Kielbasa Stew

 

This dish is a Judy Hinck classic! I requested this recipe from my mother-in-law after enjoying it at Bryan’s childhood home on a couple of occasions. It’s one of those comforting dishes that you never want to stop eating, and it works great for a chilly fall day! This soup/stew is so good, easy, not too time consuming, and quite healthy too!

The last time I made this soup, I used frozen collard greens. This time, I practically ended up doubling the recipe. We had some leftover fresh kale from the grouse meal, so I used both kale and collard greens, and it ended up being more than 10 ounces total (probably about 16 ounces). We also wanted to add more carrots. Since we had to cover all the veggies in the pot, we needed to add more water (about 3 cups). Since there was extra water, I threw in about ¼ cup more rice. To compensate for flavor, I added an extra cube of beef bouillon (I only had one of the chicken). All of this adding and tweaking actually worked out really well. And now we have leftovers! I love having leftovers for lunch the next day! In the future, I might add a little extra seasoning, but the soup really doesn’t need much. It is very good on its own!

Kielbasa Stew

1 pound kielbasa, cut into slices (I make them thin, so that there are more meat pieces)

1 white onion, chopped

1 pound sliced carrots (or more if you like)

10 ounces chopped kale or collard greens

4 cups water

½ cup rice

1 tablespoon (approximately) olive oil

1 teaspoon or 1 cube chicken boullion

Ground pepper

In a large soup pot, cook kielbasa and onion in heated oil, about 5 minutes. Stir in all other ingredients. Add pepper to taste. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 to 18 minutes. Enjoy!