What to do with leftover brats
Since Memorial Day is upon us, I thought I would post this recipe just in case you’re about to throw some sausages on the grill or brats in the air fryer, and are worried about having leftovers. This brat stew is so yummy, you might want to cook up some extra on purpose!
The recipe is meant for bratwurst or Polish sausage, but really almost any sausage will work. I've made this casserole with 4 bratwursts and 2 Italian sausages, simply because that’s what was in the fridge!
During the winter months, you might also want to use a package of pre-cooked brats. It makes this recipe super easy to pull together!
This is a really old recipe
I can’t give you a link for this recipe, because I got it before there was an Internet. I can however tell you where I found it.
You see, in the 1980’s I worked for a healthcare organization in a position some called “relationship management.” In other words: sales.
It’s not in the job description but I spent a lot of time sitting in doctors’ waiting rooms. Appointment times were estimates, because, of course, the patients always came first.
Picture it: no Internet, no smart phones, no idea how soon your name will be called. The only entertainment was to pick up a magazine. I quickly became an expert on celebrity gossip rifling through back issues of People and then on to Redbook and Good Housekeeping. And, it was in one of those magazines that I found this recipe.
I still have it scribbled on yellow legal paper from my folder (the same paper with notes about two other potential customers, plus a recipe for Grand Marnier sauce. Ultimately, the recipes turned out better than the customers.😀)
Ingredients
How to make Cheesy Brat Stew
This is a very simple casserole, which makes it suitable for a weeknight meal. I like to pre-soak the onions (see tips below) while cutting up the rest of the ingredients: cooked bratwurst, potato, and green beans. Use frozen cut green beans to shorten this even more.
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Mix together your cream of mushroom soup with shredded cheese and a little milk. Then drain the onions and stir those in.
You can mix the sauce with the rest of the ingredients right in the baking dish; no need to dirty another bowl!
Cover and bake for 45 minutes at 350F. The casserole will be hot and bubbly, and ready to serve.
Tips for Success
When I first dug this out of my recipe box, it turned out good-not-great. So, I made it again with some adjustments, and I realized where I went wrong the first time. It’s not a complicated recipe, but a few rules help make it great:
- Mellow out your onions. My first batch had a strong raw onion taste. Either soaking in cold water for 10-30 minutes or a quick fry in a pan will help take the bite out of the onions. I used the soaking method, which worked great.
- Room temperature and warm ingredients are best. When I used all pre-cooked and refrigerated leftovers and I don’t think 45 minutes in the oven was enough to truly cook everything through. The second time only the meat and cheese came from the fridge, and warmed up while the potatoes were cooking. The potatoes were freshly cooked and still warm, and the soup mixture was room temperature. An alternative approach would be to mix it up in the morning and let the casserole sit out all day before baking it – this was probably how I did it
3010 years ago. - More cheese is always better. The recipe calls for 1 cup of shredded cheese but c’mon. If a recipe name starts with “cheesy” then darn it, that’s what it should be!
Looks like a cup, right??
I hope you give this Cheesy Brat Stew a try. It’s a keeper, for sure!
📖 Recipe
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Cheesy Brat Stew
Ingredients
- 6 fully-cooked brats or Polish sausage cut in ½ inch pieces
- 4 medium (or 2 large) potatoes cooked, peeled, and cubed
- 1 16 ounce can cut green beans drained
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup I used Healthy Request
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded (up to 1.5 cups)
- 1 small onion chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Soak your onions in cold water for at least 10 minutes to help mellow the flavor.
- In a small bowl, mix together the soup, cheese, and 2 tablespoons of water. Drain the onions and add to the soup mixture.
- In a 3-quart casserole, mix the potatoes, sausage and green beans with the soup mixture.
- Bake, covered, at 350° for 45 minutes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Try with some roasted carrots!
Patricia A. Bruch
I had leftover brats from an Oktoberfest luncheon and this was perfect! only changes I made was to use cooked frozen green beans and I sauteed onions to soften. Cheesy deliciousness 😋
Sula
Love the idea of sauteed onions. And I definitely agree with the cheesy deliciousness. 😁
Sula
Yum!
LaVerta
I tried this meal. I set my oven for 350 degrees for 45 minutes. When my timer went off my cheese had not melted and my potatoes were raw. I put it back in the oven on 450 degrees for 20 more minutes then my potatoes were finally done. If you do this recipe make sure to set your oven higher to your timer longer.
Sula
I'm sorry this didn't work for you. Did you not pre-cook the potatoes as the recipe specifies?
Texasgirl
This sounds really good and easy, my favorite recipes!!
Sula
It is exactly that! Try it, and let me know if you like it!