Cream, sausage, butter, and German dumplings make this luxuriously guilty pleasure. Stovetop Sauerkraut and Sausage with German dumplings is serious comfort food and a great skillet dish for a weekday night or when you want something a bit special.
🥟 What makes this recipe special?
The truth is that sausage and sauerkraut recipes are a dime a dozen. This one, however, is a special German recipe that deserves your attention.
The knoephla dumplings are easy to make and fry up really easy. They go so well with the sauerkraut and German sausage. Add in a bit of cream, butter, and enjoy this comfort dish.
If German food is on your mind, check out this Traditional Spaetzle recipe, these classic German potato pancakes, or this meaty Rouladen recipe. One of my favorite soups in the whole world uses the same dumpling, Knoephla soup. Whatever you make for dinner tonight, make sure to treat yourself.
🍖 Ingredients
Because we make homemade dumplings, there are a few more ingredients than many sausage and sauerkraut recipes. Here is our ingredients list.
- eggs
- Whole milk
- salt
- all-purpose flour
- Butter
- German smoked sausage
- Sauerkraut
For the Smoked Sausage, try to find any german type, but kielbasa is a perfectly fine kind to use for this dish.
See the recipe card for quantities.
🍲 Instructions
This recipe is divided into two main processes. First, make the dumplings. This is as simple as combining the ingredients, rolling out the dough, and then cutting the roll into small pieces.
From there, boil the dumplings, drain them, and set aside. Now comes the frying. In a skillet, fry the knoephla for a bit.
Add the sausage and fry a bit longer. Add the milk and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes and then add sauerkraut. Just a few more minutes and your sauerkraut and sausage dish is ready to go.
🤷 Substitutions and variations
A few easy substitutions could be made to make this your own.
- Dumplings - instead of making your own dumplings, you can purchase frozen dumplings and use them. You may still have to thaw these out.
- Sausage - I call for smoked German sausage, but really any smoked or cooked ring sausage would work. Heck, cooked ground sausage would work!
- Kraut - If you like more kraut, use it. I drain my sauerkraut, but you don't have to if you want a bit more flavor.
We are just cooking dinner. Change it up to make the recipe your own.
📦 Storage
If you store leftovers in a container in the fridge, it should last for a few days. In fact, the flour dumplings will thicken up the sauce and make it particularly interesting.
🎓 History tidbit
We use traditiona Knöpfle dumplings in this recipe. Where I live, it is generally used in soup, but frying is also fairly common. Here is an entire article about the history of this knoephla soup.
Sauerkraut has been a staple in the German diet since the 1600s! Make sure to check out that link for more Sauerkraut history.
❓ FAQ
This is up to you and your personal preference. Rinsing the sauerkraut will moderate the intense flavor, but it is safe to eat the juice.
Any smoked German sausage goes well with sauerkraut. Kielbasa is a Polish sausage that also works well.
📝 Tips and tricks
- You can really use any cured sausage in this dish.
- I use a cast iron skillet, but any sizable pan should work.
🛠 Products used in this recipe
😋 Did you make this Sauerkraut and Sausage recipe?
That is awesome, and thank you so much for trying this recipe. 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.
📖 Recipe
Sauerkraut and Sausage Knoephla Skillet Dish
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 Minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dumplings
- Method: Fry
- Cuisine: German
Description
This dish is so German and so tasty. Sauerkraut and sausage are all that we really need to say, but then add in knoephla dumplings, cream, and butter. Heaven in a skillet. So much flavor going on in this dish.
Ingredients
For Dumplings:
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups flour
For Skillet:
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- All of the Dumplings
- 8 Ounces German smoked sausage, sliced into ½ sections or chopped
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups sauerkraut, drained
Instructions
For Dumplings:
- Mix all dumpling ingredients in a bowl and combine well
- Divide into two pieces just to make easier to work with
- On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece out with your hand so it is approximately ½ inch in diameter and like a rope
- If needed sprinkle with flour to make easier to work with
- Cut into ½ inch dumpling pieces and set aside.
- Add water to a large pot, salt, and heat to high
- Allow to boil 3-5 minutes or until all dumplings are floating at top
- Strain and set aside
For Skillet:
- Add butter to large frying pan and turn to medium high
- Once butter is melted, add dumplings and fry for about five minutes or until a golden brown crust starts to develop on dumplings. Make sure to mix with a spatula regularly.
- Add sausage and cook for another 5 minutes or until sausage is warmed
- Add milk and allow to simmer for 15 minutes
- add salt and pepper to taste
- Add sauerkraut and cook until warmed.
- Serve
Notes
- You can really use any cured sausage in this dish.
- I use a cast iron skillet, but any sizable pan should work.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ skillet
- Calories: 599
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 1659 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Carbohydrates: 55 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 23 g
- Cholesterol: 171 mg
Keywords: sauerkraut and sausage
Jeff the Chef
Boy, does this sound good. It kind of reminds me of pierogi in the sense that it has fried dough and sauerkraut - two things that I love. And bring on the sausage!
Punam
Looks delicious easy and yummy. Will surely cook
★★★★★
Ben
Oh, it is good.
Meghan
This sounds so good! I lived in Germany as a kid so this brings back memories!
Alli
I actually grew up with this dish! It’s definitely a family favorite!
Not that I want to make this dish heavier in calories than it already is.. you should try frying up some breadcrumbs (the crust from some basic bread works best) in a bit of butter and then adding in the knoephla! It adds a crouton like texture to the mix. Everyone in my family would fight over those little gems haha!
Ben
What a cool tip and memory. When it comes to a comfort dish like this, I think it is ok to ignore calories. At least for me.
Kara B.
Thanks for sharing this. My grandma used to make this as a treat for me. Only thing I added were some homemade breadcrumbs to the mix, as that is what my grandma did. Tastes like love.
★★★★★