How Hungarian Sausage Can Give Life To A Tired Macaroni Soup

Macaroni soup, or sopas to Filipinos, is a nostalgic dish. You may have memories of getting a steaming bowl of it served to you as a child on a sick day or eating it for merienda among family on a rainy season afternoon. The dish spells comfort, warmth, and love – the very qualities that serve as its detriment. Sopas again? But classics can be reinterpreted and revived for modern times. One easy way to liven it up? Add a generous helping of Hungarian sausage.

Macaroni soup typically comprises hotdog slices and chicken bits. Switching those out with a richer protein like Hungarian sausage can help add more savory flavors without overpowering the soup. Take your recipe from tired to tasty with our mommy food tips below.

Hungarian Sausage 101: What Makes It Different

As you can probably tell from its name, Hungarian sausages come from Hungary. They have three main ingredients: ground meat, garlic, and paprika. This trifecta gives it its beloved flavor profile—savory, garlicky, with just a hint of spice. The filling used in Hungarian sausages can vary from pork, beef, lamb, or a blend of the three. Besides that, they can also contain a handful of other aromatic seasonings, such as pepper, marjoram, or caraway.

Compared to the hotdogs Filipinos use in macaroni soup, Hungarian sausages provide a smokier kick and subtle heat. They’re great for balancing out fatty or starchy ingredients—like potatoes or cheese. In the Philippines, you’ll see Hungarian sausages commonly used in bun sandwiches or as the star of a breakfast rice meal. But they’re just as satisfying eaten alone!

How to Cook and Pair Hungarian Sausage with Your Macaroni Soup

One of the best parts of macaroni soup is its creaminess. This element usually comes from the milk, Lady's Choice Real Mayonnaise, or evaporada, which balances out the broth’s saltiness. In the same vein, this creaminess also pairs perfectly with Hungarian sausages. The sausages add another layer of umami—unlike the usual hotdog and chicken bits used in local recipes, which are milder and absorb the broth's flavor.

Luckily, pairing Hungarian sausages with your macaroni soup is super easy. You can follow the same cooking process and switch the hotdogs to spicy sausage instead. Here’s a sample recipe you can use as a guide:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of elbow macaroni pasta
• 6 cups of water, or more as needed
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• ½ pound Hungarian sausages, sliced
• ½ pound of chicken breast (optional)
• ½ cup of Lady’s Choice Real Mayonnaise
• ½ head of cabbage, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, cubed 
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• Ground black pepper and salt, to taste
• Fish sauce (patis), to taste

How to Cook:

• Step 1: Heat oil in a pan. Sauté onions until translucent.
• Step 2: Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant.
• Step 3: Add water and chicken breast. Bring to a boil.
• Step 4: Simmer at medium heat until chicken is tender enough to shred with a fork. Set aside.
• Step 5: Add chicken bouillon cube, butter, and Hungarian sausages. Let the broth simmer on medium heat.
• Step 5: Add macaroni pasta and carrots. Bring back to a boil until the pasta is al dente.
• Step 6: Add cabbage and cooked chicken shreds. Season with ground black pepper and fish sauce to taste.
• Step 7: Add Lady’s Choice Real Mayonnaise. Stir to mix.
• Step 8: Serve while hot.

More helpful tips for your sausage macaroni soup

For the Hungarian sausages, you can opt to cook them on the side with onion and garlic instead of boiling them in the soup. This will help release some of the meaty, smoky flavors.

You can also opt to remove the chicken breast completely and add more Hungarian sausages instead. If you plan on storing leftovers, you can make them last longer in the fridge by serving the Lady's Choice Real Mayonnaise on the side. This way, your family can also adjust to their preferences.

And there you have it—an easy-to-make macaroni soup with a Hungarian sausage twist. Need more recipe inspiration? Find more family-friendly meals, cooking tips, and other kitchen hacks at Momspiration.