Non-pork eaters can make this soup with turkey or veal versions of kielbasa. But if you’re off meat completely and into cosy, creamy soups this corn chowder (minus the bacon) will see you right. This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission.
Potato kielbasa soup
With the winter weather in Warsaw hovering around -5C/23F, you can rely on the Polish for a warming soup akin to a central heating system. This easy potato soup recipe is so simple to bring together and is on the table in around 30 minutes. Recipes can vary, some adding sweetcorn or mushrooms, but I’ve stuck to basics. Smoky sausage, satisfying potatoes, garlic and herbs (I’ve used fragrant thyme as I love it with pork!), cream for silkiness, and sharp Cheddar cheese for a meal-in-one. Kielbasa is a versatile little sausage, and not strictly Polish fyi! It’s also rooted in Russia, Ukraine, Hungary and Germany. It can be smoked, spiced, cooked, cured, even uncooked. It is an easy flavour-maker that brings dimension to dishes. Any leftover sausage from this dish can be used in other kielbasa recipes like:
Kielbasa and sauerkraut– an ample and celebratory side dish Pierogies and kielbasa – doughy dumplings with a dollop of sour cream Mac n cheese – with a Polish twist Beef stew Solyanka – a down-to-earth stewy Russian feast of meat and potatoes
Serving suggestions
You’ve got sausage, you’ve got potato, you’ve got cheese and cream. What else do you need? Starch may already be represented by potato, but I would still serve with a hunk of freshly baked bread. I am a big bread fan. There are no fewer than 12 bread recipes on the blog- and that’s not even counting the sweet ones! An Eastern European soup requires a bold loaf of solid structure. Rye bread, rosemary and spelt or sourdough are all richly savoury, weighty loaves that won’t fall apart after a good dunking in this herb-rich soup broth.
Storage and leftovers
Soups save beautifully, this kielbasa soup especially. The smoked sausage and garlic flavours continue to permeate the potato and broth for a super intense bowl up to 3 days later. Make sure to store it in an airtight container, so you don’t funk up everything else in the fridge. Sadly, this soup isn’t a freezer. As a rule, cream-based soups don’t freeze well. Ever tried to re-freeze and then eat ice cream? Same grainy thing.
More soup recipes to try
Spring Minestrone Soup Italian Wedding Soup Recipe Curried Roasted Parsnip Soup Sausage Gnocchi Soup with ‘Nduja
