Vegetarian Kielbasa

This flavorful and hearty Vegetarian Kielbasa is naturally vegan and gluten free. Super easy to make it’s a satisfying and delicious dairy free alternative for everyone.

I have a thing for rice dishes. It’s almost every day a staple in my house like these Cuban Rice and Beans or the Cajun Sweet Potato Rice Bowl. Both are super easy to make and high in flavor.

This Vegetarian Kielbasa is no exception. It’s the ultimate comfort food, satisfying, filling, hearty, protein rich, and as easy as it gets. Also full of the best flavors in and out.

Meant for quick and easy family dinners, work lunches, meal prep, and so much more.

What is kielbasa sausage

Kielbasa is a Polish sausage made from meat with fat and spices stuffed into sausage casings.

Preparation usually ends with smoking at the end.

It’s available all over the world. You can put them on the grill, or cook them into slices with cabbage. There are many way to prepare them.

What’s in kielbasa

Kielbasa as a dish is made with a Polish sausage, veggies, potatoes, and many more things. You can add your favorites giving it your own touch.

But what’s always the star of the show is the kielbasa sausage.

Obviously a dish like this is not plant based. Well, trust me to do something different about this:

I added a vegan sausage to this dish. Wanting to keep it really simple with no complicated ingredients here, I went for cooked rice, garlic, spices like cumin and hot sauce.

In my opinion the spices really take that dish to a whole new level. So please don’t skip them.

They really make this dish. If you like it very spicy and flavorful you can add more cumin and hot sauce.

For me, using 2 tsp cumin  and 1/4 cup hot sauce gives the perfect balance between spice and flavor. But feel free to to adjust to your own liking.

Also you can add some fantastic optional add ons like: corn, black beans, bell pepper, onions, or mushrooms. Use them all or choose your favorites.

What to serve with kielbasa

Kielbasa is absolutely flexible, you can use cabbage, sauerkraut, zucchinis, mushrooms, potatoes, pasta to serve with it.

Or you go for rice, beans, bell peppers, and onions like I did with this Vegetarian Kielbasa.

How to make Vegetarian Kielbasa

First cook the rice according the package directions. You will probably need 2 cups water for 1 cup rice.

The cooking time may vary on brand but it should be done in about 10 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, prepare your vegan sausage and chop the optional veggies. Heat a skillet with a bit of oil, or vegetable broth for an oil free alternative.

Add optional onions, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Fry for around 3 minutes, next comes vegan sausage, garlic, cumin, and hot sauce.

Cook for 5 minutes more.

Finally finish with optional corn and black beans. Mix into cooked rice and serve in bowls or on plates.

This makes an amazing dinner, lunch, family weeknight meal, work lunch, and meal prep option that you will be craving anytime once you’ve tried it.

I made this Vegetarian Kielbasa recently 3 times and never got tired or bored of it. So that must mean something.

I used brown rice here but you can use any rice you like. For me brown rice is my favorite when it comes to flavor and texture.

A look at the brown rice nutrition says it all.

While brown rice has all the nutrients and is unprocessed, white rice is often processed, making it less nutritious.

Ok friends if you know me a bit, you probably noticed I’m obsessed with hot sauce. I use it with almost everything: pasta, rice, potatoes, hummus – you name it.

There are so many varieties and I’m always excited when I’m in the store to see what’s new.

Some are milder, some are hotter, but all have one thing in common. These are delicious and a must have for so many things.

Question: What’s your favorite hottest hot sauce?

If you give this Vegetarian Kielbasa a try, reach out with a tag on Instagram and Facebook.

Love seeing all your hot creations.

Cheers, Florian.