25 Ways to Use Sauerkraut
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Contributor
Oktoberfest in Germany may have ended, but you can keep the celebrations going all month long.
Sauerkraut, a traditional German fermented cabbage, isn’t just a delicious hot dog topping or stuffing for Reuben sandwiches. It contains probiotics (those same ones found in yogurt), which help maintain healthy stomach functions, so eat up!
Break out a beer stein and your lederhosen to prepare these delicious sauerkraut-stuffed dishes.
- All you need to make Alton Brown’s Sauerkraut recipe is cabbage, some spices and a fair amount of time; it takes about two weeks for the cabbage to ferment. Pickling salt is a fine-grain pure salt that doesn’t contain additives like anti-caking agents or iodine that other cooking salts may have.
- Rachael Ray’s Reuben-Style Casserole with Pastrami Meatballs, Sauerkraut and Barley is an easy make-ahead meal, perfect to warm you up on chilly fall evenings.
- If you’re an adventurous baker, make Beer and Sauerkraut Fudge Cupcakes with Beer Frosting.
- Serve Michael Symon’s Bratwurst Stewed with Sauerkraut (pictured above) on a baguette at your next tailgate.
- A simple Sauerkraut Soup with Sausage is hearty enough to be a full meal.
- Cook Good Luck Pork and Sauerkraut low and slow on the stovetop or in the slow cooker for meat so tender it falls right off the bones.
Jeremiah Alley, 2013, Cooking Channel, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
- Brian Boitano’s Sausage Schnitzel with Quick Sauerkraut is everything you want in a game-day snack: breaded and pan-fried sausage topped with a simple sauerkraut that takes minutes (and not weeks) to make.
- Save the juice from the containers of store-bought sauerkraut and use it to flavor an easy homemade hollandaise for Roasted White Asparagus with Sauerkraut Hollandaise and Toasted Pumpernickel Breadcrumbs. White asparagus is the same as the green variety, but it’s grown under dirt to prevent pigmentation from the sun.
- An easy one-pot dinner that will satisfy even the hungriest members of your family: Ham, Bean and Bacon Soup with Sauerkraut.
- Robert Irvine stuffs sausage casing with a mixture of scallops, shrimp, sea bass and salmon for his take on the traditional hot dog in Seafood Hot Dogs with Sweet Mustard Sauerkraut.
- Topped with sauerkraut, a pickle slice and crushed potato chips as a garnish, Reuben Sliders are an easy passed appetizer that looks really impressive to guests.
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- Smoked Michigan Beef Pierogi are the perfect weekend meal. They take a little time and elbow grease to make, but homemade pierogi are worth it.
- Rachael Ray’s Reuben-Style Shepherd’s Pie is everything you want in a Reuben sandwich, topped with quick mashed potatoes.
- Even better the second time around: Use leftover braised brisket to make BBQ Brisket Reuben Sandwiches.
- Brine hamburger patties overnight and then smoke them to create The Ultima Pastrami Burger.
- The festivities take a creative turn with German Beer Pizza, topped with cheese, beer-braised pork, potatoes, sauerkraut coleslaw and a sourdough pretzel garnish.
- Turn your kitchen into a German beer garden with Emeril’s Sausage Pot.
- There’s nothing better to celebrate the end of baseball season than a New York-style hot dog like Top Dog Frankfurter.
kerri brewer, 2013, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
- Boil brats in beer and then crisp them up on the grill before serving with a reduced beer sauce, mustard and sauerkraut on rye for Naffke Beer Brats.
- Make Dubliner Steamed Mussels for a simple, yet elegant dinner; steam and serve mussels and fingerling potatoes in a beer-sauerkraut broth.
- Sauteed Duck Breast is served with apples and sauerkraut for a fall meal. Don’t be intimidated by duck; score the fat, then sear fat-side down and finish cooking it in the oven. Save any excess duck fat for other uses like duck fat fries.
- Fry Montasio, a creamy Italian cheese, and stuff with sauerkraut, chopped pickles and shredded chicken to make savory Crisp Cheese Cookies.
- The Triple Play Reuben is stacked high with corned beef, pastrami, Swiss and Jarlsberg on rye. The key to this amazing sandwich is making your own Thousand Island dressing with ketchup, mayo and chopped pickles.
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