This hearty Crock Pot Cheesy Potato Kielbasa Soup is the perfect way to warm up and fill up! Loaded with potatoes, kielbasa, and shredded cheese this satisfying soup makes a quick and easy dinner.
Cheesy Potato Kielbasa Soup
Whenever I make soup I prefer it to be substantial so I can eat it for dinner on its own. I like a very filling soup for dinner so if I’m going to make soup I like it to be more like a stew than a soup. That means lots of yummy goodies like meat, potatoes, and veggies all included. Another hearty soup recipe to try is my Classic Chili!
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This one-pot soup/stew fits the bill since it has meat, potatoes, and veggies in a rich cheesy sauce. I love to eat it for dinner with a big piece of gluten-free bread. Udi’s Gluten Free French Baguettes is my favorite store-bought bread because they are the perfect size. Then I usually have the leftovers for lunch all week with a sandwich. Just like a Panera duo but 1/3 the price! Also, be sure to use gluten-free Cream of Chicken Soup when making this soup if you need to stay gluten-free.
Substitutions for Crock Pot Cheesy Potato Kielbasa Soup
This recipe is very easy to customize. I love any soup that you can use what you have on hand instead of getting a whole grocery list of items. I’ve made it several ways and they all end up turning out delicious each time. Make it however you want or with whatever you have!
Cheese
I like to use sharp cheddar cheese for this recipe that I shred myself (see note below), However, if you don’t like sharp cheddar cheese use whatever cheese you prefer. You can do a blend of cheddar and another cheese.
Potatoes
I used cubed red mini potatoes for this recipe. However, I normally use Yukon gold for all my potato recipes. But the grocery store was out of them so I went with the mini red potatoes. As I said before, you can really use any potatoes you have handy or available! Russet, yukon, red will all work.
I have tried making this with frozen diced potatoes and cubed real potatoes. Both recipes taste delicious. Obviously, the frozen potatoes are much easier. If you would like to use those just swap the 1.5 pounds of potatoes for a 32-ounce bag of frozen diced potatoes. I prefer frozen diced potatoes but if you like hash browns, go for it!
The only reason I use fresh potatoes is that my husband likes his veggies to not be too soft and the frozen potatoes were a little too soft when they finished cooking. If that doesn’t bother you then go for the frozen.
Kielbasa
If you don’t like kielbasa you can swap that for any sausage or hot dogs. You can even use turkey kielbasa to lighten it up! Swap out for ham too.
Tips for Making Cheesy Potato Kielbasa Soup
* Shred your own cheese! I always try to warn people about using the pre-shredded cheese that comes in a bag. This cheese has an anti-caking agent that makes it hard to meltdown. This will cause your cheese to clump and not melt into the cheesy goodness it should be. (Also, this anti-caking is sometimes made with flour so not good for gluten-free cooking!)
* Cover the potatoes in the liquid as much as possible. You want to make sure all your potatoes cook evenly. If some are sticking out and not covered in liquid they will take longer to cook.
How to Make Crock Pot Cheesy Potato Kielbasa Soup
Step 1. Combine potatoes, kielbasa, sauteed onion, and 2 cups of cheese in a greased crockpot.
Step 2. Pour melted butter, cream of chicken, and half and half or milk over the kielbasa mixture.
Step 3. Stir to combine and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
Step 4. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or until potatoes are soft.
Looking for more soup recipes?
Food Allergies-
Gluten-Free- I make all my recipes gluten-free since my husband has celiac disease, which means he is allergic to gluten. Be sure to use Gluten Free Cream of Chicken Soup. I use Pacific Foods Cream of Chicken Soup but you can also use Great Value Cream of Chicken Soup from Walmart.
Need a Slow Cooker? My favorite is this Crock Pot 6 quart Programmable Slow Cooker. I love being able to set the timer in case I’m not home when the food is finished cooking and it just switches to warm. Plus you can lock the lid and just carry it to a party. You will never lose another Tupperware or serving dish again at a potluck party!
Cheesy Potato Kielbasa Soup
Ingredients
- 14 oz kielbasa thawed and cut into small pieces
- 1 1/2 pounds mini potatoes, cubed or 32 oz bag of frozen diced potatoes
- 1 small onion diced and sauteed
- 2 1/2 cups shredded cheese shred your own
- 1/3 cup butter melted
- 1 cup half and half or 2 % milk
- 10.5 oz can cream of chicken
Instructions
- Sautee onions in pan. (Optional)
- Combine potatoes, kielbasa, onion, and 2 cups of the cheese in a greased crock pot.
- Pour melted butter, cream of chicken, and half and half or milk over the kielbasa mixture.
- Stir to combine.
- Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
- Cook on high for 4-5 hours.
Ashley Sturgill says
Haven’t tried the recipe yet so can’t give it a rating.I was just wondering if this can be done in an instant and if so what changes would need to be made and what cook time would be?
Allison Treadwell says
Hi Ashley! I haven’t made it in the instantpot but this recipe looks pretty similar if you want to follow their directions. https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/instant-pot-cheesy-potatoes-and-sausage/
Vanessa says
I too realized it needed more liquid so I added a cup of water . I also used heavy cream , so it worked out well. I have also made this with Campbell’s cheddar cheese soup and it tasted even better!
Allison Treadwell says
Sounds so delicious with cheddar cheese soup!!!
Ashley Sturgill says
Oops autocorrect got me,that was supposed to say can this be done in an instapot?
Shawn says
I followed directions to the t.. but it did not come out as a soup at all. Did I miss something???
Allison Treadwell says
Hi Shawn, I’m so sorry to hear that. It is a pretty thick soup with all the cheese. The only thing I could recommend is next time add some chicken broth to make it less thick.
Shannon says
I feel like I’m missing something too. There isn’t really any liquid in the pot to cover the potatoes with. I think I’m going to go add some broth.
Allison Treadwell says
Hi Shannon, This soup is a pretty thick soup or stew. I think adding some broth would work great if you want it to be more soup like! I would think 1 cup of broth would work great. Hope you enjoy it!
Jojo says
Almost every recipe I see anywhere uses cream of *something*. I’m not a fan of processed food and try to eliminate as much as possible. What’s a good substitute for the cream of chicken this recipe calls for?
Allison Treadwell says
Hi Jojo- You could just make a quick roux from flour and butter at the end and mix that in to achieve the thickness without the cream of “anything”. Hope that helps!
Mary Ann Bergman says
your recipe says milk in the directions , but the recipe doesn’t mention milk only half and half, so is the half and half the only milk product in the soup, or with the cream of chicken soup you add milk with that as it says on the can
Allison Treadwell says
Hi Mary! You can use half and half or milk. I like half and half to make it creamier but any milk will work as well. I updated the recipe so it is clear. Thanks for the feedback!