CONTINENTAL SAUSAGE SKILLET

CONTINENTAL SAUSAGE SKILLET

My Mom used to make this recipe when I was a kid (it was the only way she could get me to eat cabbage). Still one of our family's favorite dishes; it's a combination of sweet red cabbage with sausage served over mashed potatoes (kind of a new take on Banger's and Mash). This recipe can also be made Vegan by replacing the sausage with either Worcestershire marinated Tofu or a Tofu Sausage(be careful when using Vegan substitutes as they may not be gluten-free!) and by replacing the butter and milk in the mashed potatoes with Vegan alternatives. Anyway you make this recipe it will taste great, so enjoy!

Ingredients:

1- small head of Red Cabbage, shredded (or 2 bags of pre-shredded Red Cabbage)

1- med. sweet Onion, sliced

1½ lbs. of Sausage links, cooked and sliced *(see notes below)

⅔ cup Water, divided (⅓ cup and ⅓ cup)
2 - 16 oz. cans of White Cannellini Beans and/or Butter Beans, drained
¼ cup Dark Brown Sugar
¼ cup Ketchup
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce (optional)
¾ tsp. Salt
¼ - ½ tsp. Fresh ground Black Pepper (optional)
Cooking oil
Mashed Potatoes (optional)


First, cook/boil the sausage links (following the directions on the package). If you are using a precooked sausage such as kielbasa or are using a vegan substitute (i.e. vegan sausage or Tofu), then you can skip this step. * see notes below recipe.

Once sausage is cooked, cut the sausage into ½ to 1 inch diagonal slices (i.e. cut on the bias). And set aside.

Pour 1-2 Tbsp. of oil into a large (5qt/13 inch or larger) skillet and heat over med-high heat. Once oil is hot, add in the Sausage slices and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes or until Sausage slices have browned, then remove from skillet and set aside.

Add ⅓ cup of Water and Onion slices to the skillet, cook for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add in the shredded Cabbage, cover and allow to cook over for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until Cabbage is tender.

Meanwhile drain the Beans, and mix the Ketchup, Brown Sugar, Worcestershire sauce (if using), Salt and Pepper in a small bowl. Once cabbage is tender, add in the drained beans, ketchup mixture and ⅓ cup of water. Cook over high heat until mixture boils, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Return the browned sausage to the skillet, stir, and allow to cook covered for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until it begins to simmer again. Remove from heat and keep covered until you are ready to serve. This dish is best when served over mashed potatoes.

*Notes:

The original recipe called for either Sweet or Hot Italian Sausage, but in really any kind of sausage can be used. I have begun to use Kielbasa instead and I think I may like it better than the Italian sausage in this recipe. But no matter what flavor/ kind of sausage I use, I always use a low fat and/or turkey version to cut down the fat.


Now if you want to make this recipe Vegan, then be sure to replace the sausage with a vegan/ tofu sausage (check the ingredients carefully if you want the recipe to remain gluten free!) or you can use Worcestershire Marinated Tofu in place of the sausage (see recipe below)

Worcestershire Marinated Tofu

Ingredients:

2- Firm or Extra Firm Tofu; pressed and drained (see package directions or How to press/drain Tofu )
1 cup Red Wine
½ cup Worcestershire Sauce
2 -3 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
1- 2 Tbsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 tsp. Salt
2 - 3 cloves of Garlic; minced or smashed
1-2 tsp. Onion Powder
1-2 tsp. ground Marjoram
½ tsp. Nutmeg (optional)
¼ tsp. Allspice (optional)
¼ tsp. Mace (optional)
½ - 1 tsp. All natural liquid smoke (optional)

Press and drain tofu. Cut Tofu into bite sized cubes or slices and set aside. Mix remaining ingredients well and pour into a large zip-lock bag. Add tofu to the bag, zip shut, and shake the bag, covering the tofu pieces with the marinade. Allow tofu to marinate overnight or for at least 6-8 hours. Drain tofu and use in place of the sausage.