Polish Sauerkraut Soup (Kapusniak)

Polish sauerkraut soup is an easy-to-make, filling dish that tastes great on a chilly day. Known by another name, kapusniak, this naturally vegan sauerkraut soup is easily tailored to your preferences. I occasionally want to experiment with soups that don’t seem very common but turn out to be so good that I make them over and over again.

1. Two tsp of sunflower oil
2. One large onion, chopped
3. One medium leek, chopped thinly, with just the white and light green sections
4. One medium-sized chopped carrot
5. Diced one medium parsnip
6. Two big cloves of coarsely sliced garlic
7. Half a teaspoon of caraway seeds
8. One tsp of dried marjoram
9. One teaspoon of allspice
10. Six to eight berries of juniper
11. Two to three bay leaves
12. 400 g (1 lb) of drained sauerkraut
13. Three peeled potatoes, roughly 500 grammes, sliced into 1-inch cubes
14. Six cups (about 1.5 litres) of vegetable stock
15. To taste, add salt and freshly ground pepper.

• In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the oil and sauté the onion over medium heat for two to three minutes.
  Cook the leek, carrot, and parsnip for an additional 8 to 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
• Add the bay leaves, juniper berries, caraway seeds, marjoram, allspice, and garlic. Cook, stirring from time to time, for one to two minutes.
• Cook for a further one to two minutes after adding the sauerkraut. After that, simmer for ten minutes while adding a ladle of veggie stock.
• Simmer over low heat for 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender, after adding the potatoes and the remaining stock.
• Serve with your preferred crusty bread, such as rye bread, and season to taste.

Notes and suggestions for the Polish Sauerkraut Soup (Kapusniak):

• Sauerkraut soup is best served with meat cooked in the same pot as the onion and other vegetables.
  You could also try adding smoked bacon or kielbasa to this soup instead of meat. You could even use some pancetta to follow the fusion route. Hearty rye bread makes a great accompaniment to sauerkraut soup.

Storage and leftovers of Polish Sauerkraut Soup (Kapusniak):

• Kushaniak is much better the second day, as is the case with most soups. To have it for a few lunches, you can prepare it in advance or double the recipe.
• When stored in an airtight container, sauerkraut soup can last up to three days in the refrigerator.
• Warm it up again in the hob or microwave until it’s really hot.
• The soup freezes beautifully for a maximum of three months.

Details about Nutrition: Produced Six Servings at a Size of One Unit Each: 189 calories5g of total fatOne gramme of saturated fatTrans Fat: 0 grammes4g of unsaturated fat0 mg of cholesterol513 milligrammes of sodium33g of carbohydrates6g of fibre6g of sugar5g of protein
An online nutrition calculator can provide an approximation of nutritional information.

Recipe By: Skinny Spatula