It's spring outside and here I am craving beer cheese soup! But I think that soup is menu worthy year round. One of my favorite snacks is a slice of a crisp apple topped with a chunk of sharp cheddar cheese. And that led me to elevating traditional beer cheese soup to the next level with its addition to my Apple Cheddar Beer Cheese Soup with Kielbasa.
In this case I used a Fuji apple for its consistent sweetness, but Honeycrisp would work well too. I suppose the kielbasa could simply be stirred into the soup, but I kind of like the way they look perched on top. Like meaty little croutons.
I did a little snooping on the Internet to learn that Bieresuppe originated in Germany -- and yes -- it used beer as its primary ingredient and was most often consumed at breakfast ! (😊) The "cheese-thing" happened in Wisconsin with its solid population of German heritage. I guess with all that Wisconsin cheddar hanging around, it only makes sense to add it to soup.
Ingredients
- olive oil
- kielbasa sausage
- unsalted butter
- yellow onion
- large apple
- celery
- carrot
- garlic cloves
- fresh or dried thyme
- dry mustard
- cayenne pepper
- all-purpose flour
- lager or pilsner beer
- chicken broth
- half and half
- sharp yellow cheddar cheese
- smoked gouda
- cornstarch
- salt and pepper to taste
See recipe card for quantities.
Jump to RecipeInstructions
Add olive oil to a large Dutch oven or stock pot. Add diced kielbasa and sauté until browned, about 7 minutes. Remove kielbasa to a paper towel. Pour off any fat in pan if desired
Add butter to the same pot and sauté onion, apple, celery and carrots.
Sauté until softened and starting to caramelize, about 10 minutes.
Add garlic, thyme, mustard and cayenne and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Stir in flour and cook until light golden, about 1 minute.
Whisk in broth, beer and half-and-half. Bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover partially and simmer gently, until vegetables are soft, about 25 to 30 minutes
Transfer soup mixture to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend until smooth. Process in batches if needed.
In a medium bowl, toss cheese with cornstarch until combined. Reserve.
Return soup to the pot set over medium-low heat. Whisk in cheeses by the handful until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide among bowls and top with reserved diced kielbasa.
Substitutions
- Heavy Creme - while heavy cream adds richness to this soup, substitute whole milk or half-and-half.
- Gouda Cheese - the smoked gouda adds a nice touch, but substitute it with more cheddar cheese - or even smoked cheddar.
- Cheddar Cheese - I like the color that yellow cheddar imparts on this soup, but white cheddar could be used, as well
- Lager or Pilsner Beer - Consider using hard apple cider.
- Non-Alcoholic Beer - This works as a replacement
- Gluten Free - Replace the flour with gluten free flour. Or simply omit the flour.
- Vegetarian - Swap out chicken broth and replace with vegetable broth. Skip the kielbasa or substitute a meat-free alternative.
- Want it Sweeter? - use two apples instead of one
Variations
- Make it Smoky & Spicy - add add a tablespoon of adobo sauce from chipotle peppers to the blender.
- Bacon, Apple, Cheddar - I love bacon, apple and cheddar on a grilled cheese sandwich. Instead of topping the soup with kielbasa "croutons", top the soup with crumbled thick cut bacon.
- Kid friendly - kids have a tendency to like cheese on anything. And this soup also packs in quite a few veggies in the process. Make this kid-friendly by substituting the beer with non-alcoholic beer. Top the soup with cooked little smokies or sliced hotdogs for fun!
Equipment
- Soup Pot
- Blender or Immersion Blender
Storage
Apple Cheddar Beer Cheese Soup with Kielbasa can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze it for up to 3 months.
When reheating the soup, use low heat.
🍽️ Recipe
Apple Cheddar Beer Cheese Soup with Kielbasa
Equipment
- soup pot or dutch oven
- blender or immersion blender
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 oz. kielbasa sausage cut into ½ inch dice
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 large apple peeled, cored and chopped
- 1 celery stalks chopped (½ cup)
- 1 large carrot chopped (½ cup)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 12-ounce bottle lager or pilsner (or hard apple cider)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup half and half
- 12 oz. sharp yellow cheddar cheese coarsely shredded
- 4 oz. smoked gouda coarsely shredded
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a large Dutch oven or stock pot. Add diced kielbasa and sauté until browned, about 7 minutes. Remove kielbasa to a paper towel. Pour off any fat in pan if desired.
- Add butter to the same pot and sauté onion, apple, celery and carrots until softened and starting to caramelize, about 10 minutes.
- Add garlic, thyme, mustard and cayenne and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in flour and cook until light golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in broth, beer and half-and-half. Bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover partially and simmer gently, until vegetables are soft, about 25 to 30 minutes
- In a medium bowl, toss cheese with cornstarch until combined. Reserve.
- Transfer soup mixture to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend until smooth. Process in batches if needed.
- Return soup to the pot set over medium-low heat. Whisk in cheeses by the handful until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
- Divide among bowls and top with reserved diced kielbasa.
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