This Polish Kapusta is a delicious family recipe perfect for any occasion. It’s an easy slow cooker kielbasa and sauerkraut dish, combining hearty flavors with minimal effort.
Table of Contents
Traditional Sauerkraut and Kielbasa
My dad is 100% Polish and has been talking about his grandmother’s and mother’s Kielbasa Kapusta for decades! When my Polish grandmother passed away when I was 17, I inherited a couple of her cookbooks and her recipe tin.
That recipe tin has produced fabulous gems over the years. To surprise my dad on a recent trip back home, I made our family Kielbasa Kapusta recipe for him, but with my twist! I kept the ingredients and quantities the same, but I decided to cook it in the crockpot! It’s way more convenient for my lifestyle, and I know many of you will find this cooking method helpful, too!
Another change I made was to cut the kielbasa pieces smaller. This method enhanced the dish’s flavor by releasing more of the kielbasa juices, AND it allowed more surface area for the kielbasa to soak up the Kapusta juices! Is your mouth watering yet?! While the Kielbasa Kapusta was cooking, my dad snuck into the kitchen more than once with a huge, nostalgic grin on his face, saying, “This smells familiar,” and “Ooohhhh weeeee, is it dinner time yet?”
While I never tasted my grandmother’s version, my dad thought I pulled off a near match. I am so glad I found and tried this recipe, which gave my dad and me another link to our family heritage and produced a heartwarming dish we can pass to generations to come!
What is kielbasa?
Kielbasa is a staple in any Polish home. It is a type of sausage. In the USA, it is best known as any U-shaped meat with a coarse texture.
Ingredients and Estimated Costs
Per Serving Cost: $2.13
Recipe Cost: $17.06
- 2 Tablespoons butter – $0.26
- 2 Tablespoons bacon drippings – $0.50
- 2 ½ cups sweet yellow onions – $1.20
- 2 (32 ounce) cans sauerkraut – $4.36
- 1 teaspoon salt – $0.01
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper – $0.04
- ½ cup light brown sugar – $0.25
- 1 ¾ cups water – $0.00
- 3 pounds kielbasa – $10.44
NOTE: Recipe prices and the amounts needed are based on grocery store websites. Actual costs may vary depending on your ingredients.
How To Make Kielbasa and Sauerkraut
*For complete recipe instructions, scroll to the recipe card below.
- First, melt the butter and bacon drippings in a large skillet until the foaming stops, about 2 minutes.
- Next, add onions and cook, occasionally stirring, for about 8 minutes.
- Then, drain the sauerkraut at least twice, ensuring it is well-drained before putting it in the crockpot.
- Next, add the onions, salt, pepper, brown sugar, water, and kielbasa in the crockpot and stir.
- Cover it and cook on high for 1 hour.
- Finally, reduce to low and cook for an additional 6 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve and enjoy!
How to serve this Kielbasa Kapusta Crockpot Recipe
Kapusta means cabbage, so when serving this recipe of cabbage and Kielbasa (sausage), potatoes are a great option. These crispy smashed potatoes are seriously one of my all-time favorite potato recipes. For a classic choice, check out these creamy buttermilk mashed potatoes. But if you are like me and need more cheese in your life, you will want to make these 3-cheese potatoes Au gratin!
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Polish Sausage and Sauerkraut
Video
Equipment
- slow cooker
- measuring cups and spoons
- mixing spoon
- cutting board
- knife
- large skillet
- strainer
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons bacon drippings
- 2 ½ cups sweet yellow onions finely chopped
- 2 (32-ounce) cans sauerkraut
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 3 pounds kielbasa cut into 2-inch slices
Instructions
- In a large skillet, melt butter and bacon drippings over medium heat until foaming subsides, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and edges begin to brown, about 8-10 minutes.
- While onions cook, rinse and drain sauerkraut at least twice. Make sure the sauerkraut is well drained.
- Add the sauerkraut to a slow cooker along with onions, salt, pepper, brown sugar, water, and kielbasa. Give everything a good stir and cover.
- Cook on high for 1 hour, then reduce to low and cook for an additional 6 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve.
Notes
- My dad distinctly remembers his mom using bacon drippings that she would keep in the refrigerator for this recipe. If you don’t have any on hand, substitute two additional tablespoons of butter (4 tablespoons) for the bacon drippings.
- I like to serve this dish with mashed potatoes (this recipe is SO good!). After all, potatoes, kielbasa, and cabbage are the holy trinity of Polish cuisine!
- This recipe is even MORE flavorful the next day! I know, hard to believe, right?!
- My family likes to eat leftovers between toasted Kaiser rolls with grainy mustard.
Storage Tips
Store: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and store them for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.Freeze: Once cooled, transfer the kapusta to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 3-4 months.
Thaw: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Reheat: Place the kapusta and kielbasa in a pot or saucepan (depending on the amount you’re reheating) and heat over medium heat until warm, about 5-10 minutes.
Nutrition
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Kielbasa Kapustka Recipe FAQs
Kapustka is a surname in the Polish language, and its literal translation is “cabbage.”
The word “kapusta” is of Slavic origin and is used in several Slavic languages, including Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, and others, to refer to “cabbage.”
In German, the word for “cabbage” is “Kohl” or “Weißkohl” (white cabbage) for the specific type of cabbage. The term “kapusta” is not used in the German language.
No, it would be best not to poke holes in the kielbasa before cooking. Poking holes in the sausage can cause the flavorful juices and fats to escape, leading to a drier and less tasty result.
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I am really gonna try this one. I’m from the Netherlands and I looks so much like a real dutch meal we called zuurkool stamppot (mashed sauerkraut) that’s with sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, bacon mixed together, with smoked sausage called in Dutch rookworst. We mostly eat it in the winter
I’ve been making Kapusta for years. My recipe is about the same. I do add sliced potatoes as a filler, and shredded carrots for color. Always make perogies to go with. One of my favorite meals, and everyone lives it.
Can you brown the meat a bit under a broiler to enhance flavor?
Yes, you can brown the kielbasa under a broiler to enhance its flavor. This can add a nice caramelization and deepen the taste of the dish. After slicing the kielbasa into pieces, place them on a baking sheet and broil for a few minutes until they are browned to your liking, then proceed with the rest of the recipe.