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Incredibly Amazing German Sauerkraut Casserole

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Last Modified: October 30, 2023
Published: October 30, 2023

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More Delicious With Bacon and Brown Sugar

German Sauerkraut Casserole

German Sauerkraut Casserole Das Ist Gut Ja

This is a little story about how I found this incredible German Sauerkraut casserole recipe. In early October last year, my husband and I had one of our little adventures. They're usually not much more than a day trip and an overnight, but still, a break from the everyday.

A generous friend offered us the use of her beautiful home for a night. It sits on a private cove on a tucked-away lake, and it's incredible. She plans to turn it into a vacation rental and wanted us to share our thoughts.

The weather was uncharacteristically yucky for that time of year, as it turned out. Cold and wet. So, instead of a walk, we went for a drive looking for something fun to eat and landed in nearby Eustis, Nebraska.

It's "The Sausage Capital" of our dear state. Eustis is very German and famous for the sausage made there. Their annual community celebration is called "Wurst Tag," which literally means Sausage Day!

Our Little Adventure In A Little German Town

We drove through the tiny, tidy downtown, looking for a cafe. Then we noticed a sign that read, "German Dinner served today 11:00-1:00." We were in adventure mode and eager to try something different.

So we thought, why not? I mean, my husband is 100% German, right? And German food is hearty, flavorful, and unique. We bought a ticket and got in line.

The German dinner in Eustis was a buffet. I always like to try a new dish, so I tasted a little dab of this interesting-looking casserole. Immediately, I grabbed a larger serving. The flavor is indescribably sweet, sour, salty, and savory all at the same time!

We all know the marriage of bacon and brown sugar is made in heaven, right? Well, I gotta tell you, the angels sang Handel's Hallelujah Chorus after my first bite of that amazing German sauerkraut casserole, and I had to track down the person who brought it!

It didn't take long to sniff out the person who provided the casserole. She is proud of her recipe! The tall, lanky lady obligingly wrote it down on a slip of scrap paper and told me it would taste best if I used her homemade sauerkraut!

What an entrepreneur! She told us she makes and sells 500 pounds of fermented cabbage annually! I may look her up and buy some if we're lucky enough to go to Wurst Tag in June!

Why You'll Love This German Sauerkraut

German sauerkraut casserole

This recipe has been shared more times than any recipe I have ever posted. Here are some of the comments:

"Man, I was nervous making this looking at those ingredients, thinking it was going to be way too sweet ….....This dish is absolutely AMAZING!!!!!!! Everything comes together so well, so delicious!!!!!!! Do not be nervous and just go for it so worth it !!!"

"I made this last night and I shared it with my daughter-in-law and I wish I had kept it all to myself Lol. It was that good and now I find myself craving it...... I will say I worried that no one would like it because the ingredients just didn't seem to go together. Happily I was so wrong."

It's easy to make and makes and incredibly good side dish with almost anything. You can add bulk sausage, browned and crumbled, or cut up smoked sausage or Kielbasa, and it will become a favorite main dish!

Don't Knock It 'Til You've Tried It

Do you know how some dresses don't look good on the hanger but are amazingly flattering when you try them on?

This is that kind of dish. You've got to trust me on this one. I might not have tried this casserole if I just ran across the recipe somewhere. Tomatoes and brown sugar?? Doesn't taste good on the hanger, if you know what I mean! But boy oh boy, is it ever yummy!!

Here's How You Make German Sauerkraut Casserole

This German sauerkraut casserole recipe gets off to a good start with bacon, diced and fried, and adding onion and sauteeing it in the drippings until it is tender and transparent. So far so good, right?

Simply add a quart package of fresh refrigerated sauerkraut, undrained, a can of petite diced tomatoes, drained, and both brown and white sugar. Sound crazy, I know! A 32-ounce package is a quart.

freah sauerkraut

Put it in a shallow casserole dish and bake it in a 350-degree oven for about an hour. Some of the liquid will evaporate during the baking, and that intensifies all the flavors.

Yield: 12 servings

German Sauerkraut Casserole

German sauerkraut casserole

A very unusual combination of ingredients makes an incredibly delicious sauerkraut casserole that is salty, sweet, and savory.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound bacon cut into one-inch pieces, cooked crisp. Reserve 2-3 Tbsp drippings
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • One 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1-quart fresh sauerkraut from the refrigerated section. Do not drain.

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Fry bacon until crisp.
  3. Reserve 2-3 Tbsp of the drippings.
  4. Saute onion in bacon drippings until transparent.
  5. Combine all ingredients in a shallow casserole dish. (You want some of the liquid to evaporate.)
  6. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Notes

Add bulk sausage browned and crumbled, or add sliced smoked sausage or kielbasa if desired before baking.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 188Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 791mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 3gSugar: 19gProtein: 8g

My husband is pure German on both sides of his family so I love making German food for him like German Red Cabbage, and Hot German Potato Salad!

If you enjoyed this recipe today, please share it on your social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. I'd sure be tickled and ever so grateful; thank you! 

 If you haven't already, check out my Facebook page, where I'll post easy, delicious, and family-friendly recipes every week!

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28 comments on “Incredibly Amazing German Sauerkraut Casserole”

  1. Thanks for sharing this article about our little town of Eustis and my Mom Nancy’s famous kraut salad. She is 81 and still going strong!

    1. Thrilled!! We absolutely loved the German dinner!! The folks there are salt of the earth!! Wish I'd bought more noodles!!

  2. […] Very fast and easy to throw together. I bet it would be great with sausage or even hot dogs! Check out the recipe below. German Sauerkraut Casserole with Bacon and Brown Sugar Recipe […]

  3. I've been cooking a version of this for years. I ran across the recipe in a church cookbook (NWMO). I use equal parts canned sauerkraut and tomatoes. Then I usually skip the onion and the white sugar. Boil it in a skillet or dutch pot on the stovetop until most of the juices are gone. Serve with brats and hot potato salad. It's one of the best things about the fall season.

  4. Omg, I love this. I do mine the way my Mother did it as a side dish for Thanksgiving as a side dish on our dinner plate. It's so good with Turkey and all the trimmings. We fry the bacon crisp remove it put the sauerkraut and brown sugar until most of the liquid is gone then crumble you bacon back in it stir and the put it in a bowl and enjoy. I see there are many ways to fix it. Thank you for your way.

    1. Connie-

      I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving!! I am sooo sorry for the delay in responding to your sweet comment!! We've been overhauling my dreary kitchen and been doing a lot of the work ourselves so I've been a blog deadbeat for a month!! Thanks for taking time to share your methods!! I love it!!

  5. I'm away from home but will try this as soon as I get back. I know I'll like it. Have you ever tried the Colony Inn sauerkraut recipe from the Amana Colonies in Iowa? If not, look it up! We all love it,

  6. I am super stoked to make this recipe!! I pulled out my jar of sauerkraut and was thinking of 2hat i could make with it.... I just canned so many tomatoes they are coming out of my ears. So thankfully i can use a jar of them in this recipe! Ill let yall know how it turned out!!!

  7. […] 7. German Sauerkraut Casserole with Bacon and Brown Sugar … […]

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  10. […] German Sauerkraut Casserole With Bacon And Brown Sugar […]

  11. I have been making a similar recipe for years, but never really measured ingredients, until now. This is so much like the one I make, except I add cut up cooked sausage. Usually, I only make this on holidays. But we have been craving this so I have been making it more often. With the sausage it’s more like a dinner. Love it! Thank you!

    1. Always modify recipes to suit your personal taste! I posted it exactly as it was given to me but I guess we have a sweet tooth! Merry Christmas!

  12. Both my husband and I have part German heritage but had never heard of this recipe before. It is delicious and so unexpected based on the ingredients. It is baking as I write this review. Tonight it is being baked with bratwurst. The other two times I have used boneless pork cutlets and boneless chicken thighs browned and then finished with the casserole. They were both very good and am looking forward to tonight’s version.

    1. German food is renowned for the depth of flavor and I was so lucky to stumble into this amazing recipe on that cold October day. The lady who brought it knocked my socks off!! My husband is pure german on both sides and i always ell him he can't help it!! 🤣😅

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