On A "Sauer" Note, How About A Nice Bowl Of Soup!

We were at Gram’s house one weekend and she was telling us about some restaurant that she and her husband went to many years ago. While there they both saw something on the menu that sparked their interest, sauerkraut soup. It really wasn’t a hard decision seeing that they were both huge sauerkraut lovers. One of their favorite meals just happened to be pork and sauerkraut, which was my mother’s favorite meal as well. Let’s just say a few bowls later pretty much sized up their love of this soup. This recipe is not identical to what they had at the restaurant that fine day but is just as delicious and extremely easy to make. If you love sauerkraut this soup is sure to put a smile on your face.

Sauerkraut Soup

2 lbs. sauerkraut (canned or bagged)
6 cups canned beef broth
2 cups water
1 cup chopped onions
3 tbsp. butter or bacon grease
1/2 - 1 tsp. paprika
1 cup of flour
2 med. potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 lb. Polish sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices (may also substitute with bacon, pork or any other type of sausage).
3 tbsp. butter
Salt or pepper to taste

Wash sauerkraut and drain, using a large kettle, add beef broth and water. Simmer 30 minutes covered. Meanwhile cook onion in shortening until soft. Stir in flour and paprika. Cook another 3-4 minutes. Mix into skillet 3 cups of sauerkraut mixture with onion. Stir until smooth. Stir in rest of sauerkraut. Add diced potatoes. Simmer 30 minutes. In same skillet used for onion and butter, add Polish sausage. Cook for 10 minutes until slightly browned. Add to soup and simmer another 5 minutes before serving.

Serving tip: A dollop of sour cream compliments the flavor of this soup nicely.

Photo/postcardsMN/flickr