Boiled kielbasa on the stove top is one of the best and easiest methods to prepare juicy smoked kielbasa super fast.
Boiled Polish sausages are so good!
It seems like we ate a lot of kielbasa growing up, probably because my grandma was part Polish. For most of my life, we at kielbasa Polish sausage sliced and pan-fried and then added to a variety of dishes like sauerkraut or cooked cabbage (especially this creamy version), but I'll tell ya what...if you want to make kielbasa as juicy as possible, boiling them on the stovetop is truly the best way to do it.
Our recipe cooks the sausage in liquid simmer on the stove, by chance you're looking for kielbasa and sauerkraut in a skillet, we have that too!
Whether you are serving the Polish sausage with slow cooker cabbage (so yummy!) or decide to go with our quick and easy Instant Pot cabbage and bacon recipe, cooked kielbasa and cabbage make the perfect pair.
What you'll need
- kielbasa - a whole precooked pork kielbasa link, these vary in size between 10-14 ounces usually. Sometimes they're called Polska Kielbasa or Polish sausage, but they're all the same thing. You could also use turkey kielbasa sausage, that's really good too and a little leaner. Some popular brands are Hillshire Farm, Simple Truth Organics, or Boars Head.
- cooking liquid - water or low-sodium broth are fine or you could use beer or apple juice too
How to cook kielbasa on the stove top
- Boil water. Fill a large saucepan with 3"+ of water (or low sodium broth). Turn the pan on high to bring the water to a boil.
- Add the sausage. Turn the burner down to medium-low once the water is boiling and add the whole kielbasa link.
- Simmer the kielbasa sausage for 10+ minutes until it's heated through to at least 160 F.
- Remove the sausages from the water with a set of tongs and let it rest 5+ minutes before serving.
We like to cut the sausages into 1-2" sections and serve them with side dishes like cooked cabbage, sauerkraut, sauteed bell peppers and onions, roasted potato wedges, pierogies, or pasta.
Can you cook it from frozen?
Yes, you can cook kielbasa sausages from frozen, but you'll need to cook it longer than the recipe states (probably 3-5 minutes longer) to make sure it's cooked through. We highly recommend using a digital meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature reaches at least 160 F.
Recipe notes
- Cook the sausage as one large link to keep the moisture and juices locked in during cooking.
- To cook 2 sausage links, add enough extra liquid to make sure both are fully submerged.
- Our recipe simmers one large pre-cooked Polish sausage, if you have fresh uncooked kielbasa, just add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
- You could also cook this in a deep skillet if you don't have a Dutch oven.
More kielbasa recipes
- Air fryer kielbasa - great for cooking it as an appetizer
- Crock-pot cajun kielbasa and peppers - a lighter hearty Cajun dinner
- Creamy kielbasa and sauerkraut
- Kielbasa and sauerkraut on the stove
- Crock-pot kielbasa chili - our favorite chili recipe!
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Boiling Kielbasa Links
How to boil kielbasa sausage on the stovetop so that it's tender and juicy every time. Serve it sliced in other recipes, as a main dish served with sauerkraut or cabbage, or as an appetizer.
Ingredients
- 1 10-12 oz package kielbasa, precooked
Instructions
- Fill a large saucepan with 3"+ of water (or low sodium broth). Turn the pan on high to bring the liquid to a boil.
- Turn the burner down to medium-low once the water is boiling and add the whole kielbasa link.
- Simmer the sausage for 10+ minutes until it's heated through. Remove the sausage from the water and let it rest 5+ minutes to slightly cool.
- Slice the sausage into 1-2" sections and serve with other side dishes like cooked cabbage, sauerkraut, sauteed bell peppers and onions, roasted potato wedges, piorgies, or pasta. Enjoy!
Notes
- You are technically simmering the sausage and not boiling it, you first bring the water or liquid to a boil to heat it up and then turn the water down to a simmer where bubbles are just popping the surface. Boiling food at high temperatures can lead to tougher meat and water overflowing out of the pot.
- We recommend simmering the sausage as one whole link instead of sliced sausage pieces so that the valuable fats won't leak out of the sausage.
- Any kind of Polish kielbasa brand can be used for this recipe including turkey kielbasa, or other types of pre-cooked seasoned sausage.
- Fresh kielbasa could also be used but it'll take longer to cook through since it's raw.
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