Instant Pot® Kielbasa, Sauerkraut, and Potato

12-27-2018 ~Supper was not a big hit in this house tonight. This recipe’s best feature is that there is no messy, greasy stove-top to clean and just one pot. That’s where the positives end for us. There was so much liquid we had to serve this with a slotted spoon. It had an unappealing, murky look to it. Worst of all, the kielbasa took on a very strange texture. I could be kind and say it was “tender,” but in reality it was simply soft and mooshy. The flavor, overall, was fine, but the other factors I’ve described unfortunately overshadowed that. I believe this traditional dish is best prepared in the traditional manner or slow cooker where not so much liquid is required.

I love sauerkraut but didn't have any on hand. Instead I used the leaves from the large head of cauliflower I had. I washed, then chopped up the leaves and tossed them in the pot. It turned out delicious!

If you want to avoid your kielbasa turning to mush what you need to do is, when you put the kielbasa back in, put it on top of everything. Then secure the lid and set the instant pot to 0 minutes. It will come to full pressure and then automatically go to the keep warm setting. Let it naturally reduce pressure for 10 minutes and then let the rest of the pressure out of the instant pot. You just have to make sure that you slice your potatoes thin enough that the 10 minutes at pressure will cook them through. 3/4 inch to one inch works fine. This keeps the kielbasa from turning to mush. Now this is only if you are using precooked kielbasa.

I have been making this for years. I also add a couple of tbs brown sugar and some caraway seed, about a tsp. You can also add pork chops or ribs on top of the sauerkraut before cooking. My family really loves this meal.

We made the recipe as written, it was pretty good, but a bit bland for our taste, maybe adding a tablespoon of Country French Dijon mustard would have hit the spot. But a very easy and tasty meal after work. Kids can easily do prep work after school.

One of our go to suppers. I decided to make it in the instant pot instead of oven, so referred to the instructions more than the ingredients... I used Italian sausage because that’s what I had and maple syrup instead of brown sugar. I also added carrots and apple juice instead of beer. A very versatile recipe for comfort food during a storm.

I liked this recipe. The first time I had this type of dish it was cooked for several hours. The instant pot makes it done in less than an hour. I used a tablespoon of seasoning salt instead of 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. I also used russet potatoes instead of the yellow potatoes. I substituted 1/4 cup rice wine/vinegar and additional 1/4 cup of chicken broth r for the beer . When my Polish friend's father made it, he used beer. One for the dish and one for the cook! Great dish if you like sauerkraut!

I made this today and it was delicious. I only did one little thing different and that was to add 1/2 tsp caraway seeds, because I love them. Followed your directions and recipe, but I did add the kielbasa also, in step 2. I think they forgot to add that in. It was a 5 . Will make this again for special occasions also.

If you want it to not turn to mush, follow the instructions

First off, let me start by saying that if the recipe had of been more explicit, this may have turned out better??. It did not say when to add the sausage to the Insta pot. Over cooking sausage like that will cause it to toughen and draw up?.? I know that from experience but I’ve never used the Insta pot before so didn’t know how it would do in that. I went ahead and added it in when I put everything else in and sure enough it wasn’t good texture. It also never said what size to do the potatoes and apples so I cut them a little smaller, about 1/2” squares (bite-size) & they really should’ve been about 1”squares??. As a result, the whole thing was mushy, including the sauerkraut &? the sausage was kind of tough. It did? have a fairly decent flavor?? but I couldn’t get past the mushy part & the tough sausage?. Here is what I would do if I were to ever make this again. I would add the sausage in completely after it was done cooking in the pot. I would also cook everything else less than 12 minutes. I have never eaten yellow potatoes before so I didn’t know how they would cook up.? not a big fan of them. Sorry?

I didn't have bacon but used bacon grease to saute my onions in. I didn't add the sausage till the end with the saurkraut based on other reviews. I really like it, had great flavor and didn't take long to assemble.

I made this tonight and my husband and I enjoyed it. I didn't have beer so I just added more broth. It was a little juicy but that added to the flavor. Thank you for sharing.

We enjoyed this! Next time I would double the onion and brown the potatoes first to add flavor; even with the sauerkraut, they were rather bland. I would also add caraway- the sauerkraut we bought didn’t have it. I suggest saving the crisp bacon to serve on top - our family doesn’t like soft bacon. But mmmmm sauerkraut! This makes a huge amount - invite some friends to join you- definitely comfort food!