I suppose, growing up in Pittsburgh probably makes it obvious that I would enjoy eating kielbasa and sauerkraut. Definitely something you would see around these parts. I actually think this dish relates more to my Mid Western roots generally given that my dad was born and raised in Illinois. Fun fact, I was born in Chicago.
I think the longer that I blog the more I want to make the dishes I grew up eating. This was one I remember having quite often. The kind of dish that you don’t really need a recipe for and in fact, when I called my parents to run through the instructions to make sure I had the steps down, my dad basically just said “yeah just throw some of that in…or whatever you like…and pop it in the oven for like a couple hours…”. Gee, super helpful right?! Ha.
Let’s just get this out of the way. This is not a fancy dish, this is an easy weeknight dish that checks all of those flavor boxes. It has a little bit of something for everyone, unless of course you have a picky eater or someone who doesn’t like sauerkraut (ahem, my husband). Even though some might not like every ingredient, they could still find something that they will eat. I promise you!
I think every family has their own variation of this so my feelings wont be hurt if you grew up eating it differently or if you want to tell me how it should be made…though I might argue with the notion that there is a right way to make a dish like this. One thing we can all agree on is you want a good kielbasa, you certainly could swap out for a turkey version but I doubt it would be as satisfying. Of course, if you must swap it out then by all means you should.
The way we make this dish, it’s a meal in one pan. I have seen some versions that make things separately, designed to be eaten together or as sides. In this version all you need is a nice little dollop of spicy or German mustard and you are good to go. No need to fret with making sides. Like I said, a great family meal that you can whip up on a winter day. My version is baked in the oven but you could also do this in a crock pot, just keep an eye on it to make sure it isn’t getting too dry.
Baked Kielbasa & Sauerkraut
Notes
You can do this in a crockpot by cooking it low and slow. Cover the kielbasa with the sauerkraut as you do in the baking, this should make sure everything stays moist. Follow the same steps of adding in the potatoes towards the end of the cooking.
Ingredients
- 1 Pkg. Kielbasa
- 1-2 Apples (sweet variety)
- 2 Large Yukon Gold Potatoes
- 2 Cups Sauerkraut (drained and rinsed)
- 2 Tsp. Caraway Seeds
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275.
- Prep a glass casserole dish or dutch oven by spraying with nonstick spray, set aside.
- Chop the kielbasa into 1 inch chunks.
- Prep a pot with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling place the kielbasa in the pot and let simmer for 5-10 minutes. This will help extract some of the fat from the sausage.
- While sausage is in the pot, slice the apple into thin slices.
- Place the cooked kielbasa in the baking pan, add in the apple slices, and cover with the sauerkraut.
- Sprinkle with caraway seeds, salt, and pepper.
- Cover with foil and place in the oven for 1-1.5 hours.
- After the kielbasa & sauerkraut has baked for an hour you can prep the potatoes.
- Cut potatoes into to 1 inch pieces.
- Add potatoes to a pot and cover with cold water. Season water with salt and bring to a boil. Allow the potatoes to cook until they are fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes and add them to the dish with kielbasa and sauerkraut. Cover again with foil and bake another 30-45 minutes or until potatoes are perfectly tender.
- Give everything a gentle toss and you are ready to serve.
- If you like, serve with mustard on the side.
