served.  I always have a pound of pre-cooked ground chuck  in the freezer (Truth be told I probably have 8-10 in the freezer right now. I also keep a bag of individually frozen hamburger patties. Each time ThePig has ground chuck on sale I replenish whatever has been used from my stash. I always have chopped cooked chicken frozen as well as a couple of chicken casseroles, a pork tenderloin, and a frozen pizza. Don't get me wrong, my freezer is at max capacity right now, the but above things are in there 100 percent of the time. Additionally I keep 3 pounds of smoked sausage in the freezer and one pound in the refrigerator all the time.  Maintaining a stock pile is very soothing to me, and I am a little anal compulsive about replenishing immediately or even preemptively.

The other night was one of those "I need a quick fix" meal nights.  Since I had the sausage in the fridge it was a no brainer.  My go to quick sausage meals tends to be sausage and kraut and we really do love it. What can be easier than browning the sausage and dumping a jar of kraut on top of it? But__I am trying to really add as many uber low carb veggies to every meal as I possibly can.  I had read a recipe for a sausage, kraut casserole and thought the concept sounded really good, unfortunately, it had a few too many ingredients to constitute quick, plus it had a lot of non keto things like potatoes and lots of onions and other delicious stuff, so I modified it a bit and this is what happened.

                                         Sausage, Kraut and Cabbage One Pot Dinner

1/2 small onion sliced thin (use more if you aren't counting carbs)
2 tablespoons ghee, oil, bacon fat (whatever floats your boat, really)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound smoked sausage cut into piece sizes of your choosing
1 large bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 cup chicken broth (can use any broth but I had chicken in the fridge)
1 small head cabbage, washed, cored and cut into slices (or grate or cut into fat strips, your choice)
1jar of kraut  (I buy a 16 ounce jar, most cans have 14 ounces and that would work fine too, or add as much as you want. It will taste good no matter what  you choose)
herbs  about 1 teaspoon each.  I was looking for savory and did not see any at first glance but thyme and marjoram were front and center on the lazy susan that holds all my seasonings, so that is what I used

Put the ghee or oil or fat or whatever in the bottom of a large heavy bottomed pot.  Heat on medium high. When hot add the onion, stirring constantly until it is pale and wilted.  Add the garlic and stir
for about a minute, then quickly add the peppers. Continue stirring until they are somewhat wilted, toss in the smoked sausage. When they are sizzling add the cabbage and the chicken broth.  Top with the kraut, add the herbs, give everything a good stir and slap the lid on the pot. Cook until the moisture is evaporated and the cabbage is moist. Serve and call it a day! We had some tomatoes and sliced cucumbers with ours. TheHub had some delicious smelling cornbread with his and I had a fake bread roll. It was more than enough for our dinner, with enough left over for several lunches.

This was a wonderful alternative to plain old kraut and sausage and is going to become my new normal sausage and kraut meal.  We both loved having the peppers, garlic and onion in it. The cabbage mellowed the kraut flavor and added a little textural change and the addition of the herbs really did send it over the top.  The best thing is it works for whole30, paleo, keto, regular everyday dining. If you are vegetarian some fake meat sausage and veggie broth are all you need to make it work for you too.

If you need a quick meal, try it! If you just want a meal that tastes good, try it! It was really that good.