A couple of weeks ago I had German Chowder on my menu plan. I had several of you ask about it and what it was, so I thought today would be a good time to post the recipe.
I have been making this recipe for years. It is not the healthiest of soup recipes, but it is really good. This recipe is adapted from a recipe in a slow cooker cookbook put out by West Bend . I think I have had this little cookbook for at least 15 years. It was one of the first cookbooks I had after getting married. I only owned a couple of cookbooks back then, so I used this cookbook a lot the first few years I was married.
My husband loves this soup. I used to make this when my husband was in dental school. It makes a big pot of soup, so I would make it and we would eat it for several days.
This soup has cabbage in it. I do not usually like cabbage, but my husband loves cabbage. I know it is good for you, so I try to cook it occasionally in the few dishes I like it in. This soup is one of the few recipes that contain cabbage that I will eat.
This is a good, hearty soup perfect for the fall and winter months. I like the fact that this is an easy recipe because it is a recipe for the crockpot. This only takes about 4 hrs to cook, so I can start this about lunch time and it is ready at dinner.
German Chowder
A German chowder that is full of flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 lb of kielbasa or polish type sausage (this is the fully cooked kind)cut into about ½ inch pieces
- 3 potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ cubes
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 small head of cabbage, shredded or finely chopped (should be about 4 cups)
- 2 cups water
- 1 (10 ½ ounce) can chicken broth
- 2 cups half and half (you can use milk, but ½ and ½ is better)
- 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1 cup shredded swiss cheese
Instructions
- Combine first six ingredients in a crock pot.
- Cook on low for 4-5 hours or until potatoes are tender. Then stir in half and half, evaporated milk, and swiss cheese.
- Stir and cook until heated through and cheese is melted.
- Season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve and enjoy
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 392Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 778mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 15g
Nutritional values are approximate and aren't always accurate.
I’m looking at things I can possibly freeze when the baby is due and this looks yummy! just to make it a bit easier I was thinking I could chop the first four ingredients and throw them in a freezer bag because they rest is quick and simple. Would that work out fine or am I crazy? LOL
@Amanda, Amanda, I have actually frozen this after I cooked it. The texture changes a little, but overall it is still good. I have used it several times for my husbands lunch by freezing the leftovers.
GREAT!!! recipe for kielbasa, always looking for something different to make for dinner.
Geri
@Geri@heartnsoulcooking,
Definitely! I love kielbasa but I never know what to make with it except in a sausage sandwich with peppers and onions.
Yum, yum, gimme some!
That looks so good.
🙂
Sounds wonderful. And I have everything except the swiss cheese right in my kitchen. I make soup at least once or twice a week. And this one’s next on my list. I just made baby lima bean soup today. Also in the crock pot
Thanks!
This sounds lovely.
I have a question about chicken broth in a can? I am not sure how this translates in the UK. Is chicken broth essentially chicken stock and if so could I just make up the equivalent with a stock cube. Or is chicken broth an actual tin of soup like scotch broth or vegetable broth (ie: a thinnish soup with veg and barley in it?)
Thanks Lynn
Lindsay
@Lindsay, Lindsay, chicken broth in a can is just chicken stock. Here you can also make it using a bouillon cube and water, which sounds the same as the stock cube you are speaking of.Or you can make it from scratch by cooking the chicken bones and skin in water, sometimes flavored with vegetables, then draining the liquid. The strained liquid is what we call chicken broth/stock. Chicken broth has no vegetables in it. It is just the liquid. I hope that helps.
@Lynn, That is helpful, we just don’t get chicken broth in a can like you seem to in the US. We are starting to get it in plastic long life pouches or in very concentrated liquid form but both are expensive. Stock Cubes/Boullion Cubes work well for me. Thanks for clarifying.
Mmmm…I am really tempted to go out and buy the ingredients for this on the way home! I love German food–my late grandfather once called my sister and me “sturdy German girls” and thought it was a compliment–we are of German ancestry. But hey, if that means I love kielbasa and cabbage, then he was right!
This looks great – thanks! I love to find good soup recipes so I’ll try this one out.
I was wondering if you have ever tried to make this with Sauerkraut? I have everything BUT the cabbage. Lol
I have not made it with sauerkraut but a friend has and she said it is good that way.
This looks like great comfort food for cold weather. I linked to this in my December meal plan.
This looks like a good use for some kielbasa I have frozen. I am confused by the name, though. Kielbasa is a Polish term for a sausage. Did the recipe originally call for bratwurst or another German style sausage? The West Bend company is located in an area that was very German, but not without some Polish cooking influence.
The original recipe did call for kielbasa, but I am not sure how authentic the original recipe is. I think just about any German or Polish type sausage would be good in this and would work fine. I hope you enjoy it!
I have this cooking in my slow cooker right now. Ever since I found your recipe for this about 2 years ago I’ve made it over and over and I think each time we love it more. I’ve made for company and they all love it and want the recipe. I hadn’t made in awhile and it has been record cold nasty temps all week in Vegas and today as I clean house getting ready for Minnesota company next weekend I had all the ingredients I needed to use up and I knew I had to make. Yum
The entire house smells so wonderful and toasty on this crisp winter day.
Thank you so much for letting me know how much you enjoy this soup! I have not made it in awhile, but need to because my husband loves it. The pictures really need updating on the post too. 🙂