It’s no secret that if you asked me about my favorite category of food, I would say soups and stews without hesitation. I love the creation of them; the chopping, the fact that you don’t really have to measure, the slow cooking on the stove that you get to walk over and lovingly stir throughout the cook time. I love all of it. So when the temperature really began to drop and our evenings got a little less chaotic, I immediately set out to create a new soup recipe: Cheesy Kielbasa and Potato Soup.
I didn’t grow up eating kielbasa. Looking back, I don’t know why because it seems like a perfect meal for our little family of four. However, the Mr. did; so when we got married, it quickly became a staple every couple weeks. It’s great because it keeps well in the fridge so you can grab it at the grocery store and save it for the hectic nights. And my kids LOVE it.
Generally speaking, if we aren’t eating it with scalloped potatoes and green beans (my kid’s favorite), we are mixing it up in this Kielbasa Quinoa Bowl (SO DANG GOOD!), and now we will add this recipe for Cheesy Kielbasa and Potato Soup to the list of go to kielbasa recipes.
Think of this soup as your traditional potato and ham soup with a twist. The kielbasa adds another layer of flavor with its own unique spice blend. Let’s get cooking!
Your Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced celery
- ¾ cup diced onion
- 4 cups diced potato (I leave the skin on)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups diced kielbasa
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 ½ cups milk
- 1 ½ -2 cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt, to taste
Your Steps to Cheesy Kielbasa and Potato Soup
In a large dutch oven (Bring on the cast iron. I love it so much!), heat the olive oil over medium. Once hot, add celery and onion. Cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes and garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes, giving some color to the potatoes. Slowly add chicken stock and pepper, cooking until the potatoes are soft, approximately 10 minutes.
While the potatoes are cooking, heat a saucepan. Cook the diced kielbasa until just crispy, about 5 minutes. Kielbasa can be oily, so this will pull that excess oil rather than adding it to the soup. Remove the sausage from the pan, and place on a paper towel. Reserve the grease and add enough butter to reach 2 tablespoons of fat. Stir in flour and whisk until the roux starts to bubble. Continue to whisk for about 2 minutes over medium heat.
SLOWLY stir in the milk, ⅓ of a cup at a time, whisking the whole time. Once the milk has been incorporated, stir it into the simmered vegetables. Add freshly shredded cheese (This matters. Pre shredded cheese doesn’t melt as well) and the kielbasa. Cook over low-medium heat until the cheese has incorporated. Serve it up with some fresh bread, a salad, and top with parsley if you choose!
Cheesy Kielbasa and Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced celery
- ¾ cup diced onion
- 4 cups diced potato I leave the skin on
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups diced kielbasa
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 ½ cups milk
- 1 ½ -2 cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium. Once hot, add celery and onion. Cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes and garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes, giving some color to the potatoes. Slowly add chicken stock and pepper, cooking until the potatoes are soft, approximately 10 minutes.
- While the potatoes are cooking, heat a saucepan.
- Cook the diced kielbasa until just crispy, about 5 minutes. Kielbasa can be oily, so this will pull that excess oil rather than adding it to the soup. Remove the sausage from the pan, and place on a paper towel.
- Reserve the grease and add enough butter to reach 2 tablespoons of fat. Stir in flour and whisk until the roux starts to bubble. Continue to whisk for about 2 minutes over medium heat.
- SLOWLY stir in the milk, ⅓ of a cup at a time, whisking the whole time. Once the milk has been incorporated, stir it into the simmered vegetables.
- Add freshly shredded cheese (This matters. Pre shredded cheese doesn’t melt as well) and the kielbasa.
- Cook over low-medium heat until the cheese has incorporated.
- Serve it up with some fresh bread, a salad, and top with parsley if you choose!
Notes
Oh the Soups you can make!
If you dug this soup, I have a few more favorites that you may want to try!
