Sauerkraut Soup

Sauerkraut is a favorite at our house.  I remember my mom making it when I was young.  My sister and I would eat as little as we possibly could get away with.  Now I enjoy it much more and my husband LOVES it.  We don't use it as a condiment, it is part of the main meal here!  We ferment our own for about a month and a half in an old crock.  I scored this year and got 10 heads of cabbage at the farmers' market for $9.  The guy who sold it to me looked at me funny and said "that's a lot of cabbage".  I explained we were making sauerkraut and then he seemed to understand!  I have canned and frozen the kraut and either way it seems to do well. 

Our favorite dish is kraut and sausage with mashed potatoes.  I decided it was time to branch out and try kraut in a soup.  Browsed a few recipes online and then threw this together with what I had.

Sauerkraut Soup

Chop 4 stalks celery, 3 carrots, 1 onion, and 3 cloves garlic.  Saute the veggies in 2 Tbsp coconut oil (or your fat of choice).

Add 3 cups chicken stock and 2 cups sauerkraut brine.  Simmer mixture until veggies are soft. 

Add 2 cups sauerkraut and chopped smoked sausage or kielbasa.

Season to your liking and heat through.

(I added thyme, pepper, onion powder, and more garlic.)

My husband gave this recipe the thumbs up and I am happy to have another way to enjoy our homemade kraut!  We always pack our kraut with lots of brine but you could always add more stock if you have drier kraut.

Did I mention how much our dog loves kraut?  She is German after all :)