Sweet and Sour Kielbasa is an easy weeknight dinner recipe featuring kielbasa sausage, peppers, pineapple, and a spicy sweet and sour sauce served over rice.

sweet and sour kielbasa served over rice in a black bowl

This recipe for Sweet and Sour Kielbasa was originally created in partnership with Butterball.

Making this Sweet and Sour Kielbasa

I have a love hate relationship with the school year. I love the routine and for the most part being able to predict how our day is going to go and knowing what time we have to be out the door in the morning.

I love that my kids are learning and for the most part enjoying school, making new friends and enjoying old friends. I love seeing all of the moms of my kids’ friends that I seem to only see during the school year during morning drop off and after school pick up.

I love being able to get a few things done around the house a little more quickly than I can in the summer. And how I can for the most part exercise when I want, how I want since I don’t have to plan it around the kids. And I think probably every mom out there appreciates being able to go grocery shopping without kids in tow.

But, I miss the chill feeling and lack of routine that summer offers our family. As much as I like the routine, sometimes it is nice to not have to be anywhere.

For the sun to be out late in the evening, to not really have a bedtime the way we do in during school year. To just play and run around the neighborhood and park after dinner with friends without worrying about getting to bed in time.

And then there’s soccer. I love soccer season, but I don’t love how practices get in the way of dinner time on certain nights or how everything has to be orchestrated just so if we want to get homework done, go to practice, and have a wholesome dinner. On nights like these we go for good, but easy or make-ahead.

★★★★★

Erin says –

“I made your sweet and sour recipe tonight and Claire INHALED two bowls of it. And then asked if she could have it for dinner tomorrow night too”

Why I Love Sweet and Sour Kielbasa

This recipe for Sweet and Sour Smoked Sausage fits in the good, but easy category. If I get everything chopped and prepped before soccer it only takes a few minutes to throw together when we get home.

In this version of the classic sweet and sour recipe there is no battering or frying because the Butterball Hardwood Smoked Turkey Sausage has plenty of flavor on its own so you can forget about that time consuming and messy step.

It is full of colorful peppers and juicy pineapple to compliment the savory sausage with a little extra punch thanks to some chili garlic sauce.

And best of all you’re only using one skillet for the meal (and one saucepan for the rice) so you won’t have a lot of dirty dishes at the end of a busy day. You’re welcome.

★★★★★

Reader says –

“I made this recipe tonight and it was great! The only changes I made were using 3 red bell peppers and 1 yellow pepper because that was what I had, and I don’t like green bell peppers! But you have a great recipe and it will definitely be made again. Next time I will increase the amount of rice to 4 cups for leftovers!”

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Sweet and Sour Kielbasa

Yield: serves 4 - 6

Sweet and Sour Kielbasa is an easy weeknight dinner recipe featuring kielbasa sausage, peppers, pineapple, and a spicy sweet and sour sauce served over rice.

Ingredients

14 ounces Kielbasa Sausage, sliced approx. 1/4 inch thick
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/2 of a green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks

Chili Garlic Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce

For Serving

3 cups cooked rice
sesame seeds, for garnish
sliced green onions, for garnish

Instructions

Making the Chili Garlic Sweet and Sour Sauce

In a bowl or 4 cup glass measuring cup, combine the pineapple juice and cornstarch, whisking well until combined with no lumps.
Then add in the rice vinegar, ketchup, chili garlic sauce, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Whisk until combined.
Transfer the sweet and sour sauce to medium sized saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling.
Once boiling, whisk well and reduce to low heat to simmer while cooking the sausage.

Preparing the Sweet and Sour Kielbasa

Heat oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the sliced sausage and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.
Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate. Add the peppers to the pan and sauté over medium heat until tender.
Return the sausage to the pan.
Add the pineapple and sauce to the pepper mixture. Stir to combine.

Serving the Sweet and Sour Kielbasa

Serve the sweet and sour kielbasa over cooked rice.
Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions, if desired.

Notes

Alternatively prepare in the reverse order, cooking the sausage and bell peppers first. Then, set them aside on a plate and prepare the sauce in the same pan for less dishes!

Substitutions

Don't have kielbasa or other smoked sausage? Try substituting chicken breast. Cut into chunks, then season, to taste, with salt and pepper before cooking until browned and cooked through.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 314Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 467mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 3gSugar: 13gProtein: 11g

GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.

Kate says

January 3, 2023 at 9:36 PM

This was delicious! I think I’ll do a little less brown sugar next time but that’s personal preference. This is definitely going in my “must repeat” rotation!

Anna says

May 11, 2015 at 2:40 PM

I made this recipe tonight and it was great! The only changes I made were using 3 red bell peppers and 1 yellow pepper because that was what I had, and I don’t like green bell peppers! But you have a great recipe and it will definitely be made again. Next time I will increase the amount of rice to 4 cups for leftovers!