Ah, the famed New York Reuben… what would it be without a generous helping of sauerkraut? Just another layered sourdough sandwich filled with thin slices of corned beef and Swiss cheese, nothing to write home about. It’s probably safe to say then, that with the ingenious addition of pickled cabbage to the sandwich, it is one dish which has singlehandedly helped lift kraut to international stardom. Here is a great recipe if you’d like to try making one at home.
For best flavour and texture, sauerkraut should only ever be salted and must remain “al dente”. Also, the longer the cabbage is brined and the more ingredients are added the softer it will get.
But did you know there are at least 5 other sauerkraut recipes which are just as unique and delicious, if in fact, not better?
1. Sauerkraut slaw
Served alongside a good schnitzel or pan-fried fish, the sauerkraut slaw requires only 5 simple ingredients. It’s light on the calories but never on taste.
Recipe: mix together 500g crunchy sauerkraut, 1 small grated carrot, 2 tbsp light flavored oil, 1 tsp sugar, ground pepper. And voila, sauerslaw is ready! Serves 4.
2. Sauerkraut soup // Kapuśniak
Another one of my childhood favorites, the sauerkraut potato and bacon soup. Sounds pretty good already, doesn’t it?? And it’s simple to prepare too.
Recipe: cook 2 large peeled potatoes separately as the acid in the kraut may prevent them from going soft if cooked together. Then add them to the soup made up of 500g sauerkraut, 2 cups water, 2 bay leaves, 3 all spice seeds and 100g diced bacon, simmer together for 30 minutes. Serves 4.
3. Sauerkraut hunter’s stew // Bigos
Back in the day, Bigos was cooked to help use up leftovers from hunting and household scraps. Today it is a much more formal dish, with quality smoked goods, red wine and lemon rind added for flavour – ingredients once perceived as luxuries. In whatever incarnation, it is on of Poland’s most liked and famous national dishes.
Recipe: Sauerkraut hunter’s stew // Bigos
4. Sauerkraut dumplings
Lightly stir-fried sauerkraut, mixed with aromatic porcini mushrooms and enclosed in thin flour pastry. Boiled then fried. What’s not to like?
Recipe: Sauerkraut and porcini dumplings
5. Sauerkraut pancakes
This is probably the most novel way to use pickled cabbage. Mixed into a savoury batter, the pancakes are great on their own but work just as well as a side to hearty goulash, creamy mushroom sauce or roasted pork with gravy.
Recipe: Mix together 250g sauerkraut, 1 cup milk, 1 cup plain flour, 1 egg and some smoked hot paprika. Spoon mixture into a lightly oiled fry pan and cook on both sides, until golden brown. Makes about 12 pancakes.
Mmmm love sauerkraut. Prefer Rotkol, though.
These look great. Love sauerkraut and never thought of any of these. Thx. Happy Australia Day – probably over by now!
I love sauerkraut, so it’s great to see these ideas for it! I’m guilty of eating it straight out of the jar with a fork, but I’d like to try making my own now
I always eat plain sauerkraut as a side, thanks for sharing these ideas to add it as an ingredient.
Lovely… so many recipes in one post! I just had Bigos last fall and it was so fragrant, I’m excited to try your recipe since I was unable to locate one online! xo Smidge
I do not think I’ve had sauerkraut since I was a kid! I need to give it a try again for sure.
I am loving all of these ideas but would love that stew….it looks delicious!
Creative. And I haven’t even tried a Reuben yet.
Aren’t you clever. Sauerkraut is for Reubens in our house. Until today and all those ideas
Fantastic collection of sauerkraut recipes for a kraut lover like myself.
I love sauerkraut! The soup and the dumplings look delicious.
Wow, I haven’t seen sauerkraut since my parents were alive! Nice one.
Some great inspiration there!!! I didn’t know sauerkraut could be so versatile!
Nothing like some sauerkraut. I just eat it plain and it’s still good:)
I tried making some but it did not work too well. The kraut expanded too much in the jar and I had to open the lid to release the pressure and kraut-ey juice came out and woah, it smelt so bad! I buy home made sauerkraut from a Polish shop- much better than mine!
Actually I never really liked sauerkraut as a kid as it was cooked up plain or on a rueben sandwich. Boring….However, with all of these interesting ideas you might have changed my mind.
I love that saurkraut hunter stew, I see my self enjoying a bowl of those.
everything looks extremely good but I think that the stew wins, great ideas!
Dear Martyna,
I never liked sauerkraut when I was a kid but I love it know and never quite understand what there was to dislike because it’s also similar to pickled vegetables like Korean kimchi, Chinese ham choy or Japanese pickled vegetables! Thanks for sharing all these beautiful recipes!!
Excellent ideas for me beloved sauerkraut! The pancakes look delicious. Among the dishes I know bigos is my favourite and the dumplings of course!
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I would never think of the sauerkraut salad as a slaw, but you are totally right to call it this way. (By the way, I must check what Reuben is
I would add the Hungarian “Székely Gulyas” to this list. An excellent dish I have recently discovered.
Sorry for the typo, I meant “MY beloved” of course
Such great ideas! I especially love the idea of sauerkraut pancakes. That would be a cool Super Bowl additions, as it sounds like it’d go perfectly with a beer!
I actually LOVE Sauerkraut but never know what to do with it other than hot dogs or reubens. Love all these different variations I can try.. especially the dumplings.. delish!
OMG I’m all for Sauerkraut dumplings! What a fantastic idea! Well pancakes look good too, but I need to check out the dumplings first. This post was pretty interesting. Never expected this many delicious recipes using sauerkraut!
I love sauerkraut, and I think your dumpling idea is great!
Funny, I have never thought of using it as an ingredient. Love the stuff! The dumpling idea is a great one.
[...] Ways to use up leftover sauerkraut other than a Reuben sandwich. I could have assumed that a Reuben sandwich was an option. I’m expecting a little more from you, Google. [...]
When my great-grandma makes the slaw, she uses honey instead of sugar, and lemon juice instead of half the oil. You also have to be sure you’re using sauerkraut without wine, and that you rinse it to get rid of the excess brine before adding the carrot.
Hi Audra, you are right about the Kraut. It tastes better with Sauerkraut than Weinkraut. And I like the idea of using lemon juice and honey in it too. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for these awesome ideas! I am going to try the pancakes tonight — cannot wait to try them.
My mother always fried up smoke sausage drained the grease except for a few tablespoons and then added the sauerkraut to the pan and fried all together till kraut turn a light brown from sucking up the grease and no liquid was left from the kraut.
i’m looking for a recipe for sauerkraut combined with sour creme and green apples. anyone heard of
this mixture?