Sauerkraut Soup Recipe (Kapustnyak) (2024)

Sauerkraut Soup Recipe (Kapustnyak) (1)

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This sauerkraut soup is a most unusual and delicious soup. It’s also the perfect example of how the farmers and common folks of Ukraine made delicious foods with simple basic ingredients. My husband’s grandparents stored sauerkraut inbarrels for winter. The sauerkraut wasone of their primaryvegetable sources during the cold months, so they got creative with it and made Kapustnyak (sauerkraut soup).

Can you evenimagine not being able to go to the grocery store and buybroccolior lettuce in the winter? We are truly blessed tolive in the US! #sothankful ?

Back to this soup, the sauerkraut gives ita lovely texture and zing and the bacon provides a subtle smokiness. ?Excellent with fresh crusty bread. It’s hearty, filling and will warm your belly. My husband and I enjoyed leftovers for several days.

This recipe was inspired by one of my readers, Oksana, who shared herrecipe for sauerkraut soup and bean soup with me. It was also inspired by Rachel Ray’s Ham, Bean and Bacon Soup. Thank you ladies for generously sharing your delicious recipes! 🙂

Ingredients for Sauerkraut Soup:

1 Tbsp olive oil
8 ozbacon, chopped
1 stick celery, finely diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
3 medium (1 lb) potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/3″ thick pieces
1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed, optional
2-3 cupssauerkraut, triple rinsed & drained (weuse 3 cups or about2 lbs)
8 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups water, or to taste
1 (15 oz can) white beans (click to learn how to cookyour own beans)
Salt, Pepper and Mrs. Dash seasoning, to taste

Sauerkraut Soup Recipe (Kapustnyak) (2)

How to Make Sauerkraut Soup (Kapustnyak):

1.Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven (here’s the one I use). Add chopped bacon and sautee until browned then remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.

Sauerkraut Soup Recipe (Kapustnyak) (3)

2. Add finely chopped celery and onion. Saute until softened and golden (5 min).

Sauerkraut Soup Recipe (Kapustnyak) (4)

3. Add sliced carrots, potatoes, 1/4 cup quinoa (if using), 8 cups broth and 2cups water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 15 min.

Sauerkraut Soup Recipe (Kapustnyak) (5)

4. Add 2-3 cups of well rinsed and drained sauerkraut and half of cooked bacon (I keep some for garnish), white beans with their juice, and 1 bay leaf and continue to cook until potatoes are tender(about 10min). Season soup to taste (I added 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp Mrs Dash). Serve with fresh crusty bread.

Sauerkraut Soup Recipe (Kapustnyak) (6)

Sauerkraut Soup Recipe (Kapustnyak) (7)

Sauerkraut Soup Recipe (Kapustnyak)

4.99 from 183 votes

Author: Natasha Kravchuk

Sauerkraut Soup Recipe (Kapustnyak) (9)

This sauerkraut soup is a most unusual and delicious soup. The sauerkraut gives it a lovely texture and zing and the bacon provides a subtle smokiness. It's hearty, filling and will warm your belly.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 35 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

Ingredients

Servings: 8 large bowls of soup

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 8 oz bacon, chopped
  • 1 stick celery, finely diced
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
  • 3 medium, 1 lb potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/3" thick pieces
  • 1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed, optional
  • 2-3 cups sauerkraut, triple rinsed & drained (we use 3 cups or about 2 lbs)
  • 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups water, or to taste
  • 1 15 oz can white beans (click to learn how to cook your own beans)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt, Pepper and Mrs. Dash seasoning, to taste

Instructions

  • Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Add chopped bacon and sautee until browned then remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.

  • Add finely chopped celery and onion. Saute until softened and golden (5 min).

  • Add sliced carrots, potatoes, 1/4 cup quinoa (if using), 8 cups broth and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 15 min.

  • Add 2-3 cups of well rinsed and drained sauerkraut and half of cooked bacon (I keep some for garnish), white beans with their juice, and 1 bay leaf and continue to cook until potatoes are tender (about 10 min). Season soup to taste (I added 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp Mrs Dash). Serve with fresh crusty bread.

  • Full Nutrition Label
  • Nutrition Disclosure

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Russian

Keyword: Sauerkraut Soup

Skill Level: Easy/Medium

Cost to Make: $$

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen

Sauerkraut Soup Recipe (Kapustnyak) (10)

All that coziness in a bowl ?. What’s your favorite “weird” soup? Maybe you fancy yourself a bowl of pickle soup orgreen borsch?

Natasha Kravchuk

Sauerkraut Soup Recipe (Kapustnyak) (11)

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

Read more posts by Natasha

Sauerkraut Soup Recipe (Kapustnyak) (2024)

FAQs

How do you make sauerkraut taste better? ›

Ten Delicious Kraut Additions
  1. Juniper Berries. Small and dark, these little raisin-sized berries pack a flavor punch. ...
  2. Beets. Peeled and grated or thinly sliced, even a tiny bit of beet stains the whole ferment fuchsia. ...
  3. Ginger. ...
  4. Lemon Peel. ...
  5. Dill. ...
  6. Caraway Seed. ...
  7. Fennel. ...
  8. Celery Root (celeriac)

Which soup is considered the most traditional in Ukraine? ›

The national dish of Ukraine is red borscht, a well-known beet soup, of which many varieties exist. However, varenyky (boiled dumplings similar to pierogi) and a type of cabbage roll known as holubtsi are also national favourites, and are a common meal in traditional Ukrainian restaurants.

How long to cook sauerkraut? ›

Use your hands to squeeze out as much water and juice as possible. Add squeezed sauerkraut to onion in the skillet. Stir chicken stock, sherry, brown sugar, and caraway seeds into sauerkraut mixture. Reduce heat to low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 30 to 40 minutes.

Is sauerkraut good or bad for you? ›

Sauerkraut is a versatile food full of essential nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Live sauerkraut can also contain probiotic bacteria, which are good for your gut. Some nutrients in sauerkraut may contribute to improved heart health, bone health, immune function, and inflammation.

What is the liquid in sauerkraut called? ›

Kraut juice (called Sauerkrautsaft in German, Zeamă de varză/Moare in Romanian, rasol, rasoj or rasuluk in the Balkans) is a beverage that consists of the liquid in which sauerkraut is cured. It is the juice of the vegetable itself and the pickling brine.

What spices go well with sauerkraut? ›

Ginger soothes and supports the digestive system, and it works well in sauerkraut paired with turmeric and black pepper or hot chilies and garlic. Dill, both fresh and dried, gives sauerkraut a fresh flavor and is reminiscent of dill pickles.

What kind of cabbage makes the best sauerkraut? ›

Round cabbage (also called white cabbage or simply cabbage) is the best cabbage for making sauerkraut. The cabbage is dense with smooth leaves and weighs on average around 2 kg. Light green cabbage will give you the best results!

What is the most eaten food in Ukraine? ›

The most famous traditional Ukrainian dishes are borshch, varenyky, holubtsi, Chicken Kyiv, banosh, and syrnyky, and it surely is not an exhaustive list. Borshch (sometimes written as borsch, borsht, bortsch, or borshch) is a sour soup with distinctive red colour.

What do Ukrainians eat for breakfast? ›

Breakfast in Ukraine is similar to a continental European breakfast. Ukrainian people eat a lot of cereals for breakfast. For example, in cities, a common breakfast will include boiled buckwheat, rice, or oats. In Western Ukraine, corn porridge is also quite popular and is commonly eaten with white cheese.

What is the most popular vegetable in Ukraine? ›

Ukrainian cuisine
  • The most important vegetables are beets, cabbage, cucumbers, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and beans. ...
  • Borshch – the mildly tait beet-vegetable soup, is truly the national dish of Ukraine.
Apr 26, 2023

Do you drain sauerkraut before cooking? ›

Drain it thoroughly before cooking or using raw.

How do I know when my homemade sauerkraut is done? ›

The rule of thumb when it comes to sauerkraut is to just keep tasting the sauerkraut until the taste is to your liking. The sauerkraut itself should be safe to eat at every stage of the process, so there is no real 'fermentation time'.

Is sauerkraut high in sugar? ›

The majority of calories in sauerkraut come from carbohydrates. Of the 5.8 grams of carbs in a one-cup serving, 3.9 grams are from fiber and 2.4 grams are from naturally occurring sugar.

What is sauerkraut made of? ›

Sauerkraut is a fermented food made from cabbage. It has been consumed for thousands of years for its probiotic benefits and is rich in vitamins C, B, A, K, and a variety of minerals. It has a tangy flavor, crunchy texture, and is simple and cost-effective to make at home!

What does sauerkraut taste like? ›

The taste is in the name, even if it's spelled the German way. Good sauerkraut has a sour punch, backed by acidic and salty notes. It's not sour like Sour Patch Kids or Warheads; it has a far more natural taste (close to the flavor of a pickle) that is quite delicious in big heaping doses.

What's the difference between German sauerkraut and regular sauerkraut? ›

In Germany and Austria, cooked sauerkraut is often flavored with juniper berries or caraway seeds; apples and white wine are added in popular variations. In South Tyrol, it is made with Juniper berries, Extra-virgin olive oil and smoked pancetta.

What's the difference between sour cabbage and sauerkraut? ›

It is similar to sauerkraut, with the difference that it is prepared through the lacto-fermentation for several weeks of whole heads of cabbage, not separate leaves or grated mass. No vinegar or boiling is required.

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