Description
Make this ultimate Potato and Sausage Chowder recipe with wild rice, vegetables, and cream. Ready in just over an hour, it’s the perfect comfort food for busy weeknights. Includes gluten-free and dairy-free options!
Ingredients
For the Chowder Base:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 sausages (any flavor you love), removed from casing
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, sliced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (use cornflour for a gluten-free alternative)
For the Liquid and Add-ins:
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cup wild rice
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1½ cups single cream or half-and-half (dairy or plant-based cream)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
Heat your oil in a big pot and squeeze the sausage meat out of the casings. Break it up with your spoon and let it get nice and brown – about 5-7 minutes. Don’t move it around too much at first, let it get those crispy edges. Take it out but leave some of that fat in the pot because it tastes way better than plain oil.
Throw your chopped onion, celery, and carrots into that same pot with all the good sausage bits. Cook them low and slow for 10 minutes until they’re soft. Add the garlic and thyme for the last 30 seconds – don’t let the garlic burn or it’ll taste bitter.
Sprinkle the flour over everything and stir it around until it makes a paste. Cook this for a minute or two – it’ll smell kind of nutty when it’s ready. Put your sausage back in now.
Pour in your stock slowly while stirring so you don’t get lumps. Add the bay leaves and wild rice, bring it to a simmer, and let it bubble away for 30 minutes on medium-low heat. The rice needs time to get tender.
Dump in your potato chunks and cook for another 15 minutes until everything’s fork-tender. The potatoes should break apart easily when you poke them.
Turn the heat down low and stir in the cream. Don’t let it boil hard or it’ll curdle on you. Season with salt and pepper – taste it first because the sausage might already be salty enough.
Fish out those bay leaves and ladle into bowls. Sprinkle some chopped parsley on top if you’ve got it. Serve with crusty bread for dunking.
Notes
Use Italian sausage if you want classic flavors, or chorizo if you’re feeling spicy
Wild rice takes forever to cook, so don’t add it late or it’ll be crunchy
Add cream off the heat or keep it really low – nobody wants chunky cream soup
If your potatoes fall apart, just mash some against the side of the pot for extra thickness
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American