Souper Brats

Brats often seem to me to be a summertime food. Sure, you can pull the grill out in the winter, but it's just not the same as when it's hot outside, and you're enjoying a night on the patio with friends. Well, now I've found the perfect way to enjoy brats on a cold winter's night, and you might even have trouble deciding which version you prefer more.

I have discovered Bratwurst Soup, and I think you'll be pretty happy to discover it too. This is a relatively fast soup, although you'll be babysitting it a little throughout the process. I started with Johnsonville Cheddar Brats. I stick to the Johnsonville because I know we like the seasoning (and no this isn't a sponsored message). The recipe doesn't call for the cheddar brats, but a little extra cheese is never a bad thing, and I used all of the 19oz package. For veggies I used shredded carrots to save a smidge of time, and omitted the jalepenos all together. You know this family isn't made for that sort of thing. I switched out Great Northern beans for the navy beans, just because I know we tend to like those a little better. Adding the liquids and finally the cheese goes pretty quickly.

This soup. The cheese base is amazing. Sometimes processed cheese in soup almost has a sweet flavor that I do not care for. There is none of that here, and if I could have figured out an easy way to lick the pan, I would have. The only thing a little weird about the soup is the beans. There's something about the texture of beans mixed in with the other veggies and crumbled brat that seems out of place. Maybe it doesn't need two cans, and just one would be better? If I were going to mess with anything, it would be the beans, starting by cutting back the amount. Otherwise, I'm not changing a thing. It's beautiful, just the way it is.