If you are looking for a delicious way to incorporate more fermented food into your diet, this sauerkraut soup, or kapuśniak in Polish, is the perfect way. This simple recipe brings sauerkraut to the forefront without being overpowering.
Sauerkraut is a popular ingredient in Polish cooking so sauerkraut soup is no surprise. This healthy and sour soup is an excellent source of fibre and Vitamin A and it is excellent for gut health. It’s called kapuśniak in Polish and is a soup that is recognizable all across Poland.
I cut a few corners with this recipe, deviating a bit from the traditional one. For one, I used boxed stock. Typically, sauerkraut soup is made on pork bone with chunks of pork swimming about. But, we like to keep things simple and lighter so we opted for a chicken stock. The only meat we added was some bacon for a touch of that fatty and smoky flavour.
I also omitted one of the key spices that makes sauerkraut soup a traditional Polish kapuśniak… caraway seeds. I personally really dislike carraway seeds which is why you won’t see them here.
Aside from not enjoying carraway seeds, I am also generally not a fan of buying spices you will only use once or twice a year. So on that note, we used ground allspice instead of whole to eliminate some waste.
I am here to tell you that as useful as these spices are in making this soup delicious, you can make an equally delicious version without them. Don’t be afraid to veer away from the norm.
Preparing Sauerkraut Soup
Ingredients
Pantry
Stock: Stock adds the base for this delicious sauce so the flavour it brings is very important. Make sure you don’t have one that’s too salty. If it is, reduce the amount of salt you add to the recipe.
Olive oil: I use olive oil for this recipe because of its mild flavour. Olive oil is the fat extracted from olives. The least processed is extra virgin olive oil, which I use in this recipe.
Sauerkraut: Sauerkraut is made by finely slicing raw cabbage, covering it with salt and letting the fermenting process take its course. Once the cabbage starts releasing its juices, the jars are sealed.
Produce
Potatoes: I use yellow flesh potatoes in this recipe. Yellow potatoes are a bit more sweet and softer so overcooking them will make them mushy quickly. White flesh potatoes are a bit more starchy and will hold their shape better so feel free to use white flesh potatoes instead.
Carrot: This root vegetable is slightly sweet, bright and filled with vitamin A and fibre. Baby-cut carrots are just smaller pieces cut from a larger carrot. Carrots are rich in potassium, fiber and vitamin C and antioxidants.
Onion: Onion is a very common vegetable that is used both raw and cooked in food preparation. It has a sharp flavour raw that often sweetens once cooked. There are many varieties of onions, some that are milder than others. We use the common
onion or yellow onion in this recipe.Bacon: Bacon is salt cure pork from different cuts of the back. It is typically sold in slices. There are also non-pork alternatives such as turkey bacon that can also be used.
Herbs and Spices
Ground caraway: Caraway seeds are the fruits of the caraway plant. They are very aromatic and have a hint of anis flavour. They slightly resemble fennel seeds and even more so cumin seeds, but with a darker tone and slightly longer and rounded shape. Caraway seeds are used in many cultural recipes across the world and even vary in name across countries.
Marjoram: Marjoram is a perennial herb from the mint family. It has a strong flavour, especially in its dried form, that has similar undertones as oregano and thyme. Marjoram is native to the Mediterranean but has spread across many continents. It is typically grown for cooking purposes.
Bay leaves: Bay leaves are the leaves of the bay laurel tree. Bay leaves are most often added to dishes whole and then removed after cooking, before serving. When used in their dry form they don’t soften during the cooking process so are not pleasant to eat.
Allspice: Allspice is a ground unripe berry that comes from a tropical plant called Pimenta diaoica. It is used in many cuisines including Mexican, Jamaican and middle eastern. It is a very strong, smoky and almost sweet flavour and should be used carefully as it can easily overpower a meal.
How to Make Sauerkraut Soup or Kapuśniak
This soup is simple to prepare. We start with getting the ingredients ready, prepping the veggies and the on to cooking.
Step 1: Prep the Ingredients
Start by peeling the potatoes. Next, dice them into ¼-inch cubes. Peel and dice the carrots and onions and set everything aside.
Finally, dice the bacon.
Step 2: Prep the soup
Now it’s time to get cooking. Heat up the oil in a medium soup pot and add the diced onion and carrots once the oil is hot.
Cook the veggies until the onions and carrots begin to soften, approximately 2-3 minutes. Stir the veggies occasionally to prevent them from burning.
Next, add the allspice, carraway (if using), salt and pepper. Toast for 30 seconds then add the stock and herbs. Cover and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.
TIP: I’m not a fan of carraway seeds, and it is the seeds that traditionally are added to this soup so if you’re a fan, feel free to add ½ teaspoon. As an alternative, I provide an option of adding ground carraway instead. However, if you really don’t like carraway in any form, just skip it altogether.
Step 3: Prep the Sauerkraut
While the veggies are cooking in the stock, add the bacon to a medium saucepan and sauté on medium heat until it begins to shrink. Then add the sauerkraut, without its juices. Stew the sauerkraut on low heat while the rest of the soup cooks, stirring occasionally.
TIP: If you generally prefer a milder sour flavour you can rinse the sauerkraut in a strainer under cold water before adding it to the pot. Then you can add back more flavour later by adding more sauerkraut juice.
Step 4: Finish the Soup
Now add the potatoes to the soup pot with the other veggies and cook for 12-15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through.
Once the potatoes are cooked, carefully pour the contents of the saucepan into the soup pot. Cook for another 10 minutes.
Taste the soup and add the sauerkraut juice from the jar to taste. If you prefer the soup more sour add more juice if not don’t add any.
Storing Sauerkraut Soup
This soup keeps very well. Once cooled, move the soup to an air-tight container and store it in the fridge for up to a week. To reheat, simply place in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish or add it to a pot and reheat it on low.
Serving Sauerkraut Soup
This soup has everything you need to make a delicious meal. It’s hearty and healthy and oh-so comforting. If you really feel like adding something extra, try it with a side of rye bread.
I like to dip the bread in the soup. The rye combined with the sour soup is just the perfect combination.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is sauerkraut soup vegetarian?
This recipe is not vegetarian but all you have to do to make it so is skip the bacon and swap the chicken stock for a vegetable version. And Viola! Vegetarian, actually, technically vegan sauerkraut soup or kapuśniak.
Let us know in the comments if you have any other questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.
Are you looking for dinner ideas? Check out our recipes:
Sauerkraut Soup (Kapuśniak) Recipe
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Medium soup pot
- Knife
Ingredients
Instructions
- Peel and dice the potatoes, carrots and onions and set aside.270 g potatoes, 80 g carrot, 50 g onion
- Next dice the bacon.85 g slices bacon
- Heat up the oil in a soup pot then add the diced onion and carrots. Cook until the onion and carrots begin to soften, approximately 2-3 minutes tossing occasionally.1 tbsp olive oil
- Next, add the allspice, carraway, marjoram, salt and pepper. Toast for 30 seconds then add the stock and herbs. Cover and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.¼ tsp ground caraway, ½ tsp marjoram, 3 bay leaves, ¼ tsp allspice, ¼ tsp ground black pepper, ¼ tsp salt, 900 ml stock
- In the meantime, in a smaller saucepan add the bacon to a saucepan and sauté on medium heat until it begins to shrink. Next, add the sauerkraut, without its juices. If you prefer a milder flavour rinse the sauerkraut before adding it to the Stew the sauerkraut on low heat while the rest of the soup cooks stirring occasionally.375 g Sauerkraut
- Add the potatoes to the soup pot and cook for 12-15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, carefully pour the contents of the saucepan into the soup pot. Cook for another 10 minutes.
- Taste the soup and add the sauerkraut juice from the jar to taste. If you prefer the soup more sour add more juice if not don’t add any.
