Kielbasa is the Polish word for sausage, so kielbasa is really just a type of smoked sausage. It's best known for its distinctive strong garlic and spice flavoring. Kielbasa can be made using pork, beef or turkey or even chicken sausage. It really doesn't matter which type you use in this recipe. You can also use a different type of smoked sausage not necessarily named kielbasa. The texture will be the same, it will just have a different flavor than smoked kielbasa.