Sauerkraut Soup (4 versions)

Recipe Source - Sauerkraut Soup
Serving Size : 6

Ingredients
1 lb Sauerkraut
6 c Beef stock
2 lg Onions -- chopped
3 sl Bacon
1 t Paprika
1 tb Tomato paste
1/2 ts Caraway seeds
Salt
2 Potatoes -- peeled - grated and soaked
1/4 lb Lean, diced ham
2 Beef frankfurters -- sliced

SIMMER SAUERKRAUT WITH 3 CUPS of stock for 30 minutes. Saute onions with bacon until golden. Add paprika, remaining stock, tomato paste, caraway seeds and salt to taste. Add sauerkraut, stock and drained potatoes, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add more stock if necessary to make 6 cups. Add the meats and cook long enough to heat through (about 10 minutes).

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Slovak Heritage Recipe - Sauerkraut Soup (Kapustnica)

Take a pound or more of smoked pork, ham or smoked pork hooks and cook it. Take the meat out, if you want, separate the fat and cut up the rest.

Add a pound of pork meat, one large diced onion, diced garlic, caraway seed, marjoram, dried mushrooms, one small can of tomato paste, few dried plums, and a jar of sauerkraut. You cook it for few hours and add couple of Hungarian farmer sausages. You can also make a soup thickener, sautéed flour in butter with red hot powdered pepper. Then cut up the pork and put back the smoked meat. The sausage is sliced just prior to serving. We usually eat the sauerkraut soup with good European style rye or sour dough bread.

The sauerkraut soup gets better tasting after each re-heating, so we usually cook our sauerkraut soup few days before Christmas.

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Sauerkraut Recipes - Sausage, Sauerkraut and Bean Soup (Crock Pot)
Servings: 8
Submitted by Joanie Grow, Kennewick, WA

4 cans (14-1/2 oz. ea.) chicken broth
1 lb. kielbasa, cut in half lengthwise and then sliced
1 can (15 oz.) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz.) Frank's Kraut, drained
4 medium carrots, peeled and diced
3 celery ribs, sliced
1 large onion, diced
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

Mix all ingredients, except tomatoes, in a 5 to 6-quart crock pot. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 8 hours. Taste for seasoning Add salt and pepper if needed. Stir in tomatoes; cover and cook on high-heat setting until heated through, about 15 minutes more.

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Sauerkraut Recipes - Sauerkraut Soup
Submitted by Joanie Grow, Kennewick, WA

2 lb. sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
2 lb. pork ribs
1 can (28 oz.) tomatoes, crushed and undrained
1 medium onion, sliced
1 to 3 cloves garlic, minced or to taste
1 TB sugar, (optional)
Water, to your preferred thick/thin consistency (about 8 cups)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Paprika to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 2 to 3 hours, until the meat falls off the bones.

Pick out the bones and discard. Correct seasoning and serve. This iw excellent with homemade bread with lots of butter. It is also really good with boiled potatoes on the side.