soup recipe Archives · Jess in the Kitchen

Cheesy Kielbasa and Potato Soup

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!

Chopped onions, potatoes, and celery — Chop, chop, chop.

Softening the vegetables. — Chop, chop, chop.

Cheesy Kielbasa and Potato Soup

Grab your dutch oven and cook up a batch of this comforting and cozy cheesy kielbasa and potato soup for you and your family!

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 20

Servings servings

Equipment

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

Note: If you or someone you love is gluten free, you can totally skip the roux. Simply add the milk (preferably 2% to thicken the soup up a bit) to the chicken stock and skip the flour and butter.

Also, if you want to thicken your soup without the flour and butter, an option is to hit the soup with an immersion blender for just a bit before you add the kielbasa and cheese. This is a great way to given the perception of a creamy soup without adding the extra stuff.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Oh the Soups you can make!

If you dug this soup, I have a few more favorites that you may want to try!

December 23, 2022December 23, 2022

JessLeave a comment

Spiced Sweet Potato Soup

Not too long ago, I had the opportunity to do a full moon after dark hike that ended with a fire meditation. It was an incredible event put on by my local yoga studio. When we arrived at the fire, our guide had warm soup prepared for us. Generally speaking, I tend to stick with the very common American soups: chicken noodle, vegetable beef, chili. You know the kind. But there was an option for a curried sweet potato soup that I couldn’t get enough of. I knew I had to get home and recreate my own version of it: A spiced sweet potato soup.

I love the simplicity of this soup and the number of ingredients. For the most part, it’s the kind of soup you can have all the ingredients “on hand” and be able to throw it together when the “What are we going to have for dinner?!” comes up. It pairs well with a salad and some crusty bread (Seriously, check out my milk and honey sourdough bread. You’ll thank me). The spices are so warming, I can’t help but smile when I think of them.

This may be outside of my general “soup comfort zone,” but holy man, it’s GOOD. I practically licked out the Dutch oven and declared that I could eat it every week. I can not wait to share it with all of you!

Your Ingredients

½ tablespoon coconut oil (or any other oil)
1 cup diced onion
5 cups peeled and cubed sweet potato
2 cups diced carrot
½ tablespoon minced garlic
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock, low sodium
½ cup water
1 can original coconut milk
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼-½ teaspoon chili flakes
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt

Your Steps to Spiced Sweet Potato Soup

In a large dutch oven or soup kettle, heat coconut oil. Once melted and hot, add onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat until very soft and browned, about 7 minutes. Add sweet potato and carrot. Stir in stock and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Stir in spices: cumin, coriander, turmeric, pepper, chili flakes, nutmeg, and salt. Remove from heat.

Using an immersion blender, puree vegetables with stock right in the cooking vessel. If an immersion blender isn’t available, the vegetables can be pureed in small batches in a food processor. Return to soup kettle.

Slowly stir in coconut milk. Heat until warmed through. The spices will heighten in flavor over time. This is a great soup to prepare early in the day and serve for dinner, but it is DELICIOUS any time of day.

I hope you like it as much as we do. It has a perfect balance of sweet and savory in a soup that warms you all the way through. And what a great way to have a meatless meal!

Looking for other soup inspiration? Check out my cooking page!

Tools of the Trade

I can’t begin to share my full love of my immersion blender and my The Lodge Dutch Oven. They are my go kitchen tools. I like to say that a woman can do a whole heck of a lot with a dutch oven and a wooden spoon. These are my favorites:

Spiced Sweet Potato Soup

Sweet potatoes, carrots, and caramelized onions combine with coconut milk to make a delicious spiced sweet potato soup for any meatless meal!

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Course dinner, Soup

Cuisine Indian

Servings servings

Equipment

Immersion Blender

Ingredients

½ tablespoon coconut oil or any other oil
1 cup diced onion
5 cups peeled and cubed sweet potato
2 cups diced carrot
½ tablespoon minced garlic
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
½ cup water
1 can original coconut milk
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼-½ teaspoon chili flakes
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

In a large dutch oven or soup kettle, heat coconut oil. Once melted and hot, add onion. Cook over medium heat until very soft and browned, about 7 minutes.
Add sweet potato, carrot, and garlic. Stir in stock and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
Stir in spices: cumin, coriander, turmeric, pepper, chili flakes, nutmeg, and salt. Remove from heat.
Using an immersion blender, puree vegetables with stock right in the cooking vessel. If an immersion blender isn’t available, the vegetables can be pureed in small batches in a food processor. Return to soup kettle.
Slowly stir in coconut milk. Heat until warmed through. The spices will heighten in flavor over time. This is a great soup to prepare early in the day and serve for dinner, but it is DELICIOUS any time of day.

Keyword soup, soup and stews, sweet potato, Vegan, vegetarian

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

January 22, 2022January 22, 2022

JessLeave a comment

Chicken Noodle Soup

I have tried to write down my chicken noodle soup recipe countless times. I would start chopping the vegetables, cooking the chicken. The next step is grabbing the measuring cups and spoons so I could get exact measurements. The thing is, I couldn’t get to that step. I don’t measure when I make chicken noodle soup; it’s a “go by feel” kind of thing. Everytime I tried to measure, it was painful. Couldn’t do it.

Then a friend of mine said she usually doesn’t measure, but she finally wrote it down, in her own handwriting, so that her kids would have it and would be able to duplicate it if/when she was gone.

That hit me hard. Chicken noodle soup is my son’s favorite meal. He has had it for his birthday meal countless times (I mean, he’s only eleven, but I can’t tell you how many times he asked for it, so I am calling it countless. HA!) What if he wanted to make my soup and could never get it right? I had to write it down.

Also, what kind of comfort food food blogger would I be if I didn’t have chicken noodle soup on my blog? Especially one that declares soup one of her favorite meals? And so, here it is! I ACTUALLY measured everything. I taste tested. My son double checked it all and gave it two thumbs up. I hope you love it as much as we do!

Let’s get cooking!

Your Ingredients for Chicken Noodle Soup

1 pound cooked chicken (about 2 ½ cups), cubed or shredded
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ½ cups chopped carrots (about 2-3 large)
2 ½ cups chopped celery (about 3-4 stalks)
1 ½ cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
¾ teaspoon pepper
½ – 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
¾ teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons minced garlic
6 cups chicken stock, see note
4-6 cups water, see note
1-2 teaspoons broth base and seasoning (I ADORE Orrington Farms), optional, see note
3 cups egg noodles

A couple notes before you get started

The chicken I use depends on my time. Sometimes I cook a couple breasts in a cast iron pan, starting on the stove and then putting it in the oven at 400 degrees until cooked to 165 degrees. If I have more time and bone in chicken, I will make stock while cooking the chicken.
To make a stock, cover the chicken with water in a stockpot. Add a stalk of celery, a carrot, and an onion, all quartered. Add some pepper, salt, and a clove or two of garlic. Bring it to a boil and then lower to a simmer, cooking until the chicken is cooked through. Strain out vegetables and chicken. Skim off the foam. Broth can be used right away or frozen for later! That’s what I used in this recipe. Allow the chicken to cool, peel off the skin and shred chicken.
I love Orrington Farms Broth Base and Seasoning because I can control the flavor and sodium in my stock. Depending on the stock you use (homemade or from a box), you will have a different depth of flavor. This allows you to add a little more if needed. You can totally use a cube of bouillon or whatever you favorite broth base is. The bottom line is this for you to find YOUR taste.
About the water: The egg noodles will absorb liquid as the soup sits. If you are serving the chicken noodle soup right after you finish cooking it, stick with the 4 cups of water. If you are meal prepping and serving it a day or two later, you will likely have to add an additional cup or two, depending on how you like your soup. You do you friend.

Your Steps To Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

If you have not already, begin with cooking the chicken you plan on using. Short on time? Season a couple chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat an oven safe pan over medium heat with ½ tablespoon olive oil. Once hot, add chicken. Flip after 5 minutes, searing both sides. Once done, stick in a 400 degree oven, cooking until 165 degrees, about 14 minutes. Once cooked, cube it up and set aside. Alternatively, you could pick up a rotisserie chicken and measure 2 ½ cups of meat. (If you do this, DO NOT throw the bones away. Make a stock for later!

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a soup kettle (I dig The Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven) over medium heat. Once hot, add carrots, celery, and onion. Season with pepper, thyme, and garlic. Cook over medium heat until softened, about 10 minutes, stirring often. Season with ½ teaspoon salt. Stir in chicken stock, 4 cups of water, and chicken. Increase the heat, bringing to a boil. Add egg noodles, lower the heat to medium and cook for seven minutes, cooking noodles to al dente.

Almost there!

At this point, give the soup a taste. If you want more salt and chicken flavor, add the broth base, 1 teaspoon at a time. I also like to check the pepper level here but know that pepper sinks in the soup. If you add too much, the end of the soup kettle will be on the peppery side.

Again, the noodles will absorb liquid over time. If you are serving this soup right away, 4 cups of water should be perfect. If you are serving it hours later or the next day, be prepared for a thicker soup. You may want to add that additional water.

I am a firm believer that a good kettle of soup should be served with a salad (I love my homemade french dressing!) and sourdough bread (get the details here!). It hard to get something better 💕

Tools of the Trade

I keep all the flavors of Orrington Farms broth base on hand. It keeps well and allows me to season my soups and stews with just the right amount of flavor.

parts is that they go from stove top to oven so easy and you can even bake bread in them! And

And my flexible cutting boards are a go to item in the kitchen. If I am shopping for a wedding registry, I will buy them even the couple doesn’t have it on the list because I figure they just must not know how wonderful they are!

Chicken Noodle Soup

A classic soup recipe that will keep everyone coming back for seconds (and thirds!)

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Servings

Ingredients

1 pound cooked chicken about 2 ½ cups, cubed or shredded
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ½ cups chopped carrots about 2-3 large
2 ½ cups chopped celery about 3-4 stalks
1 ½ cups chopped onion about 1 large
¾ teaspoon pepper
½ – 1 teaspoon salt to taste
¾ teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons minced garlic
6 cups chicken stock see note
4-6 cups water see note
1-2 teaspoons broth base and seasoning optional, see note
3 cups egg noodles

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a soup kettle over medium heat.
Once hot, add carrots, celery, and onion. Season with pepper, thyme, and garlic.
Cook over medium heat until softened, about 10 minutes, stirring often.
Season with ½ teaspoon salt. Stir in chicken stock, 4 cups of water, and chicken.
Increase the heat, bringing to a boil.
Add egg noodles, lower the heat to medium and cook for seven minutes, cooking noodles to al dente.
Check the flavor profile of your soup. If needed, add broth base or bouillon, 1 teaspoon or cube at a time. Add additional pepper to taste.

Notes

The chicken I use depends on my time. Sometimes I cook a couple breasts in a cast iron pan, starting on the stove and then putting it in the oven at 400 degrees until cooked to 165 degrees. If I have more time and bone in chicken, I will make stock while cooking the chicken. You could also shorten time by using a rotisserie chicken and shredding the meat, discarding the skin.
To make a stock, cover the chicken with water in a stockpot. Add a stalk of celery, a carrot, and an onion, all quartered. Add some pepper, salt, and a clove or two of garlic. Bring it to a boil and then lower to a simmer, cooking until the chicken is cooked through. Strain out vegetables and chicken. Skim off the foam. Broth can be used right away or frozen for later! That’s what I used in this recipe. Allow the chicken to cool, peel off the skin and shred chicken.
I love Orrington Farms Broth Base and Seasoning because I can control the flavor and sodium in my stock. Depending on the stock you use (homemade or from a box), you will have a different depth of flavor. This allows you to add a little more if needed. You can totally use a cube of bouillon or whatever you favorite broth base is. The bottom line is this for you to find YOUR taste.
About the water: The egg noodles will absorb liquid as the soup sits. If you are serving the chicken noodle soup right after you finish cooking it, stick with the 4 cups of water. If you are meal prepping and serving it a day or two later, you will likely have to add an additional cup or two, depending on how you like your soup.

Keyword chicken, chicken noodle, soup, soups and stews

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

January 3, 2022January 3, 2022

JessLeave a comment

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

My darling son is ten years old. For about as long as I can remember, chicken noodle soup has been his favorite. So much so that he has requested it for his birthday meal for the last four years, regardless of where we are celebrating. Then I put together this creamy chicken and wild rice soup. I think his favorite meal changed. He makes this glorious face when he eats food he loves: closing his eyes, taking in the flavor, all while a small grin spreads across his face. His first bite brought on this expression, telling me we had a winner of a recipe.

What I love about this creamy chicken and wild rice soup is that it has all the creamy goodness all while leaving out the heavy or processed ingredients found in many creamy soups. It eats like a soup the first day and more like a stew the second, as the rice absorbs more liquid.

Usually from scratch soups are reserved for cozy weekends, but I recently made this soup on a weeknight. The weather had changed from warm fall days to chilly winter, complete with some snow. I don’t know about you, but those first snow falls just call for a kettle of soup. It took me exactly one hour start to finish, including cooking the chicken. Is it a great weekend recipe? Absolutely. But is it doable on a weeknight? Sure!

Enough talking! Let’s get cooking!

Your Ingredients

½ cup long grain brown rice, uncooked
½ cup wild rice, uncooked
2 ½ cups water
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cups sliced carrots
1 ½ cups sliced celery
1 ½ cup diced onion
½ tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk (I used skim)
2 cups chicken stock
¾ teaspoons dried thyme
½ – 1 teaspoon pepper, to taste
½ teaspoon salt

Before we begin cooking…

If you don’t have cooked chicken on hand, you can 100% start cooking it when you start the rice and your timing will be just fine. I seasoned two chicken breasts with salt and pepper and cooked them over medium heat in a cast iron skillet (I just love cast iron. I have the Lodge Skillet). If you would like to do like me, cook them for about 8 minutes on each side. Then put in a preheated 400 degree oven. Finish them in the oven, cooking to 165 degrees.

YOUR STEPS FOR CREAMY CHICKEN AND WILD RICE SOUP

Start by bringing water to a boil in a saucepan with a cover. Add rice (and maybe a little salt and pepper if you are so inclined), cover, and lower temperature to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes, stirring periodically. Once complete, leave the rice, even if there is remaining liquid. We will add it all to the soup.

While the rice is cooking, prepare the vegetables. Add olive oil to a soup kettle (again, I adore my cast iron Dutch oven for soups), and heat over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add onions, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until they are beginning to soften. Add mushrooms and cook an additional 4-5 minutes.

Remove vegetables from the kettle. Lower the temperature slightly. Add butter and allow to melt. Once melted, add flour, creating a roux. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. SLOWLY add milk, about ⅓ cup at a time, stirring the whole time, allowing the mixture to just begin to boil before you add more. (Be patient here. I have gone too fast too many times to count, and then you miss the creaminess!). Add the chicken stock in a similar nature. Add thyme, salt, and pepper.

From here, stir in the rice from the saucepan, including any remaining liquid. It will help keep the soup thick. Reincorporate the vegetables and stir in the chicken. Allow to cook an additional 10-20 minutes if you have the time. The flavors will mingle and simply get better if you can wait 🙂

Looking for other dinner ideas? Check out my cooking page!

Cooking

Tools of the Trade

I truly believe every home kitchen needs a selection of good cast iron pans. We cook everything in them, from corn bread to chicken, from sourdough bread to soups and stews. They can go from stove top to oven and create beautiful food. These are some of my favorites!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

A hearty belly warming recipe full of fresh roasted chicken, vegetables and perfectly cooked rice.

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Servings

Ingredients

½ cup long grain brown rice uncooked
½ cup wild rice uncooked
2 ½ cups water
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cups sliced carrots
1 ½ cups sliced celery
1 ½ cup diced onion
½ tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
2 cups chicken stock
¾ teaspoons dried thyme
½ – 1 teaspoon pepper to taste
½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan with a cover. Add rice (and additional salt and pepper, to taste), cover, and lower temperature to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes, stirring periodically.
While the rice is cooking, prepare the vegetables. Add olive oil to a soup kettle and heat over medium heat.
Once oil is hot, add onions, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until they are beginning to soften. Add mushrooms and cook an additional 4-5 minutes.
Remove vegetables from the kettle. Lower the temperature slightly. Add butter and allow to melt.
Once melted, add flour, creating a roux. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Slowly add milk, about ⅓ cup at a time, stirring the whole time, allowing the mixture to just begin to boil before you add more. Add the chicken stock in a similar nature. Add thyme, salt, and pepper.
Stir in the rice from the saucepan, including any remaining liquid. Reincorporate the vegetables and stir in the chicken. Allow to cook an additional 10-20 minutes.

Keyword chicken, chicken and wild rice soup, chicken soup, from scratch

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

November 14, 2020July 13, 2021

Jess2 Comments

Venison Chili: Wisconsin’s Cold Weather Companion

True confession: I use to hate chili with a capital H. Well, I don’t know if I so much hated the chili or if it was all the kidney beans my mom wouldn’t let me pick out because I actually hated those. But I have grown wiser in my old age and have developed a deep love for venison chili in the cold Wisconsin winter months. If I am feeling ambitious it is accompanied with some honey corn bread. Not so ambitious? A side of homemade sourdough is almost as awesome.

If you have read many of my posts, you know I am all about getting all the veggies in my main meals. Does the recipe originally call for 1/2 cup of green pepper? You can bet I’ll up that to a full cup. Veggies make my heart happy (I am fairly certain I have a Pinterest board by that name…no joke. I mean, who does that?!) So this venison chili recipe has lots of chunky veggies because I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Few things before you get started:

I try to buy low sodium or no salt added tomato products if at all possible. I like to be able to control the salt I add to my cooking. If you use regular tomatoes, you may want to decrease the added salt. Just taste it first 😀
I started using 4 cups of the tomato juice (saving a couple cups for my husband because he loves it), but my kids thought the chili powder left it a little spicy so I poured the rest of the container of juice in. If you like a spicy chili that is super chunky, leave it at 4 cups instead of 46 ounces. Or just be like me and try it first. If you want to cut the kick or you like a not so thick chili, add the remaining 14 ounces.

Your ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground beef (We do our home ground venison, so your favorite ground protein would work great here whether it be turkey, beef, bear, you name it)
1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper (about 1 large)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
1 cup chopped celery (about 3 stalks)
2 15 ounce cans diced tomatoes (no salt added)
1 15 ounce can of tomato sauce
1 15.5 ounce can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed.
46 ounce container low sodium tomato juice (see the note above for how much you decide to actually use)
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon white sugar

Your Steps

Heat a Dutch oven or soup kettle over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Once warm, add 1 teaspoon of garlic. Sauté for 20 to 30 seconds. Add ground protein. Season lightly with salt and pepper from your shakers. Cook until browned and remove. Drain if necessary. In the same pan, add remaining olive oil and garlic. Then add pepper, onion, and celery. Sauté over medium heat for 7-10 minutes, until they are just becoming soft. Stir in remaining ingredients, including the browned protein. Allow to simmer on low as long as you can wait, up to an 90 minutes, to allow the flavors to mingle 🙂

Serve this venison chili alone or with all the toppings: oyster crackers, cheese, chopped onion, sour cream. Even better if you have some fresh baked bread! My son gave it two thumbs up, so I hope you enjoy it as much as he did! —Jess

Tools of the Trade

They may be a bit spendy, but I adore my Dutch ovens. Yes, I own two. 🙂

Wooden spoons. My go to utensil for stirring. I love that they won’t scratch up my kettles and pans.

Flexible cutting mats are all the rage. So easy to use. I don’t think I use any other kind. And small ones too? What a win!

Looking for other dinner inspirations? Check out my page below!

Cooking

Wisconsin Cold Weather Chili

As the snow begins to fly in Wisconsin, venison chili is a sure fire way to keep your heart happy and your belly full! No venison? Beef works too!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground venison or beef
1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper about 1 large
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup chopped onion about 1 medium
1 cup chopped celery about 3 stalks
2 15 ounce cans diced tomatoes no salt added
1 15 ounce can of tomato sauce
1 15.5 ounce can of kidney beans drained and rinsed
46 ounce container low sodium tomato juice
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon white sugar

Instructions

Heat a Dutch oven or soup kettle over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
Once warm, add 1 teaspoon of garlic. Sauté for 20 to 30 seconds.
Add ground protein. Season lightly with salt and pepper from your shakers. Cook until browned and remove. Drain if necessary.
In the same pan, add remaining olive oil and garlic.
Then add pepper, onion, and celery.
Sauté over medium heat for 7-10 minutes, until they are just becoming soft.
Stir in remaining ingredients, including the browned protein. Allow to simmer on low as long as you can wait, up to an 90 minutes.