Sausage Noodles and Cabbage

Selene asked what we were having for dinner that night.  "Sausage noodles and cabbage." 
She and Nate began to whisper back and forth.  "Um, Mom, how do you make noodles out of sausage?"
"Roll it out really thin."
"We're having pizza."
"Oh, come on, it's egg noodles with sausage and cabbage."
"Yeah, we're having pizza.  Think Dad would like some?"

Back when I was searching for recipes that would be easily prepared and reheated for an autistic young man, I found several that would work for us. Mostly simple to prepare and light on the fat, they have become staples in our diet.
We love sausage. Well, I love sausage. Liverwurst, thuringer, bratwurst, Italian sweet, and country are all good. I ate liverwurst, with mustard and onions, when we went deep sea fishing. (Only the Captain, Mom and I thought that was a good lunch.) And when we went on a family camping trip with all my sisters, I brought liverwurst; the five of us devoured it, everyone else was grossed.

Scott likes country sausage. He doesn’t understand why pizza makers don’t use it rather than Italian. I have threatened to make a country sausage pizza for him. (He thinks it’s a promise and is looking forward to it.)

Country Sausage, Noodles, and Cabbage

1 lb country sausage – I buy the ground in store
½ onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
½ medium cabbage, 1 inch chopped
1 lb wide egg noodles
1 apple, chopped
1 cup apple juice
1 TBSP cornstarch

1. In a non-stick skillet, cook the sausage, onion, and celery until there is no pink left in the meat and it is nicely browned.

2. Bring a 4 quart sauce pan full of water to a boil and add noodles, cook for 7 minutes, drain and hold

3. Drain the meat

4. Add the cabbage and apple to the skillet and cook until the cabbage starts to wilt.

5. Add back the meat and the apple juice

6. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the cabbage is wilted; stir two or three times while cooking.

7. Mix the cabbage and meat with the drained noodles

8. Mix the cornstarch with 1 cup water and add to the skillet to deglaze the pan and make a sauce. When the sauce is clear add to the saucepan and stir to combine.

Serves 4