• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Fermenting for Foodies

Health, Taste and Tradition

  • Types of Fermentation
  • Everyday Recipes
  • Supplies
  • Cookbook

Sauerkraut Soup: Classic Comfort Food (GF)

Classic Comfort Food - Eastern European Sauerkraut Soup
Classic Comfort Food - Eastern European Sauerkraut Soup
Classic Comfort Food - Eastern European Sauerkraut Soup
Classic Comfort Food - Eastern European Sauerkraut Soup
Sauerkraut soup based on Russian, Ukrainian and German recipes

This sauerkraut soup recipe is a rich and delicious one-pot meal. Perfect for a cold winter’s day. It’s also a great way to get a bit more sauerkraut into your diet.

Classic Comfort Food - Eastern European Sauerkraut Soup

When I created this soup, I didn’t realize that there was already a traditional Eastern European sauerkraut soup called Kapusnyak. So while this soup isn’t technically traditional, it is pretty similar to a lot of the traditional recipes.

My sauerkraut soup is a blend of a creamy mashed potato and tomato soup base (common in Russian Doukhobor soups) and German-style sausage soup. It’s a rich and delicious soup and is a favorite with my kids.

A Fermentation Friendly Meal

Sauerkraut soup is a great way to feature homemade fermented foods.

  • Sauerkraut: Whether you make your own, or buy sauerkraut use fermented sauerkraut rather than vinegar sauerkraut for a probiotic boost! Adding the sauerkraut to each bowl after serving helps to keep the probiotics alive.
  • Sour Cream: Homemade sour cream is incredibly easy to make. It’s also another good source of probiotics. Alternatively, you could also use yogurt or Greek yogurt.
  • Sourdough Bread: I love well-fermented sourdough bread. I am a fermentation foodie after all! Rye bread is traditional. Or make gluten-free sourdough buns.
Eastern European Sauerkraut Soup - Classic Comfort Food
Print

Sauerkraut Soup

Sauerkraut Soup A Simple, One-Pot Meal
Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

This sauerkraut soup is a delicious German-style sausage soup made with a creamy potato base. Topped with fresh sauerkraut and sour cream, it is a healthy and filling meal that comes with a dose of probiotics! 

  • Author: Emillie
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 40 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
  • Category: Soup
  • Cuisine: German
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Units Scale

Soup

  • 3 Tbsp oil
  • 4 sausages, cut into bite-sized pieces (see notes for a vegetarian alternative)
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, diced
  • 2 carrots, grated
  • 1 –14 oz can of diced tomatoes
  • 6 cups of water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 4 large russet potatoes
  • 1/3 cup of milk
  • 1 tsp salt, to taste

For Serving

  • 2 cups sauerkraut
  • 1 cup sour cream

Instructions

  1. Saute the sausage in oil until the sausage starts browning. Add in the onion, garlic, and carrots, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
  2. Pour in water, canned tomatoes, bay, and paprika. Give everything a good stir.
  3. Add in the potatoes (whole or sliced in half for really large potatoes) and bring to a boil.
  4. Simmer until the potatoes are soft (about 20 min). Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon. Roughly mash the potatoes with the milk.
  5. Stir the mashed potatoes back into the soup and salt to taste.
  6. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and sauerkraut.

Notes

  • Though German sausage would be ideal for this recipe, pork sausage will work. Or if you like a bit of spice, then use spicy sausage.
  • For a vegan version of this recipe (and I can recommend it!) use vegan sausage with vegan sour cream.
  • I never peel my potatoes, even when I’m making mashed potatoes. However, if you want a really smooth and creamy soup, then peel your potatoes as it will make it easier to mash them.

Keywords: probiotic, healthy, hearty, comforting, fall, winter, stew, Russian, Eastern European, fermented, German, simple

Filed Under: Soups and StewsTagged With: Eastern European, Gluten Free, Potatoes, Sauerkraut, Soup

Previous Post: « Buttermilk Oatmeal Muffins – 8 Flavor Options! (GF)
Next Post: Fermenting For Beginner’s – Where You Should Start? »

Reader Interactions

Related Posts

Eastern European pickled vegetable salad
Salat Vinegret – Pickled Vegetable Salad
Simple and delicious sauerkraut latkes are perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
Traditional Potato and Sauerkraut Latkes
Prebiotic and probiotic potato salad for gut-health
Prebiotic and Probiotic Potato Salad (GF)

Why you should make vareniki or pierogi.
Baba’s Vareniki – A Doukhobor Style Pierogi
Traditional and savory pierogi filling recipes
Pierogi Filling Recipes: Savory, Sweet, and Traditional
Wonderfully Easy Fermented Sauerkraut (10 Flavors!)

Comments

  1. Sam

    August 15, 2018 at 9:30 am

    My wife and I are having the worst cold today, this really made our day so much easier! So incredibly tasty, thanks for sharing!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Emillie

      August 15, 2018 at 9:38 am

      Thank you so much! It’s one of my favourite soups.

      Reply
  2. Bobbi

    October 20, 2018 at 6:56 am

    I love your recipes! I am making this one today. Does freezing the leftovers effect the probiotics?

    Reply
    • Emillie

      October 21, 2018 at 1:28 pm

      It shouldn’t. But reheating would likely kill it. Maybe just freeze before adding the sauerkraut, then add the kraut to each individual bowl.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Emillie, an island-dwelling fermentation enthusiast. Fermenting For Foodies features healthy recipes designed to feed your microbiome.
Read More →

Check Out My Cookbook!

Fermenting Made Simple Cookbook

Want healthy recipes right to your inbox? Subscribe to our mid-month newsletter!

Thank you!

Please check your inbox to confirm your subscription.

Affiliate Disclosure

In order to run this site, Fermenting For Foodies sometimes earns an affiliate commission on the sales of products we link to. We only feature items we genuinely want to share, and this is an arrangement between the retailer and Fermenting For Foodies. Readers never pay more for products. Thank you for reading!

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Sponsored Content
  • Contact

Copyright © 2022 · Fermenting for Foodies