kielbasa Archives

Slow Cooker Kielbasa Sauerkraut and Potato Soup

It was cold. Darned cold. And windy. Just yucky out. But it was nice inside because I had a big ole batch of slow cooker kielbasa and sauerkraut and potato soup. Yeah it’s a mouthful to say, but it’s great German-inspired comfort food at its best. Nothing fancy. Great kraut flavor, but not so overpowering. Tender potatoes that soak up lots of flavor after hours and hours in the slow cooker. Kielbasa sausage.in every bite. Yes, every bite! Like I said, nothing fancy. Just good.

If you’re not a big fan of caraway seeds you can actually leave them out and still have a great tasting slow cooker kielbasa sauerkraut and potato soup. Trust me. My wife isn’t a fan of them, so I had to omit them. This despite the fact that it pained the German in me greatly.

I used Russet potatoes because they are my favorite and I always have a big bag of them on hand. You can substitute other potatoes. Just make sure that the potatoes are all about the same size so they cook in the same time. If you use smaller potatoes you might have to reduce the cook time a little.

Crock-Pot 7 Quart Oval Manual Slow Cooker, Stainless Steel (SCV700-S-BR)

Also try my slow cooker spicy kielbasa cabbage soup.

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5 from 1 vote

Slow Cooker Kielbasa Sauerkraut and Potato Soup

You can leave out the caraway seeds if they aren't your favorite.

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, sausage

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 8

Servings

Calories 445kcal

Author Inspired by a recipe from The Southern Lady Cooks

Equipment

slow cooker

Ingredients

1 pound Polish sausage pre-cooked. Sliced then sliced again into half circles
2 pounds sauerkraut rinsed, drained. You can use less if you want.
6 medium Russet potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup water
1 teaspoon caraway seed
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Brown the cut sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer to a slow cooker.
Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or until the potatoes are fork-tender but not falling apart. Stir gently every hour or so.

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

VYAJI Silicone Slow Cooker Divider Liners, Fit for Crockpot & Hamilton Beach 6-8QT, Food-Grade Material, Easy Cleanup, Reusable, Eco-Friendly, Replace Disposable Liners That Tend To Leak

Reynolds Kitchens Slow Cooker Liners, Regular (Fits 3-8 Quarts), 6 Count

Kraut-Stuffed Sausages

For years and years I have grilled my sausages after they spent some quality time in a ‘bath’ of beer and peppers and onions. And they are great, I admit it. But these kraut-stuffed sausages, well, they’re really beyond great. Tender, moist, and just packed with flavor. Such a wonderful texture in every single bite. I couldn’t stop eating them. Topped with plenty of mustard, these are now my only go-to grilled sausages.

You have to use the right kind of sausages to make these kraut-stuffed sausages. Get the fresh sausages, with casings. You need to be able to poke your finger inside to make a cavity for the fantastic (but easy) filling. If you don’t have casings to help keep the sausage together you might end up bursting them. Then what will you do? Cry. I would. And unless your fingers are really, really long, don’t get really, really long sausages!

I suggested to my wife that we try adding other things to the stuffing, such as chopped roasted jalapenos, or poblanos or the like and she gave me a dirty look. The “don’t mess with this” look. So I won’t.

Weber 3 Piece Stainless Steel Premium Tool Set, Black

Also try my bratwurst bath. Perfect for getting brats ‘happy’ before grilling them.

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5 from 1 vote

Kraut-Stuffed Sausages

These kraut-stuffed sausages, well, they’re really beyond great. Tender, moist, and just packed with flavor. Such a wonderful texture in every single bite. I couldn’t stop eating them.

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword hot dogs

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 10

Servings servings

Calories 482kcal

Author Based on a recipe from the BBQ Pit Boys

Ingredients

1 pound fresh sausages Italian, Kielbasa, whichever you prefer, just make sure you get the sausages in casings. I used Johnsonville Italian sausages which come 5 to a pound
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large sweet onion cut thin
1 pound kraut plus some of the juice
1 cup shredded cheese Monterey Jack, mozzarella, any good white melting cheese will work
5 sausage buns
prepared mustard

Instructions

Using your fingers, make a hole down the center of each sausage, creating a cavity that runs the full length of the sausages.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add the onion, kraut, and a bit of the juice from the kraut jar.
Stir and let cook until the onions are softened.
Remove from heat and let cool completely.
Stir in the cheese. It won’t melt but it will help bind the kraut mixture together.
Fire up your grill for indirect cooking.
Using your hands, grab some of the kraut mixture and force it into the cavity in the sausages. Just keep packing it in. Don’t worry about being all pretty and what-not, just get it in there. But don’t shove so hard that you have a blowout!
Place sausages over indirect heat on the grill and cook for 30 minutes until nice and dark and done.
Toast the buns.
Add cooked sausages to the buns and top with plenty of mustard.

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

Weber 6493 21-Inch 3-Sided Grill Brush

Weber Grill Brush Scrubber – Heavy Duty Grate Cleaner – With 3 Replaceable Pads

Slow Cooker Spicy Kielbasa Cabbage Soup

It was one of those days. Too much to do, and just not enough time to put together a complicated meal. And worse, it was mighty cold out. Crazy bad cold And snowing. Crazy bad snowing. The best solution to my problems? This slow cooker spicy kielbasa cabbage soup. Yes, three ingredients. That’s it. Great Campbell’s spicy V8 flavor (you could substitute any V8 flavor that you love!), with yummy kielbasa sausage. Oh, and cabbage. It’s deceptively good, actually, and not what you might expect from something so easy. It’s perfect for a busy day.

I prefer to brown most meats before adding them to the slow cooker. It adds a bit of texture and color and better flavor, in my opinion. But you don’t have to brown the kielbasa for this slow cooker spicy kielbasa cabbage soup first.

Crock-Pot 7 Quart Oval Manual Slow Cooker, Stainless Steel (SCV700-S-BR)

Don’t let the ‘spicy’ part of the recipe name scare you. For us, at least, this soup did not come out overly spicy at all. The flavors mellow a bit as the soup cooks throughout the day. But one man’s mellow might be another man’s spicy.

Also try my slow cooker tortellini soup and you’ll love my slow cooker French onion soup.

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5 from 1 vote

Slow Cooker Spicy Kielbasa Cabbage Soup

Don’t let the ‘spicy’ part scare you. For us, at least, this soup did not come out overly spicy at all. The flavors mellow a bit as the soup cooks throughout the day.

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword cabbage, crockpot, kielbasa, slow cooker, soup

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 8

Total Time 8 10

Servings -10 servings

Calories 15kcal

Author Mike

Equipment

slow cooker

Ingredients

½ head green cabbage shredded
1 64 ounce spicy V-8 vegetable juice
2 14 ounce Kielbasa sausages cut into 1/2" rounds (lightly browned in a skillet with a splash of oil, if desired)

Instructions

Add cabbage to bottom of slow cooker.
Add juice, followed by the sausage.
Cook on low for 8 hours, stirring every hour or so.

Notes

Nutritional values do not include the V-8.

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

VYAJI Silicone Slow Cooker Divider Liners, Fit for Crockpot & Hamilton Beach 6-8QT, Food-Grade Material, Easy Cleanup, Reusable, Eco-Friendly, Replace Disposable Liners That Tend To Leak

Reynolds Kitchens Slow Cooker Liners, Regular (Fits 3-8 Quarts), 6 Count

Grilled Kielbasa Dinner Packets

Usually, a quick grilled dinner at our house consists of some burgers or dogs, with a side and a salad. But sometimes, I like to throw together a just-as-easy meal-in-a-packet, like these grilled kielbasa dinner packets. Everything’s in there. Just assemble (you can put them together the night before) and toss onto a grill (I used my Weber grill) over medium heat until the vegetables are tender. Adding rosemary really takes this from a rather mundane dish to something a little more special. Next time, though, I’m adding chopped bell pepper or poblano for a little crunch.

These grilled kielbasa dinner packets make for a great meal. If you’re looking to cook up a great breakfast in a packet try my lumberjack breakfast packets.

Weber 3 Piece Stainless Steel Premium Tool Set, Black

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4 from 1 vote

Grilled Kielbasa Dinner Packets

I like to throw together a just-as-easy meal-in-a-packet, like these grilled kielbasa dinner packets. Everything’s in there. Just assemble (you can put them together the night before) and toss onto a grill over medium heat until the vegetables are tender.

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword grilled, packets

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 542kcal

Author Mike

Equipment

Aluminum foil

Ingredients

1 pound kielbasa cut into 1/2″ – 1″ thick slices
4 medium red potatoes chopped into 1″ pieces
1 medium yellow onion sliced
1 large green bell pepper chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil
kosher salt
ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary roughly chopped (or use 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed)

Instructions

Fire up your grill for medium-heat (350 F) grilling.
Tear off a large sheet of foil.
Place sausage, potatoes, bell pepper (if using) and onion in center of foil.
Drizzle with oi and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and rosemary.
Fold up the edges of the packet and seal.
Place onto grill and cook 30 minutes or so until the potatoes are tender.
Be careful opening the packets as hot steam will get trapped inside.

Nutrition

Nutritional values are approximate.

Weber 6493 21-Inch 3-Sided Grill Brush

Weber Grill Brush Scrubber – Heavy Duty Grate Cleaner – With 3 Replaceable Pads

Slow Cooker Kielbasa Sauerkraut and Potato Soup

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

Nutrition

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Kraut-Stuffed Sausages

Ingredients

Instructions

Nutrition

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Slow Cooker Spicy Kielbasa Cabbage Soup

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Ingredients

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Grilled Kielbasa Dinner Packets

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

Nutrition

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