Brown the sausage

• Remove the casings from the hot sausage links and break the meat into pieces.
• Brown the sausage in a large pot over medium heat.

Sauté the vegetables and rice

• Add the minced celery, carrots, onion and garlic along with the white rice.
• Season with salt and pepper and sauté for a few minutes.

Add cabbage, tomatoes and stock

• Stir in the diced cabbage and a little more salt.
• Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock and bay leaves.
• Bring almost to a boil.

Simmer the soup

• Lower the heat and simmer until the rice and cabbage are tender.
• Add more stock if the soup becomes too thick.

Finish and garnish

• Taste for salt and remove the bay leaves.
• Stir in the fresh parsley; simmer longer if you want very tender cabbage.
• Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley, Parmesan and cracked black pepper.