Sauerkraut Soup with Potatoes (Meat-Free) Recipe
This is a meatless version of Polish sauerkraut soup with potatoes, inspired by home cooking from many regions of Poland. It has a distinctly sour, warming sauerkraut flavor, mellowed by the sweetness of sautéed root vegetables and floury potatoes, making it as filling as a solid one-pot meal. The lack of meat doesn’t make it any less deep in flavor – well-browned soup vegetables and good-quality sauerkraut do all the work.
This is a simplified, meatless sauerkraut soup that appears in many homes during Lent or whenever the pantry holds little more than potatoes and fermented vegetables. In flavor it refers to highlander and Lesser Poland sauerkraut soups, but without smoked additions.
This soup is a simpler, lighter version of traditional sauerkraut soup, where all the attention is on the sour, aromatic sauerkraut. Potatoes and root vegetables add body and gentle sweetness, giving a balanced flavor and a bowl of soup that truly warms you from the inside.
Why this version works
- Separately sautéing the soup vegetables builds sweetness and depth without meat.
- Adding the sauerkraut only after the potatoes have partially cooked keeps the potatoes from overcooking and falling apart.
- Vegetable stock doesn’t overpower the sauerkraut flavor – it actually boosts it.
Chef's tips
You build most of the flavor at the beginning, so give the vegetables time to take on a light golden color – if they’re only soft and pale, the soup will taste bland., Hold off on the salt until the end, because the sauerkraut and stock are already salty; season only after the soup has simmered with the sauerkraut for a few minutes., If the soup turns out too sour, add a bit of water or a splash of cream instead of heavily rinsing the sauerkraut next time, as rinsing will wash away its aroma.
How to serve
Serve the soup with a thick slice of rye bread with butter or white bean spread – that way a bowl of soup becomes a complete meatless meal., It’s great in a thermos for a winter walk or ski trip, and for a heartier version add a spoonful of cooked pearl barley to each bowl.
Watch out for
- Adding all the sauerkraut with its juice at the very beginning can make the soup too sour and harsh.
- Cooking too long after adding the potatoes will cause them to disintegrate.
- Don’t rush the sautéing step – pale, just-warmed vegetables will give a flat-tasting soup.
Ingredients
- cabbage sauerkraut - 400 g
- potatoes - 500 g
- carrot - 2 pieces
- parsley root - 1 piece
- celeriac - 0.25 pieces
- bay leaf - 2 pieces
- allspice - 4 berries
- vegetable stock or water - 1.5 l
- oil rapeseed - 2 tablespoons
- marjoram dried - 1 teaspoon
- salt
- pepper ground black
Preparation
- Peel the carrot, parsley root and celeriac. Cut into small cubes or half-moons of similar size so they soften at the same time and release their flavor evenly into the broth.
- In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables and fry for 5–7 minutes, stirring often, until they soften slightly, turn glossy-matte, become very fragrant and start to lightly brown around the edges.
- Add the bay leaves and allspice, stir for about a minute until the spices become fragrant. Pour in the stock or water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are half-tender when pierced with a fork.
- Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut into medium cubes. The pieces should be bite-sized – if they’re too small, they’ll fall apart easily and the soup will turn into a thick mash.
- Taste the sauerkraut. If it’s very sour, gently squeeze out some of the juice and, if needed, quickly rinse under cold water, then squeeze very well by the handful. If you like your sauerkraut soup intensely sour, don’t rinse it, just squeeze it lightly.
- Add the diced potatoes to the pot, stir and cook for another 10 minutes over medium heat, until they start to soften but are still noticeably firm in the center.
- Then add the sauerkraut, separating the strands with your fingers so it doesn’t form big clumps. Cook for 10–15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the sauerkraut has clearly softened but still has a slight bite when you chew it.
- Towards the end of cooking, season the soup with marjoram, salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 more minutes so the herb releases its aroma; if the soup is too thick, add a little water or stock until the broth coats the spoon freely.
- Remove the bay leaves and allspice from the soup. Serve very hot, immediately after seasoning, while the broth is still fairly clear and the potatoes hold their shape without falling apart when ladled.
Storage
After 1–2 days in the fridge, sauerkraut soup develops a deeper, more rounded flavor, but the potatoes may start to break down slightly and thicken the broth. Reheat it slowly, stirring from the bottom, and add a little water if needed, as it thickens with each reheating.
I usually cook this soup in a large pot on Monday and reheat it over the next two days – with each reheating it tastes fuller. I also often take it in a thermos on longer winter car trips, because it really warms you up after a stop in the cold.
