Easy Cheesy Sausage Chowder

 

It was a bit chilly today and so I thought I would make a soup for supper.  Not just any soup, however.  A lush and easy Cheesy Sausage Chowder!  Rich and deliciously hearty! 

The recipe was one that I adapted from The Recipe Rebel for Cheeseburger Soup.   It was a recipe I had pinned from Pinterest and popped into my to try file.  It looked fabulous.

 

I did adapt it a fair bit with great success.  When I went to make it, I discovered that I did not have the ground beef that I had thought I had. I did have some meaty thick Italian Sausage Links, however.

I buy the PC Free From Sausage links that you can find in the Super Store.  They  are lovely and lean and have a nice flavor.  They come in several flavors.  Hot and sweet Italian, Honey Garlic and Bangers.

 

They are the closest I have been able to find to British bangers back here where I live in Canada, and I thought they would be a great substitute for ground beef.  I confess, I am not overly fond of ground beef mixed into things like soups anyways.

I usually buy these sausages on offer and then I divide then up into two sausage lots and freeze them in zip lock baggies (double bagged).  They always come in handy, and frozen by the two like that, they thaw out really quickly, ready to be fried or to be used in a recipe like this one.

 

That is not the only adaptation I made from the original recipe.  Rather than use cream or half and half I chose to use undiluted evaporated milk. I have always found it works beautifully in recipes like this one and there is no risk of it curdling.

It gives a lovely rich flavor with less fat and calories as well.

I also chose not to thicken it with corn starch/flour.   I didn't think the soup needed it. I hate soups that eat like gravy.  (Like the canned chunky soups.  Blech.)  Perhaps that is just me. I want my soup/chowder to be like a soup, not a stew.  As you can see, it was plenty thick just as is.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE EASY CHEESY SAUSAGE CHOWDER

There is nothing too complicated here. Its all pretty basic. If you know me you know I eschew terribly complicated stuff on the day by day. I save that for special occasions.

• 2 thick mild Italian sausages, skinned
• 1/2 TBS light olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 stalk celery, trimmed and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
• 3 cups (720ml) low sodium chicken stalk
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2inch cubes
• 1 cup (240ml) evaporated milk, undiluted (can use half and half)
• 1 cup (120g) shredded strong cheddar cheese

 

The sausage meat I used is really lean. If yours is not, you may not need to use the oil.  Also taste before you add the salt, just in case. It is always easy to add more salt, but it is not so easy to take it away, so be judicious.  Cheese can be very salty as well.

True confession here. I used only 1 large carrot. I thought 2 was a bit much.  I thought one was just the right amount.  

I have an instant hot/boiled water machine/kettle.  I added a stock cube to a cup and used water from that which shortened the cook time somewhat as I did not have to wait for anything to come to the boil. Mine is very much like this one, except it is Japanese.

I had an instant boiled water dispenser in the UK and I am afraid I was rather spoiled by it. I would not be without having instant boiled water at my finger tips now. 

 

I used a pre-grated strong cheddar for convenience. I did not think it would mess too much with the integrity of a dish like this one and I was correct. It worked fine.

You can use a milder cheddar if you wish. I just happen to really like the depth of flavor  strong cheddar gives when cooking.

 

HOW TO MAKE EASY CHEESY SAUSAGE CHOWDER

This is really very simple.  If you chop everything up ready to go ahead of time, it also goes together and cooks very quickly. If you wanted to you could chop all of your vegetables the night before and refrigerate them in zip lock baggies. That would make for a really quick and simple supper when you are tired and getting in from work.

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed saucepan. (Should hold at least six cups.) Crumble in the sausage meat and add the onion. Cook and stir over medium heat until the onion has begun to soften and the sausage is no longer pink. (about 5 minutes.)

Stir in the carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until beginning to soften. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley. Cook for 1 minute and then add the stock and potatoes.

Bring to the boil, then reduce to a slow simmer. Cover and leave to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until all of the vegetables are tender.

Whisk in the evaporated milk and cheese. Cook, stirring until heated through and the cheese has melted. Taste and adjust the seasoning as required.  Ladle into heated bowls to serve.

This was really super delicious.  Nice and creamy and fairly substantial, hearty even!  

I served mine with some cracker on the side but this would go well with any kind of crusty bread or roll. If you wanted to you could sprinkle a tablespoon of cheddar cheese on top of each individual serving as well.

I cannot recommend this delicious chowder enough!  It was simply fabulous. I am serving the leftovers to my father for his supper tonight! I just know he is going to enjoy it!

If you are as big a fan of chowder as I am, you might also enjoy the following delicious chowder recipes!

CHEDDAR & CORN CHOWDER - This recipe is  a contest winner from the pages of my Big Blue Binder.  It is rich and delicious with just enough of everything you could want in a chowder. It uses ingredients you probably have in your kitchen already . . . onions, potato, frozen corn, butter, flour, milk, and a good cheddar. It is also flavored with cumin seed and bay leaf. Altogether, this is one very delicious chowder and its not hard to see why it won a prize!

SLOW COOKER POTATO AND HAM CHOWDER - Something delicious to pop into the crock pot before you leave for work in the morning.  Ready to eat when you get home. A soup which is creamy and has a high potato content to me, is a chowder.  A soup or chowder, however you choose to name it, this is one delicious pot of flavors.

Yield: 4

Author: Marie Rayner

Easy Cheesy Sausage Chowder

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min

Thick, hearty and delicious. Its also a very economical way to stretch a little bit of sausage meat!

Ingredients

• 2 thick mild Italian sausages, skinned
• 1/2 TBS light olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 stalk celery, trimmed and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
• 3 cups (720ml) low sodium chicken stalk
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2inch cubes
• 1 cup (240ml) evaporated milk, undiluted (can use half and half)
• 1 cup (120g) shredded strong cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed saucepan. (Should hold at least six cups.) Crumble in the sausage meat and add the onion. Cook and stir over medium heat until the onion has begun to soften and the sausage is no longer pink. (about 5 minutes.)
2. Stir in the carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until beginning to soften. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley. Cook for 1 minute and then add the stock and potatoes.
3. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a slow simmer. Cover and leave to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until all of the vegetables are tender.
4. Whisk in the evaporated milk and cheese. Cook, stirring until heated through and the cheese has melted. Taste and adjust the seasoning as required.
5. Ladle into heated bowls to serve.

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