Bratwurst Soup

4.80 from 5 votes

This comforting bratwurst soup guarantees a full and happy family. The secret? Tasty meatballs made with bratwurst meat.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 35

Total Time1 50

Course: Sausages and Bratwurst

Cuisine: American, German

Servings: servings

Calories: 561kcal

Author: Adina

Equipment

Large soup pot or large Dutch oven
Blender

Ingredients

2 cans kidney beans 14 oz/ 400 g each, Notes 1, 2
2 small onions finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves minced
7 oz tomatoes 200 g or the same amount of passata, Note 3
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 ⅓ cups chicken stock 1 liter, Note 4
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon sugar
1 lb brats 450 g, Note 5
¾ cup ditalini 80 g or other small pasta
1-2 teaspoons pesto optional
1 small bunch of fresh parsley
fine sea salt
ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoons Parmesan freshly grated and to taste

Instructions

Beans: If cooking the beans from scratch, check out Note 1. Drain the cooked beans, but reserve the cooking liquid.
2 cans kidney beans or 1⅛ cups dried beans (200g) to be cooked from scratch
Blend half of the beans and set them aside.
Saute: Heat the oil in the pot. Add the chopped onions and garlic and cook them for about 2 minutes.
1 tablespoon olive oil + 2 small onions + 2 garlic cloves
Tomatoes: In the meantime, blend the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes and the tomato paste to the pot, stir well, and cook for about 3 minutes.
7 oz tomatoes/ 200 g + 1 tablespoon tomato paste
Cook bratwurst soup: Add the pureed beans, the remaining whole beans, and the chicken stock. Add thyme, rosemary, and sugar. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cook gently for 20 minutes. If using bean stock, add 1 or 2 cubes of chicken or vegetable stock to give it more flavor.
4 ⅓ cups chicken stock/ 1 liter + 2 bay leaves + ½ teaspoon dried thyme + ½ teaspoon dried rosemary + 1 teaspoon sugar
Bratwurst meatballs: In the meantime, make the meatballs. Remove the sausages' casings and form small meatballs about the size of a cherry. Add them to the soup and simmer for about 2 minutes.
1 lb brats/ 450 g
Add the pasta. Read the packet's instructions and cook the pasta shapes accordingly. My pasta needed 7 minutes, so the meatballs had enough time (9-10 minutes) to be cooked through. If your pasta shapes need a shorter cooking time, give the meatballs a few minutes more before adding the pasta.
¾ cup ditalini/ 80 g
Add pesto to taste and adjust the taste with salt and pepper. Add lots of chopped parsley and a grating of Parmesan just before serving.
1-2 teaspoons pesto + 1 small bunch of fresh parsley + fine sea salt + ground black pepper + 1-2 tablespoons Parmesan

Notes

Cooking dried beans: You can cook 1⅛ cups dried beans (200g). Soak them overnight in plenty of water. Drain, cover with water again, add the onion, bay leaves, and black peppercorns, bring to a boil, boil for 10 minutes, lower the heat, and simmer for 45 minutes or longer until the beans are tender.
Other kinds of beans can be used instead.
Tomatoes: Use the same amount of passata or blended tomatoes from a can instead.
Cooking liquid: If you cook your own beans, use their cooking liquid to make the soup and add a few chicken stock cubes to increase the flavor.
Meatballs: You can also make meatballs from scratch using ground beef, ground pork, ground turkey, or a mixture of any of those. Season the meat generously with salt, pepper, sweet or hot paprika (to taste), and fresh or dried herbs like parsley, oregano, or thyme. Form the meatballs and continue with the recipe.

Nutrition