This is a recipe from a sweet old German lady I used to attend church with. Allow for plenty of time to prepare and cook this dish. It is definitely worth the time and effort! Serve with hot German potato salad and red cabbage.
Why do people like Dee say they made a recipe but the completely change all the main ingredients? Then they say it's not good. I made it and it's very good. I don't like caraway seed, so I left that out, but that was optional. Serving suggestions by the original poster are exactly right on.
Read MoreI did not add the apple and omitted the bacon. Also, I substituted Italian sausage for the Kielbasa. I feel that kielbasa is too greasy. Came out great.
Read MoreWhy do people like Dee say they made a recipe but the completely change all the main ingredients? Then they say it's not good. I made it and it's very good. I don't like caraway seed, so I left that out, but that was optional. Serving suggestions by the original poster are exactly right on.
Great dish. I made the recipe as described, but cooked in it in the slow cooker, and added 1/2 cup apple juice so it wouldn't dry out. Will make again.
My family loves sauerkraut and they said this was the best recipe yet! I followed the recipe, except I used 2-2 lb bags (4 lb) of sauerkraut (I mentioned my family likes sauerkraut...). I did not double the remaining ingredients. I put the sauerkraut in my large crockpot, sauteed the bacon and onion and then added it with the sugar and apple. I did not use caraway. I browned some country ribs and placed them on top along with several smoked sausage (I like brats, but, only had the smoked sausage). I let it slow cook all day. I made mashed Yukon Gold potatoes to go along with the meal. The family raved about it! Thanks for the recipe!
My rating is based on the actual recipe given. This is a classic, homestyle recipe with great flavors. The only thing I did differently after tasting the original is add a pinch of salt and pepper. Very nice recipe, thanks for sharing it.
Great recipe! Our whole family enjoyed this dish. I would definitely recommend using the caraway seeds.
Great didnt have hours did it in 40 min added 4 granny smiths. Im german..both sides and this was spot on. Dont use italian sausage please! Lol
Yes I agree if your not gonna follow the recipe dont rate it bad! If you change the recipe its not the recipe anymore its your recipe. It was great!!! I did like the caraway seeds. Thanks for the great recipe:)
I made this exactly according to recipe, cooking this in my cast iron skillet so it could go from stovetop to oven easily. I used Uncle Charley's sausage in this recipe and I served this with Meme's Mashed Potatoes. Not only did I love it but so did my husband and kids. Surprized the heck out of me, I thought for sure they'd hate it. NO leftovers and the boys asked me to make this again soon.
This was so good. I made it in the slow cooker. Cooked and crumbled the bacon then just threw it all in with about a half cup of apple juice as another reviewer suggested. Turned out perfect served over mashed potatoes. Will make this one often!
I had issues with the sauerkraut getting slightly burnt on the bottom, I don't get how you put drained food into a pot and expect it to "simmer"? So I added water to prevent further burning. Though next time I may use some wine to do the job. Other than that difficulty, this recipe gets five stars for tasting AMAZING and working perfectly for my high protein needs
What I learned about this recipe is just how tender sauerkraut becomes when cooked for a good long time. The addition of the sugar and apple mitigates the sourness of the sauerkraut while the bacon tempers the sweetness, adding a much appreciated earthy smokiness. Simply said, we loved this.
I did not add the apple and omitted the bacon. Also, I substituted Italian sausage for the Kielbasa. I feel that kielbasa is too greasy. Came out great.
Wonderful! Delicious! The best sauerkraut recipe I have ever tasted. I followed the recipe precisely and can't imagine changing it. My family and I will look forward to making this recipe for every New Year's dinner.
I made this today and was very pleased. I never tried polish food before. This came out very well and was not greasy. Everyone loved it and there was nothing leftover. I only added more caraway--other than that I didn't change a thing. Also made pierogies. Will definitely make again!
Deeeeeeelicious!! The only thing I did different was to add the full pound of bacon. We loved this dish & will be making this again. Thank you for submitting it :)
Delish! I used the saute mode on my slow cooker and cooked the bacon and onion, then browning the kielbasa. I drained (but did not rinse) the sauerkraut to achieve the "tang" that we enjoy. I then mixed the bacon-onion mixture with the sauerkraut in a large bowl. I then layered the sauerkraut mixture, browned kielbasa, sauerkraut mixture, and the remaining kielbasas. I set the slow cooker on low for 5 hours--the best sauerkraut and kielbasa ever!!
This was wonderful! I followed the recipe exactly but put everything in the crock pot, I did add 1/2 cup apple sauce after a few hours because it seemed a little dry, that made it moist and terrific! I will definately be making this again and often! Thanks for the great recipe.
I used Bavarian Style sauerkraut since it already has the carroway seeds, but it is a little sweet, so I'm wondering if that's why this dish turned out a little sweeter than I would have liked. I remedied it with some cayenne pepper and a little tabasco sauce.
This a fabulous recipe. Thanks for sharing. I cooked the bacon, cut it up, then sauteed the onion in the drippings. I added that with all the other ingredients, and put in the slow cooker. I didn't add apple juice as other readers suggested. This was an awesome dish. Part of family routine now. :D Husband is German too and said sauerkraut was much better than his mom used to make :D
I didn't use the apples and didn't have time to cook it as long as suggested. I simmered the sauerkraut for about 45 minutes and cooked it in the oven for about 45 minutes. My husband still loved it.
This is the best sauerkraut recipe I have ever used. I followed the recipe ingredients exactly except for the bacon which I didn't have on hand. The Caraway Seed just added a wonderful flavor. My family raved over this recipe.
like german sauerkraut :) good recipe. I put Bay leafs and pepper to the sauerkraut - it should be - its traditional in our family.
I was looking for something to jazz up polish sausage and sauerkraut. The apple, brown sugar and caraway did the trick, Potato pancakes as a side - perfect!
Excellent. Rinsing the sauerkraut removes the bite, but the flavor is still there. All flavors work very well together
I followed the recipe as written with the exception of not draining the sauerkraut. I felt the bacon masked the subtler flavor of the sauerkraut and overpowered the whole dish. I love bacon but I was hoping for more tang.
I made it as written and absolutely loved it. My German friends say they always cook sauerkraut for hours and are surprised the way Americans barely cook it. This was like candy, just wish I had doubled the sauerkraut!
I got brave and made this recipe (for the first time) for a group we were having for New Year's Day. Everyone absolutely LOVED it - and I didn't make any changes!!! They think I'm an outstanding cook! :)
Very good! I accidentally purchased the "sweetened" sauerkraut which already had sugar and caraway seeds included so I just omitted them from the recipe. We definitly could have used more bacon but we are bacon lovers. and maybe 1 and 1/2 apples next time. Will make this again!
I made this as written, except for the caraway seeds, which I didn't have and don't really care for. This is the best Sauerkraut I've ever tasted. My hubby never like Sauerkraut til now. I shared some with a friend of mine and she couldn't stop raving about how wonderful it was. Thanks for such a YUMMY Recipe. I'll be adding it to my regular rotation!
I made this recipe and it was teriffic -- unlike Dee's, that switched ingredients and used Italian Sausage with sauerkraut (eeeeeewwwwwwww), then gave it a mediocre score.. We need to have a thumbs down or least helpful button so people coming here can understand what's going on with these low or lower star ratings for 5 star recipes..
OMG... this was the best thing since, sliced bread!!! first I must tell you that I can not cook, not really. I did the apple juice instead of the apple, bought the sauerkraut out of the cold section, the stuff in the bag and used a crock pot. The only thing that would have made this better, would be to cook it the day before, then heat it back up in the crock pot again. Day One this was great, but day two... oh my on day two it was like heaven, all the flavor had a chance to works its way in. 11 people ate almost the whole crock pot full and we had a lot of other food!!
Make it for my wife and group of close friends. My wife has not been a fan of sauerkraut until she tasted this. She and my friends all loved it. One said she was in heaven while eating it. The diced apples made all the difference. I used two instead of one.
This was my first time working with sauerkraut. I found the white variety in a jar. It didn't take long before some of it got scorched to the pan so I lost some of the sauerkraut, onions, and apples because of that. It didn't have much liquid to bake in the oven with either. Even with my little snags, it still came out pretty good served over mashed redskin potatoes. Next time I will try the slow cooker and add some apple juice as another reviewer suggested.
I made this for our family Christmas Dinner party. I used fresh and smoked kielbasa and added just a little apple juice. I quadrupled the recipe. Everyone loved it and raved about it. I will definitely make this again. Sooo good!
It's So Good!! The only change I made was I used bratwurst. It was DELICIOUS!!
This is really good. I browned the sausage and put everything in the crockpot. I used real bacon bits. I found I did not need any apple juice, as others have suggested when using the crockpot, as there was plenty of moisture. Will be making this again.
Great flavor. My daughter is a vegetarian, so I used the Morning Star Italian sausage.
This will be my go to sauerkraut recipe. Wow! The flavor was awesome. And my picky, finicky spouse went back for seconds and will be wolfing down the leftovers. NOTE: To those who make massive changes to this recipe before trying it out I have a question, "Why?" See if it can stand up on its own, and if it can't then make changes. I followed the recipe as closely as possible. Due to the sizes of the ingredients at the store the kielbasa was 5 oz less than the recipe and the sauerkraut was 8 oz. more. These are minor changes and, if I can buy the called for amounts of each, I will switch to that. To those who don't hate caraway seeds, make sure you add it. My one mistake that I will not repeat: I browned the kielbasa a little too thoroughly. The kielbasa came out a little dry, but I think that was my fault. A great recipe!
This recipe was fantastic.I could have left it alone but I did add some red habaneros to the mix. Pure Polish but love the heat. Great recipe
This is a great recipe. I made it exactly the first time and it was wonderful! The second time, I cut the brown sugar in half and it was still yummy! I also tried it with hot dogs instead of the kielbasa. It wasn't quite as flavorful, but still yummy!
I have to say a was a little leery about trying this recipe but I wanted some sauerkraut. I had to substitute a couple of things because I didn't have any bacon or apples. Since I didn't have any apples I used an 8 0z jar of homemade apple sauce and didn't add the brown sugar. I put a little oil in the frying pan and dumped in some bacon bit and sauteed the onion with them. This turned out really good and my husband even liked it. I will be making this again when I want to do something different with kielbasa.
Don't change a single thing. Absolutely delicious. I will be making this recipe every month of the rest of my life. Well worth the time it takes I promise. We ate it over mashed potatoes..
I've made this a few times now and the whole family loves it--all three generations! I brown the sausage in a skillet not a grill but it works out the same. I added bacon fat to the sauerkraut last time and cooked this in the slow cooker. Awesome! Next time, I'm thinking about using some apple cider for more liquid in the cooker.
I doubled the recipe except for the caraway seeds and brown sugar as I don't like things that sweet and my family would be turned off by too strong a taste of caraway. Cooked the bacon before adding the onions as the first batch the bacon did not brown and the onions were done. Only baked for 45 minutes as we were hungry and all was good. Delicious!
I absolutely loved this dish!! I tripled the recipe and almost followed it exact. 2 out of the 3 bags of sauerkraut, I rinsed and drained. The third bag, I did not. I also added baby red potatoes. Delicious!!!
I faithfully followed the recipe,oh. my goodness! it's the best ever I have had. love it and it's a keeper.thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
This recipe is delicious! I made it as directed only I used a third of a cup of brown sugar instead of a half. I was concerned about it being too sweet with using a red apple but was perfect served over homemade mashed potatoes! My family loved this I will definitely make again.
my boyfriend has lived all over the world and said it was the best sausage and sauerkraut he's ever had! brownie points! Annie
Wonderful, but I did change it. We don't eat pork so I used turkey sausage and turkey bacon. It was so good. We served it with as we call German Fried Potatoes which are half nuked and slow fried sliced potatoes in lots of butter which take a bout half a hour. Thank You Doemark
This was so yummy. I had to leave out the carraway seed because I don't like it. Otherwise, it was terrific.
Made this recipe without any changes and I loved it. I've made sauerkraut and kielbasa many times but never like this. The two hours simmering over low heat is the key to making this a good meal into an excellent meal... Five stars! My recommendation.... don't change anything!!!
I made some minor changes in the approach since I was nearly tripling the recipe for a New Year's Day family dinner. Used 6 lbs of Polska Kielbasa, 3 lbs of saurkraut plus 1/2 head of red cabbage, 3 granny smith apples, 2 large sweet onions diced. Didn't have caraway seeds and used fennel seeds instead, just 2 T, plus only 1/2 cup of sugar (for the tripled recipe). I put it all in a large oven-proof covered pot and skipped the stovetop step. Since it had very little liquid, I added 3 x 16 oz cans of Michigan hard cider. I cooked it in the oven at 325 for 2 hrs and then another 1-1/2 hrs at 300. Took it out of the oven and just let it sit on the stove while I finished the potatoes (smashed baby potatoes, very tasty). Even my doubters who were not fond of saurkraut (because it was too acidy) loved it! Not a hint of acid. The final verdict from the 12 family members at the table, from 1-1/2 yrs to 80 years old - YUM!!!! We'll be making it again next year, for certain!!
I used bratwurst instead of the Kielbasa and bacon, mainly because I had bratwurst! It was delicious! It worked nicely in the crockpot.
This is one of mine & my husband's favorite recipes! Only change was using smoked turkey sausage & turkey bacon. Delicious!!!
Made this a recipe and it was awesome. We even ate all the leftovers, which is rare. We served it over homemade mash potatoes. A great New Years Day dinner.....which we'll probably have. +5
Always a success wherever I take it! Add gourmet chopped mushrooms, thyme, rosemary and marjoram to taste.
I followed the recipe exactly as it's written except that I used turkey kielbasa and left out the caraway seeds. It turned out great!!!! My husband commented that he wouldn't have known I used turkey kielbasa if I hadn't told him. I think that was because of the bacon. I was worried about burning the sauerkraut since I drained it. My gas stove kept getting too hot on low so I turned it off a bunch of times and then back on a few minutes later to keep the temperature down. Finally I added a few tablespoons of water. That seemed to help and didn't have a negative effect on the recipe. I would definitely make this again.
I used a reviewers suggestion and cooked in a crock pot using homemade rabbit sausage links uncut. It made plenty of liquid without having to add juice. Didn't know how long I was suppose to cook it and went a little too long (6 hours). Sausages were fall apart tender, but the dish was tasty none the less! Will make again. Thanks!
Made it exactly like it said and it was delicious (no caraway seeds though, I hate them)!! Hubby kind of turned up his nose when he came home and smelled the sauerkraut, but he loved it!!
I followed the recipe with two exceptions: I used 4 slices of thick sliced bacon and only 1 pound of kielbasa because that is what I had. It was an excellent dish and I will be making it again.
The first time I made this recipe, I followed it to a T and did add the optional caraway seeds. Good stuff. For the second time, I also added 2 tbsp of apple sauce to the simmering sauerkraut mixture and used a 1 lb of bacon instead of a 1/2 lb. with no other changes. Better stuff. I do recommend using the caraway seeds.
My first time making this and it was delicious. I did it just like the recipe. I will certainly make this again. Although, with all the sausage and yummy bacon it is more for occasions or when I feel like cheating on being healthy.
My husband went nuts over this sauerkraut. My mom is from Germany and this recipe comes closest to how she cooks it. It wasn't tart and we loved it.
I wonder if I did something wrong because 2 hrs. cooking sauerkraut seemed unnecessary and very dry. What type of sauerkraut did others use that requires such a long time? I used 2 lbs. from a jar. I had to put the bacon, onion and sausage in the pot in order to have enough moisture, and baking it for another hour was definitely overcooked although we ate it and had company over.
PERFECT!!!! I made this for our office Pot Luck. We had a Winter Olympics potluck where everyone picked a country and cooked something from that country (cool right? That's what I thought too). My heritage is German, so I picked Germany. This recipe is the closest I've EVER come to the sauerkraut recipe that my grandmother used to make! I followed the recipe BUT used 4 lbs. of sauerkraut, added a smidge more caraway seeds and a little more than 1/4 cup brown sugar. THEN...my roommate came home and suggested I add beer....so I added 1/2 bottle of Blue Moon. O M G...this was not only good...BUT...it was a hit with the coworkers that liked sauerkraut. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! One more thing...I browned the bacon and onions...cut up the sausage and browned it in the bacon grease and then threw everything in the slow cooker overnight. PERFECTION!!
I had some sauerkraut leftover that needed to be used up, and whipped this up for dinner. While this is not something that we'd eat often, it was nice for a change. I served this with cheese pierogies, and it went well together.
Thought this was excellent, albeit a tad sweet. Next time, will cut the brown sugar in half. I only baked it 45 minutes, but it was more than ready enough.
Let me start by saying I ABSOLUTELY HATE SAUERKRAUT! It's an aversion rooted deep in a bad experience at Air Force Survival School many years ago. That said, I love the things that traditionally come with sauerkraut...Reuben's, etc. (I just have it taken off or VERY light on the serving). But this recipe sounded great, and with a fair degree of trepidation...I made it. (All the while thinking my family is going to hate it, and complain about the smell of cooking sauerkraut.) Bottom Line...IT IS SUPERB! And everyone loved it. I was so impressed and surprised and am so glad I made it. Cooking ahead with the brown sugar and apple certainly does mellow out everything I normally hate about sauerkraut. It made it into a nice garnish that blended perfectly...and did not overpower the meal. I did go lighter on the sauerkraut than the recipe called for (as I couldn't believe how it would turn out) but will go closer to the full recipe next time. Be brave sauerkraut haters and enjoy this meal.
Easter guests all loved it. Cooked meats and onion according to recipe. Then used crock pot because ham was in oven.
I have made this recipe exactly as written , several times. Delicious! I'm about 1/2 German and my husband is 100% German and we enjoy this recipe as do our children. I prepare this in my cast iron dutch oven so goes from stove top to oven easily. We usually serve this dish with potatoes and/or brat buns. We've served this to our guests when we entertain in the summer months and everyone absolutely LOVES this dish!! Thank you for sharing! Will continue to make this again in the future.
This was excellent! Served with the Authentic German Potato Salad recipe from here. Was a huge hit. Will do again for sure!
This is an excellent recipe. I serve it with Pioneer Woman's Mashed Potatoes and it is a hit everytime. We don't stray from the recipe except for using more apple per our tastes. Also, using Kielbasa is a must, don't substitute with Italian Sausage.
it was really super. I am new at this cooking thing and found the recipe easy to follow and the results were spectacular. Had not caraway seeds so did not use.
Very good and very easy. I cooked the components as required but threw everything together in the skillet and simmered for half an hour instead of baking for an hour (I'm impatient).
I made this recipe in the crockpot. Left out the bacon - just because I did not have time! - and added in some chunks of potatoes and apple juice. I thought it was good. My son and husband thought it was just ok. My daughter did not like it at all (even the sausage, which is unusual!). I would probably try it one more time to see if the reception is any better the next time (and likely will be if I add the bacon! ;)
Excellent recipe! I sauteed bacon, onion, and bratwurst (couldn't find kielbasa at the store!) in my cast iron pan, then threw together with the rest of the ingredients in the crockpot for a couple of hours. Served with mashed potatoes and a few other sides... everyone loved it!
It was absolutely delicious but I never had any liquid to simmer so I just kept stirring it and put a cover on how come I didn’t have any liquid? I read one of the reviews and someone added apple juice so it wouldn’t dry out. Figures that I don’t have any apple juice in the house! Just wondering what I did wrong.
I made this last night for the 2nd time and it again was very good. My one comment would be it does tend to be a bit on the sweet side so if you prefer your sauerkraut more on the savory side, consider dialing back the brown sugar. But coming from someone who doesn’t particularly care for sauerkraut, this is a very good recipe.
I made this for my family reunion. Everyone raved about this and wanted the recipe. Kudos!!!!!
I love this recipe although I must confess, I did not follow it exactly: I used a slow cooker and cooked it on low for six hours. The sausage was great but the sauerkraut was outstanding, the best I've ever had. After all the sausage is gone reserve the sauerkraut for use another time and serve it to your guests as a side dish. Or maybe as a condiment to hot dogs. They will be sure to be amazed at how flavorful sauerkraut can be.
Very good recipe! I used our homemade venison sausage. Huge hit with the whole family. Thank you
Definitely will make this again. Followed the recipe, however I made a little more (bigger dish) so I improvised on some of the measurements.
Like many others, I cooked this in a slow-cooker. I add apple juice, if I have it. You could also add chicken broth or water.
Was awesome!!!! Made it at firehouse, left out caraway seed and brown sugar, like sauerkraut that is a little tarter. I ended up letting it simmer longer due to making runs and also baked a little longer. First time I've cooked with NO leftovers
Great Recipe! I omitted the caraway ( we don't like it) and brown sugar ( husband is type 1 diabetic). I did add some small red potatoes, and garlic. Don't rush the cooking of it, and it'll turn out great!
So good! I did change one thing: I simmered for an hour and baked for 45 minutes because I didn’t manage my time well. It was still DELICIOUS! The sauerkraut is tender but still has firmness too. And the flavor is wonderful!
I made this for New Year's Day. My mother normally doesn't like sauerkraut, but she loved this dish. This will be my go-to recipe for sauerkraut from now on.
I used sweet and low, bacon bits, and omitted the apple because I didn't have one.
Cooked as is except for adding 1/2 cup apple juice as suggested in previous comments. Excellent! Will definitely make again; thank you for sharing!
