Spicy Cajun Cabbage Soup

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb. spicy smoked sausage, cut into bit-size pieces and/or add some smoky bacon salt/pepper
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
2 tsp dried thyme
3 tbsp fresh Italian parsley
1 tsp sage
1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
2 tsp paprika
9 cups chicken stock
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 head of cabbage, cored and shredded
3 cups of steamed rice or egg noodles
Instructions
In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and add sausage or bacon, garlic, bay leaf, salt/pepper, onion and carrot and sauté until sausage is browned and vegetables are soft. Then, add thyme, parsley, sage, Cajun seasoning, and paprika-cook for a minute or so to incorporate into mix and then, add stock and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low-medium and add cabbage, cover and simmer until cabbage is tender. Give it a taste and add more spice if needed. Steam rice or make egg noodles (keep out of soup) and place soup over before eating. Don’t forget the bay leaf is in the soup. I forgot once and the recipe called for a food processor, you can imagine what happened. Oops!