BBQ Cocktail Sausage Soup (Print View)

Tangy, sweet slow cooker soup with smoked sausages, BBQ sauce, and apricot jam. Ready in hours.

# Components:

→ Meats

01 - 1 pound smoked cocktail sausages, sliced into bite-sized pieces

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
03 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Liquids & Bases

05 - 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
06 - 1 cup tangy-style BBQ sauce
07 - 1/2 cup apricot jam or preserves
08 - 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained

→ Seasonings

09 - 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
10 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
11 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
12 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
13 - Salt to taste

# Directions:

01 - Add sliced cocktail sausages, chopped onion, red bell pepper, and minced garlic to the slow cooker.
02 - Pour in chicken broth, BBQ sauce, and apricot jam. Stir thoroughly until jam dissolves and mixture is well combined.
03 - Incorporate drained diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, black pepper, and cayenne pepper if using. Stir gently to integrate.
04 - Cover and cook on low setting for 4 hours until vegetables are tender and flavors have fully melded.
05 - Taste and adjust salt as needed. Serve hot, garnished with chopped parsley if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It practically makes itself while you're doing other things—four hours of hands-off cooking that fills your kitchen with incredible aromas.
  • The sweet-savory balance from apricot jam and BBQ sauce creates a flavor profile that feels unexpectedly sophisticated without requiring any culinary skill.
  • It scales beautifully for casual weeknight dinners or feeding a crowd, and people always ask for the recipe.
02 -
  • Don't skip draining the tomatoes—I learned this the hard way when my first batch turned watery and diluted all the beautiful flavor work I'd done.
  • The apricot jam seems weird until you taste it, then it becomes the ingredient people ask about; trust the unusual combination because it actually works.
03 -
  • Buy good smoked sausages—they're really the star here, and cheaper versions taste thin and one-dimensional by comparison.
  • If your BBQ sauce tastes very sweet, choose a tangy variety or cut back to 3/4 cup and taste as you go, because once it's in the slow cooker, you can't fully undo it.
Return