Polish Sauerkraut Casserole Recipes

POLISH CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in sausage, soup, sauerkraut, 2 cups cheese, milk, onions, mustard and garlic., Spoon into 2 greased 8-in. square baking dishes; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown and bubbly, 45-50 minutes. Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked casserole up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown and bubbly, 50-55 minutes.

POLISH SAUSAGE AND SAUERKRAUT CASSEROLE (KAPUSTA)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Bring sausage to boil and simmer 15 minutes; drain and set aside.
• Cut bacon into small pieces.
• Begin browning, then add diced onion.
• Saute together until bacon is almost crisp.
• Drain mixture, reserving bacon grease.
• Drain sauerkraut (do not rinse).
• Add sauerkraut and brown sugar to bacon mixture.
• Mix in about 2 Tablespoons reserved bacon grease and water.
• Place in large casserole dish.
• Cut Polish sausage into 3" pieces and place on top of sauerkraut.
• Cover and bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour 15 minutes, checking sauerkraut mixture halfway through to add more water if sauerkraut appears very dry.
• Finish baking; remove from oven.
• Taste sauerkraut and, if desired, adjust flavor by adding salt and pepper, or a little more brown sugar, vinegar or bacon grease to your taste. (Note: In the old days, Busia (Grandma) would soak a cup of yellow peas overnight to soften them and would mix them into the sauerkraut. It was probably to stretch the quantity, but I don't do it anymore!).

POLISH BRAISED SAUERKRAUT

Steps:

• Drain the sauerkraut, keeping the juice (we won't use it here, but feel free to drink it - it's very healthy!). Have a taste - if the sauerkraut is extremely sour, it's worth giving it a rinse under running water first, then squeeze it out.
• Roughly chop the sauerkraut, so that the strings of fermented cabbage aren't too long.
• Move the sauerkraut into a deep frying pan/skillet.
• Pour in enough hot water to nearly cover the sauerkraut.
• Add in 2 tablespoons of butter (don't worry, it will melt on its own), 2 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon of cumin, 5 black peppercorns and 2-3 allspice berries.
• Cover with a lid and braise until soft. Sauerkraut will become soft after around 40 to 50 minutes of cooking. Monitor the process from time to time, making sure nothing boils over or sticks to the pan. Add more water if necessary.
• [optional step: apple] After 25 minutes of braising (somewhere around the half-way mark), add an apple. Peel one small sweet apple (weighing roughly 3.5 oz / 100 g before peeling) and chop it finely. You can also grate it instead (using the largest holes). Add the apple pieces into the sauerkraut and continue braising.
• [optional step: bacon] As the braising is nearing the end, let's fry the bacon: Chop the smoked bacon into cubes (or small pieces) and fry them up on a separate frying pan until lightly golden. Usually bacon renders enough of its own fat, so no additional cooking fat is required - but if your bacon is very lean, feel free to grease the pan with some oil.
• Add fried bacon into the braised kraut, fold it in.
• Add chopped onions into the same frying pan (same one we used for cooking bacon). Sauté them for a few minutes until they turn translucent.
• Add 1-2 tablespoons of flour into the onions, and stir them in (with a pan-friendly spoon or a spatula).
• Add in half a cup of water and stir continuously. Increase the heat and bring into a near-boil (keep on stirring!).
• Move the contents of the frying pan (onions + roux) into the braising sauerkraut. Stir everything together.
• Have a little taste. Does it need some more salt and pepper? If so, season it a bit more, I usually do. If it tastes a bit too acidic for your liking, add a pinch of sugar. Stir everything together and switch off the heat.
• [optional step] Chop fresh dill finely and fold it into the sauerkraut. Serve hot.

POLISH REUBEN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Spread sauerkraut in a greased shallow 4-qt. baking dish. Top with noodles. In a large bowl, combine the soup, milk, onion and mustard; pour over the noodles. Top with sausage; sprinkle with cheese., Combine bread crumbs and butter; sprinkle over the top. Cover and bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

POLISH REUBEN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl combine the soup, milk, onion and mustard. Mix well and set aside.
• Spread sauerkraut into the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with uncooked noodles, then spoon soup mixture evenly over noodles. Cover all with sausage and top with cheese. Lastly, combine bread crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl and mix together; sprinkle mixture over cheese.
• Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or until noodles are tender.

SPAETZLE, SAUERKRAUT AND SAUSAGE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a metal colander.
• Whisk together the flour and salt in a bowl. Mix the eggs and water, and pour into the flour mixture. Stir to form a dough.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place the spaetzle dough into the oiled colander, and set the colander over the pot of water. Use a flexible spatula to push the dough into the boiling water through the holes in the colander. Stir the spaetzle as they boil. When they have floated to the top, they are done (about 5 minutes). Scoop the spaetzle out of the boiling water, and place into an ungreased 9x9-inch baking dish.
• Place the bacon in a skillet over medium heat, and cook, stirring often, until the bacon is crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove bacon, leaving drippings in pan, and set aside. Cook the onion in the same pan as the bacon until browned, about 10 minutes.
• In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat until foamy, and stir in the apple and brown sugar. Cook and stir until the apple is soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked bacon, onions, and sauerkraut into the skillet, and cook, stirring often, until the flavors have blended, about 5 minutes. Pour the sauerkraut mixture into the 9x9-inch baking dish on top of the spaetzle.
• Place the kielbasa pieces into a microwave-safe dish, and cook on full power in a microwave oven until the sausage is hot and has lost its pink color, 2 or 3 minutes. Transfer the sausage to the baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bubbling, about 15 minutes.

JANS POLISH SAUERKRAUT SIDE DISH

Steps:

• Fry bacon until just about crisp.
• Place on a paper towel to drain fat.
• Discard fat from frying pan except for about 1 tablespoon.
• Chop onion into 1 inch pieces.
• Place in pan and saute until translucent.
• Place on same paper towel to drain fat.
• In a large pot, place sauerkraut,1 or 2 cans of water, bacon and onion.
• Cook sauerkraut at least one half hour.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve.
• Tastes better the next day.
• Optional- You can cook a link (1 pound) of fresh Polish sausage for added flavor and use the meat as part of your meal.

POLISH SAUERKRAUT AND CARROT SALAD

Steps:

• Place sauerkraut in a colander and squeeze out all excess liquid using your hands; chop well.
• Combine sauerkraut, onion, apple, and carrots in a large bowl and mix. Add oil and sugar and toss to combine. Season with caraway seeds, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.

POLISH DELIGHT CASSEROLE

Steps:

• In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.
• Add meat and saute until browned, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in mushroom and chicken soups, onion soup mix, celery, pepper, and garlic powder.
• Spoon into 13x9-inch casserole dish.
• Cover.
• Bake at 350 degrees until tender, 45 minutes- 1 hour, stirring occasionally and adding up to 1 cup of water if needed.
• Add cooked noodles and sauerkraut and stir to combine.
• Cover and bake for 30 minutes longer.