Polish kielbasa is a flavorful sausage made from pork that is seasoned and smoked to perfection. It’s excellent grilled, baked, sauteed, or boiled—you really can’t go wrong when you start with a high-quality kielbasa!
One of the defining flavors of most kielbasa, including Polish Kielbasa from Coleman Natural, is garlic. Garlic is pungent without being overpowering, and the same is true of kielbasa itself. This Polish sausage is spiced just enough—never bland, but never so strong that it overpowers what you’re eating it with.
Kielbasa is one of our favorite kinds of sausage because it goes well with just about anything, but knowing how to pair it with complementary foods will allow it to shine. Here are some delicious Polish kielbasa serving ideas and recipes that will have your family asking for more.
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Sour Foods
Sauerkraut is an obvious choice for a lot of people when smoky kielbasa is on the menu. This combination is steeped in tradition, but these flavors also just happen to go well together! The saltiness from the sausage and sourness from the fermented cabbage complement each other beautifully.
Sour foods often enhance salty foods. Just think about a few popular dishes that combine salty and sour ingredients: French fries and malt vinegar, salted tortilla chips and tangy salsa, and even aged cheese and dry wine.
“Coleman Polish Kielbasa Uncured Sausage is a game changer when thinking of ways to keep dinner interesting as we enter the fall season.”
Morgan @Nomaste.Hungry
If you do want to go with tried-and-true Polish kielbasa and sauerkraut, you won’t be disappointed with this Kielbasa and Sauerkraut Reuben recipe. Got a bit more time to spare before dinner? Give our simple Slow Cooker Polish Sausage and Cabbage recipe a try, and substitute some of the cabbage for sauerkraut for a fun twist.
Other sour and/or fermented foods work with kielbasa in the same way. Try pairing this sausage with citrus, vinegar, yogurt, kimchi, tamarind, or any other sour ingredient you love. You’ll love how the sour flavors in this Sourdough Stuffing With Kielbasa, Pine Nuts, and Currants recipe taste with our all-natural kielbasa!
Spicy Ingredients
Serving spiced and smokey kielbasa with spicy ingredients can create interesting dishes that explode with flavor. Kielbasa can bring complexity to foods that are already strongly flavored and hot. Because kielbasa isn’t spicy itself, it can carry a lot of heat. If you don’t like things super spicy, you can add kielbasa to a dish to add depth without overshadowing ingredients that might be covered by spice.
This Teriyaki Chili Kielbasa with Pineapple recipe might be spicy enough for you as written, but you can crank up the heat by adding more chili garlic sauce or even a dash of sriracha. Chiles Rellenos with Kielbasa and Quinoa combines kielbasa with mildly spicy poblano peppers and can be made hotter with more chipotles or the addition of fresh Mexican chili peppers.
There are so many different ways to cook kielbasa, but smoky grilled kielbasa is one of our favorite preparations for spicy dishes. It only takes a few minutes to grill kielbasa to perfection no matter if you cook it on its own or in a Personal Foil Packet!
Fresh Produce
Kielbasa’s savory flavor balances the bright and fresh flavors of fruit and vegetables. You can instantly enhance the flavor of just about any fruit or veggie with salty kielbasa, so experiment with adding kielbasa to whatever fresh ingredients are available near you.
This Kielbasa Pasta Salad With Lemon Basil Dressing is a must-try for when you want something light but filling. It’s also great for barbecues and picnics and can be eaten chilled, at room temperature, or warmed. If you have some fresh asparagus on hand, put it to use in this filling Fingerling Potato Salad with Grilled Asparagus and Kielbasa recipe—a guaranteed crowd-pleaser!
We recommend lightly browning kielbasa for recipes that use fresh produce. This will ensure a juicy sausage without much charring, which might overpower delicate vegetables.
Sheet pan meals can serve as easy, nutrient-dense dinners for the whole family. This Kielbasa Sheet Pan Dinner with Dried Cranberries and Feta utilizes sweet potatoes and broccoli, then adds some sweetness with cranberries, pecans, and a bit of feta. A honey-garlic blend more your style? Try this Sheet Pan Garlic Honey Sauced Veggies and Kielbasa next.
Classic Dishes and Comfort Food
Last but certainly not least, Polish kielbasa is mouthwateringly good in classic and comforting dishes. Kielbasa brings a familiar meaty flavor that won’t take away from a meal that already works.
“Ahh, it’s so good. Coleman Polish Kielbasa Uncured Sausage is a rich and smoky Polish sausage rope that has no artificial ingredients or preservatives. You can simply heat it and add it to your favorite dishes!”
Tamara @tamaracameraphoto
Any predominantly umami dish is going to sing when you add kielbasa to the mix. Umami is one of the five basic tastes, in addition to sweet, sour, bitter, and salty, and has often been described as savory. Common ingredients with umami flavors include tomato, cheese, grains, beans, mushrooms, and other products with the flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate.
Savory kielbasa rounds these flavors out and brings them to the next level—like in this protein-packed Slow Cooker Beans with Kielbasa recipe. The mild pinto beans meld with spicy chili powder, smoky kielbasa, and sharp yellow onion for a flavorful yet comforting dish.
Kielbasa and pizza? You bet. Give these Pizza Rolls a go for your next bite-sized, crowd-friendly appetizer.
A few other classic meals that you can try with kielbasa are:
- Jambalaya with Sausage and Shrimp
- Paella on the Grill with Sausage and Shrimp
- Kielbasa Shakshuka
For these kielbasa recipes, try simmering your sausage with other ingredients to really infuse its flavors into the dish. For example, add the kielbasa to the jambalaya with the tomatoes, broth, and seasonings just before boiling. When making kielbasa shakshuka, try sauteing the kielbasa with the onions to save time, and get those golden brown bits and pork flavor into every layer of the dish.
Coleman Polish Kielbasa Uncured Sausage
Polish kielbasa made with fully-cooked pork is a tasty and adaptable ingredient that you can feel good about feeding your family. Coleman Natural uncured Polish kielbasa is seasoned with sea salt, honey, cane sugar, vinegar, and spices for balanced flavors in every bite. Our kielbasa is made from pork sourced from American family farms that never give their animals antibiotics or added hormones at any point.
The next time you want to make dinner more interesting while supporting homegrown pork products, give our kielbasa a try. And check out more recipes and cooking tips from Coleman Natural!
To learn more about cooking meats, read these next:
- How to Perfectly Grill Pork
- How to Cook Bacon: 5 Different Ways to Make Bacon
- How to Heat a Pre-Cooked Spiral Ham
