Cozy and delicious German-style soup made with sauerkraut (fermented cabbage), delicious root vegetables (onion, golden beets, kohlrabi, and carrots), bacon, and kielbasa sausage. Seasoned with garlic and dill. Perfect for Oktoberfest gatherings!
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While there are numerous iterations of sauerkraut soup on the internet, my recipe has been tested and loved so many times over the last 10 years I’ve been making it. Until writing this post, I’ve actually never stopped to write down the recipe because it permanently lives in my head. Originally, I learned about this soup from my college roommate who made it in a crockpot. Now sauerkraut soup is a staple in our house every October when the chilly air returns and sweater weather begins. Sweata weatha! (IYKYK)
Ingredients in Sauerkraut Soup
While there are many versions of sauerkraut soup on the internet, these are the ingredients that have worked the best for me over the years.
Veggies & Meats
- Thick cut Bacon: Thick cut bacon from our local meat market tends to be higher quality and render less fat than the prepackaged grocery store version. Use whatever thick cut bacon you prefer normally.
- Sausage: Kielbasa is my preferred sausage for this soup. It is a Polish ring sausage with a salty, perfectly balanced flavor.
- Onion: white onions are my preferred, but if you have yellow or red on hand, that is fine, too!
- Garlic: I love a lot of garlic in my soup, but if you don’t it’s okay to use less.
- Golden beets: These give a warmth and earthy richness to the soup. They do not taste strongly like red beets, so don’t use red beets as a substitute. Just add more carrots instead!
- Kohlrabi: AKA “German Turnip” with a cabbage-like flavor, kohlrabi is the perfect addition to this soups. I use kohlrabi instead of potatoes because potatoes can turn this soup (and most soups) a little gritty from the starch.
- Carrots: Either whole or baby carrots will do.
- Celery: The unsung hero of soups everywhere. Taken for granted, you don’t notice when it’s there, but you absolutely miss it when it’s gone.
Soup Broth
- Sauerkraut: The fermented star of this soup. Use 16 oz for a mild flavor and 32 oz for a strong sour flavor! Frank’s brand is my favorite and it’s easy to find in my local grocery store.
- Chicken Broth: The perfect base for this soup.
- Cream of Mushroom Soup: Adds mushroom flavor and thickens the soup. Substitute with mushrooms and sour cream if preferred.
- Cream of Chicken Soup: Adds chicken flavor and thickens the soup. Substitute with chopped chicken and sour cream if preferred.
- Water: Adjust to create your preferred broth liquid consistency.
- Seasonings: Bay leaves, dill, dill seed (optional), salt and pepper
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How to make the best soups
I like to build most of my soups with layers of flavor as opposed to dumping everything in a crock pot. The crock pot method can overcook the meat and vegetables if you aren’t home to check on it. Below is a brief overview of how to make the best sauerkraut soup:
- Cook the strips of bacon until cooked thoroughly and slightly crispy. Set aside on paper towels to catch the grease. Reserve the rendered bacon fat from the pan.
- In a large 12qt stockpot, add 1-2 Tablespoons of rendered bacon fat to the stockpot (or use olive oil instead). Add the diced onions, stir to thoroughly coat the onions and cook until translucent. Add minced garlic.
- Add the chopped veggies: carrots, celery, kohlrabi, and beets.
- Add the soup broth ingredients (sauerkraut, chicken broth, cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soups, water, bay leaves, dill, black pepper), stir, and bring to a boil. Once bubbling, reduce heat and continue cooking until the vegetables are fork-tender.
- In the meantime, sear your kielbasa slices over medium heat in a skillet on the stovetop. Once cooked, set aside. Roughly chop the cooked and cooled bacon.
- Once the soup veggies are perfectly cooked and fork-tender (not mushy), stir in the bacon and kielbasa sausage. Remove the soup from heat and let it absorb the flavors from the meat for 10-15 minutes before serving. This soup is always better the longer you let it sit, so overnight in the refrigerator is perfectly fine, too!
Equipment Used:
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- 1 12-qt stockpot
- 1 large skillet
- Liquid measuring cup (I love my glass pyrex measuring cups!)
- Tongs
- Soup ladle (I’ve had this silicone Rachel Ray ladle for YEARS and it is by far my favorite. It is sturdy, easy to clean, and holds onto the pot by itself. This leaves my stovetop much cleaner!)
- Garlic press (My garlic press by OXO minces garlic in a second).
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
Tips for making the best soups!
Living in Minnesota, it’s Soup Season half the year. I make a new soup weekly for lunches and decided it was about time I share my favorites with you! Below is a helpful list of my soup making tips.
- Don’t throw away your veggie peelings! Add your chicken stock & 2-3 cups of water to the empty stockpot before ever starting the soup, add your vegetable peelings: carrot peels, garlic discards, onion skin discards, celery stalks, kohlrabi peels, and beet peels. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium heat. After about 45 minutes of cooking the broth, strain the liquid into a bowl or other suitable container and discard the veggie peels. The result is a chicken broth fortified with veggies. The flavor is amazing and costs you nothing but a little extra time and effort. Pro tip: You can collect vegetable discards throughout the year whenever you’re processing fresh vegetables. Avoiding rotten bits, throw all the scraps (odd ends, mushroom stumps, celery before it goes bad, etc.) into gallon freezer bags and use them when soup season arrives!
- Cook bacon and kielbasa before adding to soup. While you could add the bacon and sausage directly to the soup to cook in the broth with the vegetables, it just leads to bland tasting meat in your soup. For best results, crisp the bacon and sear the kielbasa slices so they retain maximum flavor.
- Cut sizes matter. Chop your kohlrabi and beets into similar sizes for even cooking. Carrots that are cut too large can take longer than other vegetables to cook.
- Do not add salt to this soup until the end. Because the meat, sauerkraut, and chicken broth all have plenty of salt, you run the risk of over-salting this soup easily.
- Soup the next day always tastes better! This soup is our absolute favorite soup as leftovers. The flavors get extra time to meld together.
Love this recipe? Here are more dishes we think you’ll love!
Serve your soup with my delicious and easy No Knead Bread or buttery Garlic Knots! Check out my German Potato Salad with Kohlrabi Substitute recipe too! It is made with a maple-bacon-apple cider vinaigrette that I just love! It’s the perfect Oktoberfest side dish. For dessert, try my amazing German black forest cake and impress your guests!
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Sauerkraut Soup with Bacon, Kielbasa, and Dill
Cozy and delicious german-style soup made with sauerkraut (fermented cabbage), delicious root vegetables (onion, golden beets, kohlrabi, and carrots), bacon, and kielbasa sausage. Seasoned with garlic and dill. Perfect for Oktoberfest gatherings!
Ingredients
Veggies & Meats
- 1 large (16oz) white onion, chopped
- 1 lb (16oz) thick cut bacon, uncooked
- 5-6 cloves of garlic
- 8 oz golden beets (3-4 medium sized), peeled and cubed
- 1.5 lb (24oz) Kohlrabi, peeled and cubed
- 5 oz carrots (2 medium carrots), peeled and chopped into cubes or coins
- 5 oz celery (3 sticks), chopped
- 14 oz Kielbasa sausage, sliced into ¼ inch slices
Soup Broth
- 1 Jar Sauerkraut, 16oz (mild taste) or 32 oz (strong sour taste) depending on your preference
- 4 cups (32oz) Chicken Broth
- 1 can (10.5oz/298g) Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 1 can (10.5oz/298g) Cream of Chicken Soup
- 2-3 cups (16-24oz) water
- 3 Bay leaves
- 1 Tablespoon Dill
- 1 teaspoon dill seed (optional)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
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Important Note: Do not add salt to this soup until it is finished cooking. Bacon, kielbasa, sauerkraut and chicken broth all contain enough salt during the cooking process.
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In a large skillet on the stovetop, cook the strips of bacon in small batches until cooked thoroughly and slightly crispy. Set aside on paper towels to catch the grease. Reserve the rendered bacon fat from the pan for the next step.
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In a large 12qt stockpot, add 1-2 Tablespoons of rendered bacon fat to the stockpot (or use olive oil instead). Add the diced onions, stir to thoroughly coat the onions. Over medium heat, cook the onions until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add minced garlic and continue cooking for about 5 minutes.
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Add the chopped carrots, celery, kohlrabi, and beets. Stir to coat them in a thin layer of bacon fat, too. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes.
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Add the soup broth ingredients (sauerkraut, chicken broth, cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soups, water, bay leaves, dill, black pepper), stir, and bring to a boil. Once bubbling, reduce to low or medium low heat and continue cooking until the vegetables are fork-tender. This can take 30-45 minutes depending on your heat settings.
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In the meantime, sear your kielbasa slices over medium heat in a skillet on the stovetop. This helps the sausage to retain a great texture and flavor in the soup for days. Once cooked, set aside. Roughly chop the cooked and cooled bacon.
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Once the soup veggies are perfectly cooked and fork-tender (not mushy), stir in the bacon and kielbasa sausage. Remove the soup from heat and let it absorb the flavors from the meat for 10-15 minutes before serving. This soup is always better the longer you let it sit, so overnight in the refrigerator is perfectly fine, too!
Recipe Notes
Note: If the soup is too thick and you’d like it to be runny, add more water to your preference.
Storing Soup: Store soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days for best results. This soup freezes exceptionally well in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator first overnight to make reheating the soup easier or store in individual sized portions in the freezer for ready-made meals.
Steve Green says
This soup was perfectly creamy, delicious and flavorful! Do not skip the dill – it was perfection. Well worth the time and effort to make this homemade soup. Perfect on a cold winter day like this.
Elsa says
Perfect recipe! I dream about this soup.
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Thanks, Elsa!