Cheesy Bratwurst Soup

Bratwurst soup you say? Yes, you read that right. It was going to be just a brats for dinner night, but we were out of buns, and soup sounded better than some reminder of lovely afternoons grilling with such a nip in the air. There is this amazing place on our way home called Superior Meats that I'd never been into before we moved to the country. It's great quality local meat, and I tell you it makes me ponder how I ever could have been a vegetarian. So the brats I had were from there and portabello and bacon, which is an amazing combination of course! So with the inclination for concocting a soup out of brats, I thought about what I like on a brat. Saurkraut, dill relish, onions, spicy mustard.... Reason told me all these things couldn't possibly taste good in there, so I had to pick and choose. Onions and cabbage can stay,  but I decided it'd be best to skip the relish and ketchup,(though I did just see a dill pickle soup at a restaurant, so maybe it could be good?? And ketchup is a thing us Slovenians do like on our soup...) and see how the rest pans out. 

Cheesy Bratwurst Soup

-4 good quality bratwurst, chopped into bite-sized pieces

-1 medium onion, diced

-1/2 cup diced carrots

-1 cup diced cabbage

- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

- 1 cup celery, diced

-1/4 cup all-purpose flour

-1/2 t. salt

-1/4 t. black pepper

-1/4 cup parsley

-2 cups 2% milk

-1/4 cup butter

-1 cup cheddar cheese

-1 cup mozzarella cheese

-2 cups chicken broth

Directions In a medium soup pot cook brats, carrots, onions and celery for 15 minutes over medium-low heat, until vegetables are softened and brats are cooked thoroughly. Add potatoes, and cabbage and cook another 10 minutes. Then add chicken broth, salt and pepper and cover, switch heat to low and simmer 20 minutes stirring often to check and see potatoes aren't overdone. In a sauce pan on the side, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and cook until combined and smooth. Add milk and stir until combined, it may take up to 5 minutes. Then add cheeses and stir in until combined. Add to soup and stir to combine, then serve.

*Makes 6 servings

Level: easy

 This soup turned out to have a  spectacular texture and flavor. My husband ate 5, (yes 5!!!) bowls of it right away, and basically scraped the pot clean. I garnished it with a sprinkle of both kinds of cheese.

So I have another grand soup recipe for the rotation, which is good because we eat a lot of soup around here.  I was so glad we were out of brat buns! Have a great Halloween week!