Name: Beer Brats and Cheese Chowder
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter; 3 skinless beer bratwursts; 1/2 cup yellow onion ((chopped - one medium onion)); 1 large russet potato ((cut into 1/2-inch cubes)); 1 Tablespoon dry ground mustard; 1 teaspoon caraway seeds ((crushed)); 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1 cup chicken stock; 12 ounce bottle German Beer ((I used Becks)); 15 ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes ((drained)); 1/2 cup whole milk or cream; 1/2 cup Fage Greek Yogurt ((full-fat version)); 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese ((shredded)); 1/2 cup Swiss cheese ((shredded)); salt and pepper ((to taste))

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Flooding, wind, and hurricanes….oh my! I have to say, I never expected to be dealing with the remnants of a hurricane living in Arizona!! Record rains and cooler temperatures definitely made it feel like winter this past weekend, and winter means soup. In honor of Oktoberfest and my previous life in Iowa I decided to make Beer Brats and Cheese Chowder…..

and I topped it with Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites! This Beer Brats and Cheese Chowder is thick, creamy, and loaded with flavor!

Are you convinced yet? Of course you are! 🙂

How do you make Beer Brats and Cheese Chowder?

Melt the butter in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the brats and cook until no longer pink, breaking them apart into large chunks…..

Add the onion, potatoes, ground mustard, and caraway seeds, stir to combine. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes…..

Add the flour. Stir and cook for two minutes…..

Add the chicken stock, beer, tomatoes, milk, and yogurt. Bring to a boil…..

Reduce heat to LOW and stir in the cheese…..

Serve immediately with Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites, regular pretzels or crackers…..

Have you grabbed your spoons yet? This soup is crazy delicious and completely unexpected.

Notes:

I used unsweetened CashewMilk, Greek yogurt and white sharp cheddar instead of the Swiss to keep my soup lactose-free.
I used Beer Brats, but any flavor will work.
Make sure to cut your potatoes into small, bite-sized, 1/2-inch cubes so they cook evenly.
If you do not want to make soft pretzels from scratch, check your freezer section for pre-made soft pretzels.
I used fire-roasted, diced tomatoes because they are my favorite and add a lot of flavor but any diced tomatoes will work.

What if I can’t find skinless brats?

Slice the outer skin with a sharp knife pull the skin off of the sausage…..

While I am removing the skin, I break the brats apart with my hands and dump them into the pot. 🙂

What is the difference between Chowder and Soup?

Chowder is a thick, chunky soup that is most commonly associated with seafood. They usually have a creamy, milk base rather than a broth base.

Soups in general start with a base of water or broth that is heated with vegetables and aromatics to impart deep flavors. They can be thin with noodles or rice, or blended into a thick creamy soup.

Some additional Soup recipes to help you stay warm this winter:

I have decided that is is the Year of the Soup!! I have so many different ideas bubbling away in my head, it’s time to get them all out and into bowls. 🙂

Enjoy!!