Polish Pork and Sauerkraut Soup – a hearty mountain recipe, perfect for a cold and rainy days. The combination of pork and sauerkraut in a soup is magnificent, especially on a cold, rainy day during fall/ winter months.
Growing up on the Balkans in Europe, sauerkraut and pork meal combinations are a staple in every home. This lovely Polish soup (called Kwaśnica) is a traditional meal, that some prepare with pork ribs and bacon. If you are a fan of cabbage and pork meals, definitely check out my delicious Baked Cabbage with Pork Recipe.
Pork and Sauerkraut Soup – Ingredients
- Pork meat (pork ribs/or pork chops), cooked, boneless
- Sauerkraut – personally, I buy German sauerkraut from can or bag. Or use homemade.
- Wild garlic leaves, optional – substitute with spring onions or
- Celery stick, chopped
- Potatoes, chopped
- Vegetable oil – or substitute with lard for better taste. Many European families use
- Salt – to taste, taste test a few times to see if soup is good
- Bay leaves – a few make the meal taste better
- Black pepper – you can add later when serving if people in the family do not like pepper-y meals.
- Water (pork broth) for cooking – if you prepare the meat yourself, use the pork broth as soup liquid instead of water.
Pork and Sauerkraut Soup – Tips
- Use pork chops or pork ribs – sauerkraut and fatty meats go perfectly well together. Always use cuts of the pork that have some fat on them.
- Add lard for more taste – lard is naturally occurring fat, derived from pigs. Many European countries, including Italy/Greece per se use unprocessed clean lard as cooking fat (or as substitute for butter and processed vegetable oils).
- Use the broth from cooking pork cuts in for the soups broth. It makes soup taste phenomenal.
- Use finely chopped sauerkraut (preferably organic) or homemade – that makes soup even tastier.
- Add chopped bacon to the soup, together with pork cuts. Some people add bacon to the soup to make even more hearty. For others, like myself, that’s just too much.
How to make Pork and Sauerkraut Soup – VIDEO
MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES
- Easy Blueberry Lemon Waffles Recipe
- German applesauce cinnamon oatmeal raisin cookies (Apfelmus-Kekse)
- One pot chicken in parsley sauce (30 minutes)
- Easy Cheese Bread (Georgian Khachapuri) -VIDEO
- Mediterranean Chickpea salad with arugula, tomatoes and lime
Polish Pork and Sauerkraut Soup Recipe
Hearty Polish Pork and Sauerkraut Soup Recipe, with hearty pork meat and delicious vegetables. Perfect for cold and rainy winter/fall days.
Ingredients
- 500 g Pork meat (pork ribs/or pork chops), cooked, boneless
- 500 g sauerkraut (from can or bag/ homemade)
- 10 wild garlic leaves (or spring onion), optional
- 1 celery stick, chopped
- 4 small potatoes, chopped
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil or lard
- 1 tsp. salt (or more to taste)
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 liter water (pork broth) for cooking, or more as needed
Instructions
- Place raw pork meat (pork chops or pork ribs) in a cooking pot, cover with water and boil on low until fully cooked. Remove from pot from stove, let meat cool. Then remove bones and cut pork in small cubes. Use the remaining pork broth for the soup or another meal if you prefer).
- Meanwhile, in a large cooking pot add vegetable oil (lard), chopped wild garlic (spring onion), chopped celery and potatoes. Sauté for about 10 minutes under a lid on medium heat.
- Next, add sauerkraut, cooked pork meat and broth. Additionally add salt, pepper and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 15 minutes or until fully cooked. Serve hot.
Recipe Notes
Adjust thickness of soup by adding or removing more water/broth.
Precooked pork (thawed or store bought) meat may be used for the soup.
Recipe may contain affiliate links. Please see full disclosure here.
