Polish Sauerkraut Soup with Sausage (Kapusniak)

🇵🇱 What makes this recipe special?

If you are into sauerkraut, you know the love I feel for this fermented vegetable. Of course, I love it on hot dogs, and sometimes I just eat it straight. This comforting soup is a great way to get a bit of Polish recipe heritage along with a sauerkraut flavor fix.

Oh, did I mention it is a quick dish that can be cooked in one dutch oven? Even better, right? A quick, flavorful, filling soup recipe with sauerkraut. 

While this is my first Polish recipe, this is not my first sauerkraut dish, and you should also check out this Sauerkraut and Sausage Knoephla Skillet Dish or this Reuban Casserole recipe. Both are comforting dishes that use fermented cabbage. Whatever you eat today, make sure to treat yourself! 

🥬 Ingredients

Sauerkraut is the star of this dish, but other ingredients help pull this together into the comforting dish it is. Here is a list of our ingredients.

• Original sauerkraut – I have used both original and sweet sauerkraut and prefer the original. Sweet worked, but I recommend the original.
• Russet potatoes – Other potatoes will work, as well. Russet is a great soup potato.
• Beef broth – Chicken broth or vegetable broth would also work.
• Water
• Bacon
• Beef kielbasa – Pork Kielbasa works, as well. 
• All-purpose flour
• Bay leaf
• Carrot, celery, onion
• Heavy cream
• Salt and pepper

See the recipe card for quantities.

🍲 Instructions

We use a Lodge dutch oven, which allows us to do this all in one pot. Still, you could also cook this sauerkraut soup in a soup pan and saute some of the ingredients in a separate saucepan or saute pan.

First, cook off some chopped bacon and remove the bacon once crispy. Add vegetables to the bacon grease and cook until the vegetables start to soften, which should be about five minutes.

From here, add the sauerkraut to the pan. This acts as a deglaze on the bottom of the pan and gets up all those little bacon bits cooked at the bottom of your dutch oven or saute pan. 

Then, add flour and mix. This will help thicken the mixture.

If using a dutch oven, here is where you would add beef broth, water, and a bay leaf. If cooking in a separate saute pan, transfer to an appropriate soup pan and then add the same ingredients.

Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are done. This is about 25 minutes but adjust as appropriate. Remove from heat, add the bacon previously removed, and stir in the cream. 

🤷 Sauerkraut soup substitutions and variations

There are a few different ways to mix this recipe up to your taste.

• Sauerkraut – I use Frank’s Original as my go-to on this. The sweet sauerkraut also works. Or heck, do you make your own sauerkraut? Give that a try.
• Sausage – You can try different sausages for this dish. I call for beef kielbasa, but pork works. Really, any cured/smoked sausage are options for this dish.
• Cream – Want it less creamy? Don’t add the heavy cream or just add milk. 

📦 Storage

Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to three days. I have also frozen this, and it thawed just fine. 

🎓 History tidbit

While sauerkraut is often associated with Germany, it has become a popular food in many culinary traditions, including Polish tradition. Interestingly, it is the Chinese that are credited with the first to ferment cabbage over 2000 years ago and it wasn’t until the 16th century that it became popular in Europe. 

❓ FAQ

📝 Tips and tricks

• Use a Dutch Oven to make this easy to cook in one pot, but a saucepan can be used to saute the veggies and sauerkraut before putting it in the dutch oven. 
• Chopping bacon can be made a bit easier by putting it in the freezer for 15 minutes before chopping. This firms it up a bit and makes the bacon easier to work with.

🛠 Products used in this recipe

• Lodge Dutch Oven
• Soup Ladle

😋 Did you make this recipe?

That is awesome, and thank you so much for giving this Polish Sauerkraut Soup with Sausage (Kapusniak) recipe a try. If you could leave a rating in the comment area below, it would be greatly appreciated. This lets me know how I am doing and also helps others decide if they want to make this recipe. Most of all, thanks for visiting Ramshackle Pantry.