Braised Sauerkraut and Sausage Recipe

Braised sauerkraut and sausage is a classic German Christmas recipe that will make you feel nice and cozy on any cold weather day. This hearty and flavorful dish has the sweet and salty balance of apple and bacon. It pairs perfectly with any number of comfort food sides and a glass of Riesling wine.

Braised sauerkraut and sausage recipe

Looking for a lighter fare for your next meal? Try this crisp, sustainably sourced Nicoise Salad with Seared Tuna recipe.

German Recipe Inspiration

I scoured the internet for fun German-inspired recipes that used a ton of sauerkraut. I also wanted to also feature German ingredients that I loved eating during my travels abroad. I sourced as many ingredients as I could locally. The sausages came from a tiny butcher shop in a small town about an hour away, and the Riesling was locally grown and produced. The sauerkraut brand prides itself on simple, authentic ingredients. All these elements together really contribute to the success of this dish.

This recipe was created as part of a sponsorship with Bubbies. Accompanying Instagram post here:

Buy Bubbies Sauerkraut here:

Whole Grain Mustard

I went to a party hosted by a German friend once and asked what the difference was between the mustard brought to the US from Germany and the ones available here. His reply was one was from Germany and one was from the United States. Thus, don’t get too caught up on where your condiments are from. Choose a good quality whole grain mustard that is available locally, or make your own! The best kind is going to be the type with simple ingredients. Water, mustard seeds, vinegar, salt, white wine, lactic acid, and maybe one or two other additives depending on the brand and style.

Buy German whole-grain mustard here.

Visual Recipe Steps

Drain sauerkraut, rinse, and squeeze dry.
Drain the sauerkraut in a colander. Then rinse and squeeze out excess water with your hands. Set the sauerkraut aside on a cloth until you’re ready to add it to the casserole pot. Next, coarsely chop the onion into small pieces and set aside.

Cut the thickly sliced bacon into 1-inch pieces.

In a large enameled cast-iron casserole pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil until it shimmers. Add the bacon and cook over moderately high heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp – about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.

Add onions to casserole and cook until soft.
Next, add the onion pieces to the casserole pot. Cover partially and cook over medium-low heat until very soft, stirring occasionally – about 20 minutes.
Add spices to the casserole.
Add the wine, apple, juniper berries, bay leaves, sugar, kosher salt, and ground pepper. Increase the heat to moderately high and simmer for 3 minutes.
Add sauerkraut and apples, reduce heat to low, and cook for about 45 minutes or apples are tender.
Then, add the water and the sauerkraut. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the apple is very tender – about 45 minutes. While you are waiting, begin preparing the sausages.
Cook the sausages in boiling water.
Put the sausages in a large pot of water and bring the water to a boil. Once the water has come to a boil, remove the pot from the burner. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes.
Remove sausages from water and let sit until ready to brown and serve.
Remove the sausages from the pot and set them aside to rest for 5 minutes
Bbq the sausages right before serving.
Brown the sausages on the BBQ or a skillet over medium-high heat. The sauerkraut mixture should be nearly done by this point.
Braised sauerkraut sausage served
Spoon the sauerkraut onto a platter and arrange the sausages on top. Sprinkle the bacon over the sausages and serve with whole-grain mustard.

What to Serve with Sauerkraut and Sausage

Roasted root vegetables: This may include crispy potato wedges, hole-roasted sweet potatoes with butter or these delicious roasted carrots!

Creamy polenta: Polenta is simply coarsely ground corn meal. This mild porridge, made with butter and cream cheese, will balance out the fatty sausage.

Mac & cheese – The cheesier, the better.

Applesauce – Try your hand at a simple homemade batch!

Braised Sauerkraut and Sausage

Michael Kahn
This classic German Christmas dish of braised sauerkraut and sausage makes for a great cold weather meal. Toss in some bacon, apple and a splash of Riesling wine for a very flavorful and hearty dish.
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Course Entree
Cuisine German
Servings 6 people
Calories 4564 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 5 ounces Bacon Thick cut, slice into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 Onion Large
  • 2 tablespoons White wine Dry varietal, Riesling recommended
  • 1 Apple Large, firm sweet type, such as Fuji or Pink Lady. Peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 15 Juniper berries
  • 4 Bay leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sugar
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Freshly ground
  • 1 cup Water
  • 2 1/2 pounds Sauerkraut Drained, rinsed and squeezed dry (4 packed cups). 2 jars of Bubbies Sauerkraut.
  • 12 Sausages German style, such as weisswurst or bratwurst
  • Whole Grain mustard For serving

Instructions
 

  • Drain the Sauerkraut in a colander. Then rinse and squeeze out excess water with your hands. Set the sauerkraut aside on a cloth until you're ready to add it to the casserole pot.
  • Coarsely chop the onion into small pieces and set aside.
  • Cut the bacon slices into 1/2-inch pieces and set aside.
  • In a large enameled cast-iron casserole pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil until shimmering.
    Add the bacon and cook over moderately high heat until the fat is rendered, and the bacon is crisp – about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate.
  • Next, add the onion pieces to the casserole pot. Cover partially and cook over medum-low heat until very soft, stirring occasionally – about 20 minutes.
  • Add the wine, apple, juniper berries, bay leaves, sugar, kosher salt and ground pepper. Increase the heat to moderately high and simmer for 3 minutes.
    Then, add the water and the sauerkraut. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the apple is very tender – about 45 minutes.
  • While you are waiting, begin preparing the sausages. If you bought packaged sausages, follow the instructions provided by the retailer. For raw sausages:
    Put the sausages in a large pot of water and bring the water to a boil.
  • Once the water has come to a boil, remove the pot from the burner. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes.
  • Remove the sausages from the pot and set them aside to rest for 5 minutes. Brown them on the BBQ or a skillet over medium-high heat. The sauerkraut mixture should be nearly done by this point.
  • Spoon the sauerkraut onto a platter and arrange the sausages on top. Sprinkle the bacon over the sausages and serve with whole-grain mustard.

Nutrition

Serving: 6peopleCalories: 4564kcalCarbohydrates: 90gProtein: 184gFat: 383gSaturated Fat: 117gCholesterol: 828mgSodium: 17268mgPotassium: 5093mgFiber: 39gSugar: 46gVitamin A: 1120IUVitamin C: 190mgCalcium: 468mgIron: 29mg
Keyword Apple, Bacon, Sauerkraut, Sausage
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5 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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