Apple Cheddar Beer Cheese Soup with Kielbasa
Traditional beer cheese soup is elevated to the next level with its addition of sweet fuji apples. And topped with savory and salty kielbasa “croutons” make this a hearty and family friendly meal with minimal prep.
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.