Sauerkraut Sausage Soup

This hearty sauerkraut sausage soup is great for cold months; it warms you up and makes rainy, chilly days easier to handle.

Course Main Course

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Servings servings

Calories 412kcal

Author Adina

Equipment

Large Dutch oven or soup pot

Ingredients

1 lb potatoes 450 g
1 medium onion
1 red bell pepper or any other color
7 oz smoked sausages such as kielbasa, 200 g, Note 1
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
1 teaspoon marjoram or thyme
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons granulated sugar more to taste
4 ¼ cups chicken stock 1 liter, Note 2
1 can sauerkraut 14 oz/ 400 g
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons parsley chopped
fine sea salt and lots of ground black pepper

Instructions

Preparations: Peel, wash, and chop the potatoes into small cubes. Finely chop the onions and set them aside. Chop the pepper and set it aside separately. Slice the sausage into rounds.
1 lb potatoes / 450 g + 1 medium onion + 1 red bell pepper + 7 oz smoked sausages / 200 g
Cook sausages: Heat the oil and cook the sausage slices until nicely colored and slightly crispy around the edges. Remove the sausages from the pot and place them on a paper towel to absorb excess fat. If there's too much fat in the pot, carefully pour it off, leaving only 1-2 tablespoons for sautéing the onions and potatoes.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Sauté potatoes and onions for about 3 minutes. Add pepper, paprika, marjoram, bay leaves, and sugar and stir well.
pepper + 1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder + 1 teaspoon marjoram + 2 bay leaves + 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Simmer soup: Add the stock, bring to a boil, and simmer the soup on medium-low heat until the potatoes are tender.
4 ¼ cups chicken stock / 1 liter
Add sauerkraut: Stir in the drained sauerkraut and let it simmer for another 10 minutes. Return the sausages to the pot and heat them for a few minutes.
1 can sauerkraut
Adjust the flavor with salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and additional sugar if needed; the sauerkraut soup should have a sweet and sour taste. Before serving, add plenty of freshly ground black pepper, as the soup should also be slightly peppery. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce + fine sea salt and lots of ground black pepper + 3 tablespoons parsley

Notes

Sausage: I used Polish kielbasa this time, but you can use any fresh or smoked sausage, such as cabanossi, bratwurst, Italian sausage, chorizo, Wiener, or Frankfurters. For the last two options, just slice them and add them during the final 5 minutes of cooking.
Stock: You can use chicken stock, beef broth, or vegetable broth. Homemade or jarred options work well, but if you only have bouillon cubes, feel free to use those.

Nutrition