Sausage Potato Cabbage Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced medium
1 stalk celery, diced medium
1 medium carrot, diced medium
1/3 head green cabbage, coarsely chopped
1 large russet potato, peeled, diced medium
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 lb smoked sausage such as kielbasa, sliced
4 cups chicken broth
sea salt and black pepper to taste
handful chopped parsley

1. In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
2. Add the cabbage, potatoes, broth, bay leaf, and thyme, to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage and potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
3. While soup is simmering, brown the sausage in a cast iron pan. Remove the sausage from the pan and drain on paper towels. Just before serving, remove the bay leaf from the soup and stir in the sausage and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 4.