Ingredients (~8-9 servings)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 lbs kielbasa (smoked Polish sausage), sliced into 1/4″ rounds
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1 large onion, chopped small
- 3 medium carrots, peeled & chopped small
- 3 stalks celery, chopped small
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- 3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 6 cups chicken or beef broth
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3 large Russet potatoes, peeled & diced
- 1 cup corn (frozen or fresh)
- Seasoning salt & pepper to taste
Brown the Kielbasa First
Heat the oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until it’s nicely browned – this takes ~7-10 minutes.
Turn the heat down to medium once it gets going; you want a good sear without burning.
Transfer the kielbasa to a plate once it’s nice and crisp.
Kielbasa shouldn’t release a ton of fat, but if you’re using a sausage that does, drain most of the fat from the pot.
Build Your Flavor Base
Add the butter, onion, carrots, and celery to the same pot and sauté for ~5-7 minutes.
The vegetables should start to soften and the onions will turn translucent.
Stir in the garlic, paprika, Italian seasoning, and flour; cook for about 1 minute, stirring nearly constantly.
The flour will clump at first but keep stirring – you want it to cook out the raw flour taste.
Add Broth and Simmer Everything Together
Pour in the chicken broth and give it a good stir to ensure the flour dissolves completely.
Scrape up any flavorful browned bits from the bottom of the pot – that’s where the flavor lives.
Add the cream, diced potatoes, corn, and the browned sausage back to the pot.
Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil.
Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to a rapid simmer so it’s gently bubbling.
Cook with the lid slightly open until the potatoes are fork-tender – this takes ~20 minutes.
Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and to check on the potatoes.
Season generously with seasoning salt and pepper; I’m pretty heavy-handed with both since the soup can handle it.
Creamy Kielbasa Potato Soup
Ingredients
Ingredients (~8-9 servings)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 lbs kielbasa smoked Polish sausage, sliced into 1/4″ rounds
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1 large onion chopped small
- 3 medium carrots peeled & chopped small
- 3 stalks celery chopped small
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- 3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 6 cups chicken or beef broth
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3 large Russet potatoes peeled & diced
- 1 cup corn frozen or fresh
- Seasoning salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add sliced kielbasa and cook until browned, 7-10 minutes, then transfer to a plate.
- Add butter, onion, carrots, and celery to the pot and sauté 5-7 minutes until softened.
- Stir in garlic, paprika, Italian seasoning, and flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Pour in broth and stir well, scraping up browned bits from the bottom.
- Add cream, potatoes, corn, and browned kielbasa back to the pot.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
