How to Cook Kielbasa (2024)

Kielbasa, also known as Polish sausage, is really easy to cook and perfect for fast weeknight dinners. If you're wondering how to cook kielbasa, here are the 5 best cooking methods.

Kielbasa, also known as Polish sausage or Kiełbasa Polska, is smoked sausage that is almost always sold pre-cooked in the United States. This means that the sausage only needs to be heated before you eat it.

In Polish, the word "kielbasa" simply means sausage. So there are actually many types of kielbasa, not just the smoked Polish sausage that is sold most often in American grocery stores.

If you'd like to learn more, check out this article on TasteAtlas.com about the 8 most popular Polish sausages.

Kielbasa is a convenient choice for easy weeknight dinners. Learning how to cook kielbasa is easy. It heats up quickly and there are several cooking methods to choose from.

For food safety, and because kielbasa just tastes better warm, it’s recommended that kielbasa is always cooked (reheated) before serving. On some kielbasa packages you’ll see the simple instructions, “Heat and Eat.”

There really isn't a best way to cook kielbasa. You have 5 great options for heating up the sausage, so just choose the cooking method that is most convenient for you.

The five best methods for cooking kielbasa and polish sausage are:

1. Pan-fry/Saute
2. Grill
3. Roast
4. Microwave
5. Boil

Pan-fry or Saute

Pan-frying gives the sausage a seared, crispy exterior. It's quick, easy and the method that I use most.

You can slice the kielbasa widthwise into bite-sized rounds or lengthwise into sections that are a few inches long. Then cut the sections in half to expose the inside of the sausage.

Add a drizzle of oil to the skillet first. Over medium heat, pan-fry the sausage until it is heated and as browned as you like it, about 6 to 8 minutes total. Flip the pieces of sausage once or twice as they cook.

You can cook the kielbasa slices alone in a skillet or add the kielbasa to a skillet with other ingredients, like vegetables.

For a delicious skillet recipe, try kielbasa and sauerkraut cooked with onions and a splash of hard cider.

Grill

You can grill kielbasa as a whole u-shaped link, or cut the link into sections.

Over medium heat, grill the sausage until it is warmed all the way through and slightly crispy on the outside, about 8 to 10 minutes total. Turn the sausage as needed so it doesn't burn.

Roast

Kielbasa can be cooked in the oven. The trick is not to cook it too long, or it will dry out. You can roast the sausage whole or sliced; either way it won't take more than 20 minutes to heat it all the way through.

First, heat your oven to between 375 and 425 degrees.

If you're roasting the kielbasa without slicing it, then use a fork or the tip of a knife to poke holes in the sausage. Or, you can use a knife to cut a shallow slit down the length of the sausage.

Instead of leaving it whole, you can choose to slice the kielbasa into any size before roasting it.

Place the kielbasa on a lightly greased sheet pan and roast for about 15 minutes, until heated.

Kielbasa can be roasted on a sheet-pan with vegetables (including potatoes), but the vegetables will take longer to cook. Give the vegetables a head start so they are a little more than half-way cooked before adding the sausage to the sheet pan.

For a tasty dinner, try sheet-pan

Microwave

Use a fork or knife tip to poke holes all over the sausage. To prevent the sausage from drying out, set a damp paper towel over the top of the link. Heat for 30 to 60 seconds, until the sausage is heated all the way through. Slice and serve.

Boil

Leave the sausage whole and unsliced. Cover the sausage with a few inches of water in a pot. Bring the water to a simmer, then simmer the kielbasa for about 10 minutes until it is heated through. Slice and serve.

How to Serve Kielbasa

So many ways!

• In a bun with ketchup and/or mustard, with onions or relish or sauerkraut
• Sliced and served with any type of cooked potato or potato salad
• Mixed with rice
• Served with buttery pasta, like Instant pot orzo or egg noodles.
• With scrambled or fried eggs
• With cooked greens, like Instant Pot collard greens
• With cabbage, either cooked cabbage like Instant Pot cabbage with lemon and parsley or coleslaw
• Add sliced kielbasa to soup (slice it first)

What is Fresh Kielbasa?

Most of the time, you will only find smoked kielbasa at the grocery store (especially in the United States.) Smoked kielbasa has a dark color and is pre-cooked. It only needs to be reheated before eating it.

Fresh kielbasa is raw, uncooked sausage. It is sometimes called white kielbasa because of the color. It is completely raw and needs to be cooked fully before eating it.

Fresh kielbasa is usually boiled or grilled to cook it. You can also choose to boil the sausage until it's fully cooked, then grill or pan fry the sausage to crisp up the outside.

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