Potato Kielbasa Soup

A thick and hearty creamy potato kielbasa soup, with vegetables and a little bit of cheese added to the mix. Great comfort food and a perfect dinner soup!

• This soup is a favourite this time of year, as it is nice and creamy (but uses only milk!) and it’s hearty enough for dinner.
• I love the big chunks of kielbasa, that are pan-browned first, for extra flavour.
• The bit of cheese stirred in at the end is just enough to turn this creamy soup into something special.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Kielbasa Polish Sausage – this is the type of sausage usually sold in a U-shaped package. Kielbasa is typically smoked and/or cooked, so while it is ready to eat, it tastes better cooked again. I love to fry it to get a bit of browning on it.

Be sure to remove and discard the casing. Simply slice down the kielbasa lengthwise and peel it off. Slice and cut into half to make half-moon shapes or if that is too large, cut again into quarters.

Polish sausage is a great substitute for Kielbasa. You can adjust the amount of sausage, to taste.

Potatoes – Russet (baking) potatoes perform best in soups, so I would recommend that type of potato for best results. A yellow potato such as Yukon Gold will work, but they do take longer to become tender and they don’t ever soften as nicely as Russet.

Onion, Carrot and Celery – both onion and carrot are highly recommended for this soup, though celery is probably optional. If you don’t have any, simply omit. For the carrots, I like to slice them into rounds and cut them in half (or quarters) to mirror the kielbasa shape.

Broth – you can use either chicken or vegetable broth for this soup.

Milk – any milk you have is fine. I usually use either a 2 or 3% milk myself.

Parsley – a touch of green is lovely in this soup. I’ve used fresh, curly parsley here. You could use flat parsley or dried parsley. Alternatively, a bit of chopped, fresh spinach would work, as well.

Cheese – I love to stir a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese into this soup right at the very end. Just a bit though and not so much that it ends up like a cheese sauce :) You could also substitute a bit of grated Parmesan, if you prefer. Again, not too much so it doesn’t over-power the soup.

Step-by-Step Photos

1. Pre-cook the Kielbasa until browned. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
2. Add the onion, carrot and celery to the soup pot and cook until the onion is softened.
3. Add the flour and cook briefly.
4. Add the milk and broth.
5. Add the potatoes to the pot
6. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender.
7. Add the reserved Kielbasa.
8. Add the parsley.
9. Add a bit of cheese at the end.

Want to know the secret to a great soup? Seasoning! Don’t forget to taste the soup at the end of cooking and add salt and freshly ground pepper as needed. If the flavours seem a bit flat, it needs more salt.

Making Ahead, Storing and Freezing

This soup holds well in the fridge for 2-3 days and in fact, the flavour improves even more as it sits. It does tend to thicken as it sits, but can easily be thinned when re-heating with a splash of milk or broth.

The texture of creamy soups will change with freezing, thawing/re-heating, so freezing is not recommended.