Traditional Polish Kapusniak Soup Recipe (Sauerkraut Soup)

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Kapusniak is a hearty and nutritious Polish soup made from sauerkraut or fermented cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and onions. It is the heartiest soup you have ever tried. If you like all things sauerkraut, this hot soup should be on your list!

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 45

Total Time1

Course: Dinner, lunch, Soup

Cuisine: European, Polish

Keyword: Kapusniak- Polish Sauerkraut Soup

Servings:

Calories: 256kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

1 lbs Carrots Diced
1 Parsnip Diced
1 Onion Diced
3 lbs Potatoes Diced
1 lbs Pork ribs
64 oz Bone broth or veggie or chicken broth
1/2 lbs Smoked Polish Sausage Small dice
4 strips Smoked bacon Diced
2 tbsp Olive oil
33 oz Sauerkraut From Bubbies company - 1 jar, or another company.
2 tbsp Onion granules
2 tbsp Basil
2 tbsp Marjoram
2 tbsp Garlic powder
6 Juniper berries whole
Black pepper To taste

Instructions

Rinse the sauerkraut in a colander and set it aside. (optional- I like it sour, so I don't rinse it, and I add the juice from the kraut as well)
2. Heat olive oil or butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the meat and cook until browned on all sides. Remove the meat from the pot and set it aside.
3. Add the onion to the large soup pot and cook until soft and translucent.
4. Add the garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, juniper berries, caraway seeds, and allspice to the pot and stir for about one minute.
5. Add diced potatoes and carrots and cook for 45 minutes.
6. Add the sauerkraut and the juice to the pot and turn off the heat. Mix the sauerkraut in.
7. Dice the bacon, place the smoked bacon in a pan over medium heat, and wait until the bacon fat melts. The bacon turns brown (about 10 minutes).
8. Slice or chop the sausage and fry it in the frying pan.
9. Remove the bay leaves from the soup pot, and season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
If you like your soup thicker, you might make a half-and-half or water slurry. (An arrowroot slurry is a mixture of arrowroot powder and water that is often used as a thickening agent in cooking. Here's how you can make it:
10. Add the arrowroot slurry to your recipe as a thickening agent. Be sure to stir it into your recipe well, and allow it to cook for a few minutes to thicken properly.)
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
2 tablespoons half and half or water
In a small bowl, mix together the arrowroot powder and cold half and half). Use a spoon or whisk to stir the mixture until it forms a smooth, thick paste.
Gluten-free roux: roux:
1/4 cup gluten-free flour,
1/4 cup fat (butter, olive oil).
Melt the fat in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour or starch and whisk continuously until it forms a smooth paste. Continue cooking the roux, constantly stirring, until it turns a light golden brown color. Remove the roux from the heat and use it immediately to thicken your recipe. Note that gluten-free flours may have different thickening properties than wheat flour, so you may need to adjust the amount of roux you use depending on the recipe.
11. Serve the kapusniak hot, with a dollop of sour cream on top, sausage and bacon if desired.

Notes

Different Variations:

Vegetarian or Vegan kapusniak: omit the meat and the chicken broth and use vegetable stock instead of water.
Mushroom kapusniak: add sliced mushrooms to the pot along with the sauerkraut.
Barley kapusniak: add 1 cup of barley to the pot along with the sauerkraut and water, and simmer until the barley is cooked through.

Nutrition