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This bratwurst soup recipe is loaded with potatoes, vegetables, and a flavorful broth. It’s simple to make, and you can definitely clean out the fridge with this recipe!
Try my Sausage and Vegetable Soup or Sausage and Sweet Potato Soup next.
Why you’ll love it
I often buy brats, and using them in soup is a fantastic way to make it extra hearty and comforting. I keep some in my freezer at all times so I can whip up this easy soup with bratwurst sausages any time I have a craving for it, which is pretty often!
This brat soup is actually fairly healthy, yet it’s also nice and filling and cozy and warming. It’s also super flexible, so you can toss in any veggies that you have kicking around that need to be used up. For how few ingredients it has, this bratwurst soup is very delicious.
What you’ll need
- Olive oil – for pan frying
- Bratwurst sausages – I use Johnsonville brand brats. Their blend of herbs and spices is so tasty! I like to brown the sausage pieces as much as I can (without burning them, of course) to eke out as much flavor as possible.
- Onions, carrots, celery, and garlic – base aromatics and veggies in any good soup
- Beef broth – it adds another layer of richness
- Potatoes – I prefer russets because they fall apart nicely in soups, but any kind of potato works
Pro tip
You could even use leftover brats that you’ve grilled. Just cut them up and throw them in the soup!
How to make bratwurst soup
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Heat up the oil in a soup pot. Crumble the sausage, and cook until it browns and crisps up. Spoon out excess fat, but leave some behind for extra flavor. Add in the onion, celery, and carrots, and sauté until they start to soften. Stir in the garlic, and cook until fragrant.
Add the beef broth, water, and potatoes. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes and vegetables are cooked through. Season with salt & pepper (or seasoning salt/Tony’s seasoning).
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Here is the Dutch oven pictured. Cooking with cast iron is my fave. I also recommend this sturdy ladle.
- Mince the garlic with a quick squeeze of a garlic press.
- Chop your veggies with a quality chef knife.
Substitutions and variations
- This bratwurst sausage soup is very forgiving. You could throw in other veggies that you need to use up. Kale or spinach would be delicious too. If you wanted to give it a bit of a German feel, throw in some sauerkraut!
- I love the richness the beef broth gives to this soup, but you can replace with chicken broth if needed.
- Don’t have brats? Try using Italian sausages or another kind of sausage instead.
What to serve with bratwurst soup
- Round out the meal with a dinner roll, slice of fresh bread, or some of my Extra Cheesy Garlic Bread.
- For a salad, try one with my 10-Minute Caesar Dressing and Garlic Parmesan Croutons. A couple of lighter options are my Easy Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad or simple Parmesan Arugula Salad.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftovers of this soup in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge.
- Reheat over a low heat until warmed through.
- You can freeze this one for up to 6 months.
If you made this brat soup, talk to me in the comments below! Star ratings and reviews are so helpful. You can also tag me on Instagram.
Simple Bratwurst Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound bratwurst sausages
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 medium carrots peeled & chopped
- 3 sticks celery chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 cup water
- 2 large Russet potatoes peeled & diced
- Salt & pepper to taste, see note
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a soup pot or Dutch oven. Take the sausage meat out of the casings and crumble it into the pot. Cook it, over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sausages start to brown/crisp up (about 8-10 minutes).
- Spoon out the excess fat, leaving about 1-2 tablespoons in there.
- Stir in the onions, celery, and carrots. Sauté for 5 minutes or so.
- Stir in the garlic and let it cook for about 30 seconds, then add the broth, water, and potatoes.
- Increase the heat to high. Bring the soup to a boil, then cover the pot with the lid slightly open and reduce the heat so it's simmering. Cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes and veggies are tender.
- Season with salt & pepper as needed.
Notes
- Served 4-6 depending on how much people eat (and if you serve something like bread with it).
- Anything around a pound of sausages will work. Here in Canada Johnsonville brats come in 500g packages, so I will typically just use the whole pack.
- I love to season this soup with Tony’s seasoning or seasoning salt vs. regular salt & pepper.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was originally published on April 27, 2020. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
I replaced the cup of water with beer and added a half teaspoon of dried thyme. Very good recipe.
Excellent idea!
Made this a few days ago. I doubled the recipe, used Bratwurst and Italian sausage and added chopped jalapeños from my garden. Absolutely delicious 😋.
Love the jalapenos addition!! 😀
I made this soon after posting, and it was absolutely delicious, and will be making often. Not a fan of big pieces of carrots, I used a good handful of carrot sticks, pulsed a few time in processor. Also thought maybe would be good with cabbage, so might try that next.
Highly recommend, and easy to put together.
Thank you so much!
I used leftover grilled brats, just cut the brats into medallions. Great recipe!
Thank you, Reba!
This soup didn’t sound good to me. But I tried it anyway on a cold rainy day. I loved it. My husband did too. Can’t wait to make it again.
I’m so glad you gave it a chance, Debb! Thanks for your review!
I used a tsp of hers de provence and also added a couple hands full of chopped baby spinach and 2 small ears of corn and a couple dashes of red pepper flakes and a can of great norhern beans and a handful of fresh green beans and I used a red onion. This recipe also works great for a vegan version using Beyond Brand Brats. Everyone raved about this soup!
Love that! I’m thrilled it was a hit.
I love all your recipes! Ive made several and all were yummy!
Thank you so much, Pamela!
Simple Bratwurst Soup.can you freeze? How long? Do you need to leave anything out.
Kim
I’d freeze it as-is. Enjoy!
This was delicious, I made it and it is great as is but, then I modified it to fit me.
I have to change things up I dont like to just duplicate a recipe more then once. SO, the next time I made it, I switched up the sausage. I love brats but hot Italian is my favorite so I split it up by adding about 1/2 lb of each. I little fresh gound black pepper to the sausage while it was cooking then about a minute before adding the veggies, I added 1 tsp cayenne pepper powder, 1/2 tsp gound fennel and 1/2 tsp whole fennel. After adding the broth and water, I added two bay leaves to simmer with. It was very good. Next time I will use 2 tsp of the cayenne powder and some extra wide egg noodles.
Sounds good to me, Mike!
Excellent, I just didn’t add xtra cup of water. Other than that, as per recipe
So glad you liked it, Russell!! 😀