I almost didn’t even post this 10 Minute Sausage & Sauerkraut because it’s so ridiculously fast and easy, and requires such few ingredients, that it can hardly even be considered a recipe!
However, I posted pictures of this meal a few times during our March on Motivated Challenge and had several requests for the recipe, so I thought I’d share how I put it together and prove just how easily you can stay on plan – even if you’re the Ultimate Drive Thru Sue!
At the bare minimum, you just need 2 ingredients for this recipe: sausage and sauerkraut! I usually whip it up with 4-5 ingredients by adding a bit of butter, ground pepper, and nutritional yeast to the other two. Caraways seeds are a nice addition too, if you have them on hand.
Essentially, all you do is slice the sausages into coins, fry them up over medium heat until they get a bit crispy on the sliced edges, dump in a pile of sauerkraut, turn up the heat, and stir-fry the two ingredients together until the liquid is evaporated and you’re left with sausage flavor-infused sauerkraut!
A lot of people wonder about what type of sausage they should use on plan, because most contain sugar. A little sugar is necessary for curing for most sausages, and are on-plan if they have less than 2 grams of net carbs per serving.
Breakfast and Honey Garlic Style sausages usually have too much added sugar, so I try to stay away from those. Smoked or precooked Kielbasa, Italian, Farmer’s, and BBQ-style sausages tend to have a low sugar content, and having them precooked makes this 10 Minute Sausage & Sauerkraut main dish super speedy.
I use lacto-fermented sauerkraut in this dish. Since I add it at the end of the cooking time, it still has many of its probiotics. The cheapest and easiest place to find lacto-ferment sauerkraut (if you don’t make it yourself) is at your local Polish or other Eastern European grocery shop. One 8-serving jar costs me a mere $2.00! You’re looking for sauerkraut that’s made with just cabbage, salt, and/or water. Sauerkraut in a vinegar brine kills the probiotics.
I also buy my sausage and lacto-fermented dill pickles at our local Polish Butcher Shop!
I love serving this dish with dill pickles and sour cream on the side for a true, Eastern European flair. We would eat this at the International Village Festival where one of our daughters did Ukrainian dancing (they served it with perogies, of course!).
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter (or olive oil if DF)
- 4 precooked or smoked BBQ-style sausages (or Kielbasa), sliced into coins
- 2 cups sauerkraut
- OPTIONAL:
- black pepper
- nutritional yeast
- dill pickles
- sour cream
Instructions
- Melt butter (or heat olive oil) in large frying pan or skillet. Slice sausages into coins, and fry in butter over medium heat until they get a bit crispy on the sliced edges. Dump in sauerkraut. Turn up the heat, and stir-fry the two ingredients together until the liquid is evaporated.
- Optional: Season with black pepper and nutritional yeast if desired. Serve with dill pickles and sour cream.
When I make this, I add some onions cooked until translucent, and about 2 tsp. superset with a drop or two of molasses. Yum!