This is hands down the best sausage and sauerkraut soup recipe. Hearty and warming, it’s the perfect accompaniment for a cold winters evening. I have yet to meet a soul who doesn’t find comfort bellying up to our farmhouse table to enjoy a hot bowl. This Polish and German inspired version is made with bone broth, root vegetables, pork sausage and homemade sauerkraut. Easy swaps can be made for our vegetarian friends.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I’m eligible to make a small commission at no extra cost to you, learn more here.
Below is the printable recipe. If you need or would like more, scroll past the recipe to find step-by-step, and in-depth instructions. As well as, answers to many questions that are had about this particular recipe!
Best Sausage Sauerkraut Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Carrots grated
- 3 Potatoes- I used Red Potatoes cubed 1/4 inch
- 2 Celery ribs diced
- 1 Med. yellow or white Onion diced
- 2 tbsp Worchester
- 2 cloves Garlic minced with a garlic press if you have one
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 pounds Sausage Kielbasa
- 6 cups Broth preferably homemade bone broth
- 1/4 cup Tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp Caraway seeds optional
- 1-2 cups Sauerkraut
- 1 cup Cooked White Beans Optional
- 2 tablespoons Butter Lard, or Tallow, Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your Dutch oven on low. Get all of the vegetables prepared. Cut the sausage into 1/4-1/2 thick round slices.
- After you have preheated your Dutch oven, and the sausage has been prepared, turn the stovetop up to medium and add 2 tablespoons of butter to the Dutch oven. Throw in your sausage and fry it until it is cooked through, brown and there is no more pink in the middle. When it's done, remove sausage from Dutch oven to a plate.
- There should be enough fat between the sausage cooking, and the butter, to properly sauté the vegetables without adding anymore fat. Add in your onions first, sauté until translucent and golden. Then, add grated carrots, celery and potatoes. Let this mirepoix cook until your vegetables are softening. This should take about 5-7 minutes.
- Next, make a well in the center of your pot, and add another tablespoon of butter or olive oil, and add minced garlic, 1/2 can of tomato paste, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and the optional caraway seeds, mix to a beautiful dark medley of vegetables, spices, and color. This should take no more than a minute.
- Add in the broth and give it a good stir. Turn the heat up to med-high and bring to a simmer, not a boil. Once it is simmering, turn the temperature down to low or medium low, keeping it at a gentle simmer. Checking every so often and stirring to make sure there is nothing stuck to the bottom of the Dutch Oven. Let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- Now that your broth has been simmering, marrying the flavors to the vegetables, it's time to add the sausage back to the pot. As well as, cooked white beans, and sauerkraut. Give it a good stir. Then add in the Worchester. Lastly, a taste test to see if any additional salt should be added at this point.
- Ladle into your favorite soup bowls, this soup almost requires a slice or three of my homemade sourdough boule loaf slathered in butter. It can also be enjoyed over mashed potatoes. ENJOY!
Equipment you may need:
- A Dutch Oven or other Large Soup Pot- I use a 5.5 qt. Dutch Oven
- A quality chefs knife
- Box Grater
- Garlic Press
- Wooden Spatula
- Ladle
Ingredients needed for the Best Sausage Sauerkraut Soup Recipe:
- 2 carrots- grated
- 3 potatoes- cubed 1/4 inch
- 2 celery ribs- diced
- A medium sized yellow or white onion- diced
- 2 tablespoon of Worchester
- 2-3 cloves garlic- minced with the garlic press if you have one
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 2 pounds of sausage- farmers sausage, kielbasa, etc.
- 6 cups of broth – preferably homemade bone broth or Fond Broth
- 1/4 can of Tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp of caraway seeds (optional)
- 12 oz. of of sauerkraut
- Butter, Lard, or Tallow, bacon fat from cooking bacon
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Step One: Chop, Dice, Grate, Mince
Preheat your Dutch oven. Get all of the vegetables prepared. Cut the sausage into 1/4-1/2 thick round slices.
Step Two: Fry up your sausage
After you have preheated your Dutch oven and prepared the sausage, add 2 tablespoons of butter to the Dutch oven. Turn up the heat to medium. Throw in your sausage and fry it until it is cooked through and there is no more pink in the middle. Move your sausage to a plate. Turn the heat back down to a medium-low.
Step Three: Sauté Vegetables
There should be enough fat between the butter and the sausage that just cooked, to properly sauté the vegetables without adding anymore fat. Add in your onions. Let them get all browned from the leftover sausage bits. Then add in grated carrots, celery and potatoes. Let this mirepoix cook until your onions are vegetables are softening and releasing their flavor. This should take about 5-7 minutes.
Step Four: Spice and Enliven
Next, make a well in the center of your pot, and add another tablespoon of butter or olive oil, and add minced garlic, 1/2 can of tomato paste, salt, pepper.
Add the optional caraway seeds.
Mix to a beautiful dark medley of vegetable, spices, and color. This should take no more than a minute. Throw in a bay leaf.
Step Five: Add your broth baby
Add in the broth and give it a good stir. Turn the heat up to a medium to encourage a nice simmer. Checking every so often and stirring to make sure there is nothing stuck to the bottom of the Dutch Oven. Once you get a simmer going, turn the heat down low, and it let simmer for 15 more minutes.
Step Six: Add in remaining ingredients
Now that your broth has been simmering and marrying the flavors to the vegetables, and they’re perfectly soft, it’s time to add the sausage back to the pot. As well as, cooked white beans (optional- I did not add white beans to this batch of soup), and the sauerkraut. Give it a good stir. Stir in the Worchester. Then, give a taste test to see if any additional salt should be added at this point.
Step Seven: Enjoy!
I serve this soup with a slice of my homemade sourdough boule loaf slathered in butter or over mashed potatoes. ENJOY!
Variations to that still qualify this as the best sausage sauerkraut soup:
- Using meatballs instead of sausage links.
- Skipping the meat for a vegetarian version- adding brown and sautéed mushrooms.
- Adding bacon because two cuts of meat are better then one.
- Enjoy this soup over mashed potatoes!
- To stretch this meal, add noodles!
Does the sausage sauerkraut soup recipe freeze well?
Yes! This soup does freeze well. This recipe makes a large batch of soup, ready to eat for a few meals, or to freeze. I love having soup in my freezer. It is such a gift to future me on those busy nights, or when we are under the weather. We can pull soup from the freezer and have it ready to go. If you are going to freeze this, I like to use these plastic quart containers, or qt. size glass mason jars. Do not fill to the top, leave at least 2 inches of head space, because liquid does expand as it freezes.
What is sauerkraut?
Sauerkraut is a German style fermented Cabbage, popular in the United States and in Europe. Traditionally it’s spiced, using either juniper berries, or caraway seeds. Rich in beneficial lactic acid bacteria, a major aid in digestive health. The carbohydrates present in the cabbage break down into lactic acid during the fermentation process. The lactic acid works with the healthy bacteria’s present in your gut to reproduce even more healthy bacteria’s. The more healthy bacteria’s the better your digestive system can work to cleanse the body of toxins. I like to get as many vitamins, minerals and probiotics through the foods that we eat.
Why is homemade Sauerkraut better then store bought Sauerkraut?
Most Sauerkraut that you buy at the grocery store is pasteurized. This means that it’s heated to make it last longer on the shelves. During the heating process, the beneficial bacteria’s and probiotics are killed off. Therefore, homemade sauerkraut is healthier and better for you than store bought sauerkraut. Technically, because of this pasteurization process, the stuff you buy in the store isn’t really sauerkraut at all.
Can you use store-bought sauerkraut for this recipe?
Yes, you can. I always prefer to use my homemade sauerkraut recipe, as it’s simple and easy to make! However, there are other store-bought options that will make this recipe come together fine. You will want to read labels. You want a sauerkraut that is lacto-fermented, not pickled using vinegar. The ingredient label should read: Cabbage, Salt, Water. I would recommend Bubbies or Gap View Homestead’s Sauerkraut.
Are the benefits of the probiotic rich sauerkraut lost in the cooking process?
Yes and no. I like to add the sauerkraut into the soup at the end of the cooking time, right before serving, to preserve and protect the living probiotics in the sauerkraut. Some will be lost due to the temperature being well over 105 degrees. However, there a is mineral rich by-product left from the fermenting process that will be abundant within the soup, that will not dissipate or be cooked off due to temperature.
What do you do with the other 1/2 a can of tomato paste?
I use to leave unused half cans of tomato paste sitting in my fridge. This would drive me crazy, as they grow mold so quickly. Until I learned a trick from my Mother-in-Law. With a spatula I take a scoop out the remainder of the tomato paste, and put it in a zip lock sandwich bag, seal it half way and press it flat against a counter top, until all the air is released and its completely flat. Label, date and move to the freezer! Next time you need tomato paste check the freezer first. Cut open the bag and use right out of the freezer. It thaws quickly to add right away to any dish you make. You’re welcome.
Leave a Reply