Sauerkraut Soup

Sometimes only a warm bowl of soup will do. When my friend Heather shared this recipe for Sauerkraut Soup, I knew it was a keeper, and I also knew it would make the perfect freezer meal! It’s so full of flavor and so different from the typical warm winter soup — your family and friends will be surprised and also love this soup so much.

Once the chilly days of Autumn encroach, I love nothing more than to heat up a pot of soup on the stove for dinner and treat my family to the ultimate comfort meal. We find it so easy to go from freezer to table with this recipe, and in fact, have several amazing soup recipes to choose from if you want to prepare ahead for some cozy Fall and Winter nights!

Soups are also fantastic to have stocked in your freezer to heat up and take to families with new babies, after health issues, or when illness hits. Our Soups and Stews Stack is a fan favorite and a great way to dip your toes into freezer meal cooking! If you are ready to dive right in, be sure to join the Freezer Meals 101 Club for instant access to all our recipes, proven meal plan system, and more!

Sauerkraut Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 head cauliflower in florets
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• salt, pepper
• 1/2 – 1 tsp. cayenne

Ingredients for the Day of Cooking

• 1 Litre sauerkraut
• 3 cups Ukrainian sausage, sliced

How to Make Sauerkraut Soup

1. Boil all but the last two ingredients until the vegetables are soft.
2. Blend with an immersion blender.
3. Add the sauerkraut and sausage.
4. Simmer for 2 hours.
5. Allow to cool before transferring into freezer bags or freezer safe containers.

How long will it take until the vegetables are soft?

It varies depending on how thick you chop everything. If you want, roasting the cauliflower ahead of time will make this process go faster. I would plan to check the soup at twenty minutes for doneness and then check every five minutes until it is ready to puree.

Do I have to have an immersion blender?

If you do not already have an immersion blender, I highly, highly recommend you get one. They do not have to be expensive to do the job. We use ours all the time! That being said, to make this soup without one, you can — very carefully — pour the soup into your regular blender, add the lid, hold the lid in place just to be safe, and puree it using that machine. An immersion blender is easier, safer, and cheaper than a countertop blender!

How pureed does the soup need to be?

You can choose your level of dedication here depending on your preference of texture. Our bowl of soup is clearly not fully pureed because you can see some of the onions still in tact. But, using the blender for a longer period would have gotten a finer puree. It’s your choice.

Sauerkraut Soup Recipe Ideas

This is a large soup that can feed a crowd. We recommend having two large freezer bags handy or possibly find a 2-gallon bag to freeze this soup. It also divides into quart sized bags nicely for individual servings.

Drizzle the soup with heavy cream for a beautiful contrast and additional creaminess.

Instead of sliced sausage, you could use crumbled sausage or even pastrami from the deli section (chopped).

The carrots add a little sweetness, but if you need a little more balance, you can add brown sugar after tasting the soup near the end of reheating it. I wouldn’t add sugar or adjust seasoning the first time you cook it, because as it freezes the flavors and sweetness will deepen.

If you want it spicy, increase the cayenne or add red pepper flakes.

How do I store Sauerkraut Soup

Keep leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Reheat the soup easily in a saucepan or microwave. Do not refreeze this soup, since it was cooked before it was frozen.

What to Serve with Sauerkraut Soup

Bread is the first and obvious choice. I would recommend a good crusty loaf of rye bread. Our local Swiss bakery has a loaf called Wurzelbrot Dark or Rustic and a German Sourdough Rye — both of which are perfect for this soup! A creamy salad like Caesar or Ranch would work perfectly with this soup if you want to add greens.