Pasta Bake with Sausage and Sauerkraut Recipe
This pasta bake with sausage and sauerkraut is a baked twist on bigos, in which pasta takes the place of potatoes. Tangy sauerkraut, fried sausage and a creamy cheese‑and‑cream sauce create a thick, hearty filling under a golden cheese cap. The recipe makes great use of leftover sausage and an open jar of sauerkraut, turning them into a complete meal.
This is a kind of hybrid between bigos and baked pasta, using typical Polish ingredients: sauerkraut, sausage and cream. It fits well into a “zero waste” kitchen, where leftovers are turned into a new, complete dish.
This bake tastes like a cross between bigos and oven‑baked pasta – the familiar notes of sauerkraut and sausage are wrapped in a convenient, creamy‑cheesy form. The acidity of the sauerkraut is balanced by the cream and cheese, and the spices known from Polish stews give it a homely, warming character. It’s a dish that smells like autumn: slightly smoky from the sausage, pronounced but not overwhelming.
Why this version works
- Pasta cooked al dente doesn’t turn mushy during baking and keeps its bite.
- Simmering the sauerkraut separately with spices tames the acidity while preserving its character.
- Well‑browned sausage adds a smoky, meaty flavour, like in a good bigos.
- Cream and cheese bind the ingredients into a creamy sauce that doesn’t dry out in the oven.
Chef's tips
I always taste the sauerkraut‑and‑sausage mixture before combining it with the pasta – it should be a bit too sour and too salty, because the cream and pasta will mellow it. A common mistake is adding too much liquid: the mixture should be just creamy‑moist, not “swimming”, otherwise the sauce will pool at the bottom of the dish. If you use very fatty sausage, pour off some of the fat from the pan so the bake isn’t too heavy.
How to serve
Serve with carrot‑and‑apple slaw or beetroot with horseradish to add freshness and a hint of sweetness to the tangy sauerkraut. Hot tea with lemon or a light beer pairs well if you serve it for an evening get‑together. The next day it makes an excellent lunch to reheat at work – the bigos‑like flavours in the pasta are even deeper then.
Watch out for
- Don’t rinse the sauerkraut too thoroughly – you’ll strip the dish of its characteristic tang.
- Don’t cook the pasta until fully soft, as it will fall apart into mush after baking.
- If the mixture seems very dry after combining with the sauerkraut, add a little cream before baking.
- Don’t overdo the salt – sausage, cheese and sauerkraut are salty on their own.
Substitutions
- Replace part of the sausage with bacon or diced ham, reducing the amount of added salt.
- Swap tube‑shaped pasta for fusilli or penne, which hold the sauce well.
- You can replace the cream with a mixture of milk and yoghurt plus a tablespoon of oil for creaminess.
- Add a teaspoon of smoked paprika if your sausage isn’t very smoky.
Ingredients
- pasta short, e.g. fusilli or penne - 300 g
- sauerkraut squeezed of excess brine, chopped - 300 g
- sausage - 250 g
- onion - 1 piece
- tomato paste to boost flavour - 1 tablespoon
- cream 18% or 30% fat - 150 ml
- yellow cheese - 150 g
- oil - 1 tablespoon
- bay leaf - 2 pieces
- allspice berries - 3 grains
- sweet paprika ground - 1 teaspoon
- black pepper
- salt
Preparation
- Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water for 2 minutes less than the time on the packet so it is distinctly al dente. Drain, briefly rinse with cold water, toss with a little oil and set aside – the pieces should not stick together.
- Taste the sauerkraut; if it is very sour, quickly rinse it under cold water and squeeze it well with your hands. Chop into shorter pieces so it’s easier to eat and to mix with the pasta.
- Transfer the sauerkraut to a small pot, add the bay leaves, allspice berries and enough water just to barely cover it. Cook for 15–20 minutes over low heat until it softens but still has a slight bite. Drain off excess liquid and remove the spices.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (top and bottom heat). Lightly grease a baking dish with oil, including the sides, so the bake doesn’t stick.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. Add the sausage cut into half‑slices or cubes and fry for 4–5 minutes, until well browned and aromatic brown bits form on the bottom of the pan.
- Add the finely chopped onion and fry for another 4–5 minutes, until soft and lightly golden at the edges and the smell starts to resemble bigos.
- Add the cooked sauerkraut, tomato paste and sweet paprika. Fry for about 5 minutes, stirring, until the paste coats the sauerkraut thoroughly and the mixture is thick, slightly glossy and aromatic. Season with pepper and salt if needed.
- In a large bowl, mix the pasta with the hot sauerkraut‑and‑sausage mixture. Add the cream and half of the grated cheese and mix thoroughly – the sauce should coat the pasta evenly and the whole mixture should be moist but not runny.
- Transfer the mixture to the baking dish, press down lightly with a spoon and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese to form an even layer with no gaps; after baking the cheese should form a golden crust.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the cheese has completely melted, is nicely browned and the edges of the bake are gently bubbling. After removing from the oven, leave to stand for 10 minutes so the mixture firms up slightly and is easy to slice.
Storage
After chilling, the pasta softens and the flavour of the sauerkraut and sausage becomes even more pronounced, reminiscent of next‑day bigos. Reheat covered with a spoonful of water or cream until the cheese on top is soft again.
When I’m left with a small portion of bigos, I mix it with pasta and treat this recipe as a shortcut – a few minutes of work and the oven does the rest.
