Kielbasa and Sauerkraut – (Tomato Base)

Posted On May 6, 2020
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Kielbasa and Sauerkraut (Tomato Base)

There are several different ways to make this dish. My mom always made this for Christmas Eve so it was ready after we got home from Midnight Mass. She'd have a huge batch of buttery mashed potatoes ready to accompany it. Then we would open our gifts! I will also be posting another version without the tomato base. This particular dish is considered "Croatian" but I've seen it made by many Slovak or Czech folks as well. You can definitely eat this all year round. It just had a special connection to Christmas Eve for me. 🙂
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time3 hrs
Total Time5 hrs 10 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Slavic
Keyword: Croatian, Czech Republic, Kielbasa, Kielbasa and Sauerkraut, Kobas and Sauerkraut, Kobasi, Slavic, Slovakia, Yugoslavia
Servings: 8 peope
Calories: 320kcal
Cost: $15

Equipment

  • Crock Pot or Large Stock Pot
  • Knife
  • Slotted Spoon
  • Can opener

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs Kielbasa or Smoked Sausage
  • 1 large Jar or Can of Sauerkraut Can use Bavarian Style if you wish
  • 2 medium or 1 large Onion
  • 4 Bay Leaves
  • 2 small or 1 family sized Condensed Tomato Soup
  • 1/2 tbsp Black Pepper
  • 1/2 tbsp Paprika
  • 2 cups Water

Instructions

  • Take your kielbasa/smoked sausage out of their packets and slice on the bias (aka..diagonal) about every 1 to 1.5 inches until entire sausage is cut. Add that to your crock pot (or stock pot if cooking on the stove top)
  • Open your jar/can of sauerkraut in a strainer over the sink. Rinse the sauerkraut thoroughly to get rid of the saltiness, otherwise your dish may end up being a bit salty to the taste. Add the drained sauerkraut to the crock pot/stock pot
    NOTE: If cooking on the stove top, turn on the stove and cook at a medium low temperature. If using a crock pot, turn your setting to "high" at this point.
  • Next, chop your onions into slices (as you would put on a hamburger) and then chop that slice in half. Throw the onions into the crock pot/stock pot on top of the sauerkraut.
  • Add the Black Pepper and Paprika over the onions.
  • Next, add the two small cans of tomato soup (or one large can) to the top of the mixture and just spread over the top lightly.
  • Pour 2 cups of water into the crock pot or stock pot
  • Gently stir the entire pot to mix the ingredients together. Reduce your heat to low (both crock pot and on stove if cooking this way.
  • Put 4 Bay Leaves on top of the kielbasa mixture and cover.
  • This should cook for about 3 hours or until you just can't take it anymore and you have to eat it! 🙂 Make sure to check back every so often to make sure it's not scorching and to give it a quick stir.
    HINT: Take the 4 bay leaves off the top before you stir. Then put them back on after you stir. Otherwise they get lost in the pot and you have to really search to find them. 🙂
  • When ready to serve, take off the bay leaves and discard. Feel free to make up a batch of mashed potatoes with some extra butter and serve this next to those potatoes! Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 18.8g | Protein: 16.9g | Fat: 18.5g | Saturated Fat: 5.2g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 500mg | Potassium: 7mg | Fiber: 3.6g | Sugar: 7.6g | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 314mg