Sausage and Sauerkraut Bake

This Sausage and Sauerkraut Skillet Bake, inspired by Oktoberfest, combines two favorites of polska kielbasa sausage and sauerkraut. It's topped with emmentaler cheese and thin potato slices and baked until bubbly. | platingsandpairings.com

This Sausage and Sauerkraut Bake, inspired by Oktoberfest, combines two favorites of polska kielbasa sausage and sauerkraut. It’s topped with emmentaler cheese and thin potato slices and baked until bubbly.

Sausage & Sauerkraut Bake

What comes to mind when you think Oktoberfest? For me it’s:

  1. Beer 
  2. Pretzels
  3. Sausage
  4. Beer 
  5. Sauerkraut
  6. Lederhosen
  7. Beer 

I went on a trip to Germany in high school, and got to see first hand the huge beer halls complete with their massive pretzels, gallon sized beer mugs, and lederhosen. I’ve got a couple of rock-solid memories from that trip. The first was with my mom (who generously volunteered to chaperone the trip). She allowed me to have a beer with her and the rest of the 15-year olds (who of course had permission from their parents as well). Now that I think back on this, it’s very odd. One: Because my mom doesn’t drink and, Two: she really doesn’t drink beer. But the European spirit must have taken over – I think she had a few sips.

Second – I got my tongue pierced… Anyone who knows me, knows that this is so out of what one would consider “the norm” for me. I was a quiet, shy, timid 10th grader, from a small town in rural New York. That’s why I did it. I wanted something that no one else in Jamestown, New York had. My mom was shocked. My teachers were shocked. Then everyone started getting tongue piercings. And I took mine out… Let’s just forget that ever happened.

So, in the spirit of fall, and with Oktoberfest upon us, I took it upon myself to create a recipe that evokes those memories of lederhosen and massive beers. I grabbed some kielbasa, sauerkraut, emmentaler cheese and potatoes – I was aiming for a bit of a shepherd’s pie mish mash. It worked – It worked really well.

You do, however, have to like sauerkraut to be a fan of this recipe. I rinsed the kraut in water, and squeezed it dry, before adding it to the mixture. This helps to cut back a bit on the potent saltiness. It also mellows the flavor a bit. To add some additional flavors to the dish, I sautéed a red pepper along with a shallot and some garlic, dressed it up with some Dijon mustard and wine (just because), stirred in those lovely browned sausage bits, and topped the whole thing off with a layer of sour cream, cheese and thin potato slices.

Rick loved this dish. We even ate all of the leftovers on night two, a rarity in our house… PS – It reheats very well. I think I liked the dish even better on night two.

What’s your favorite way to celebrate Oktoberfest?

Wine Pairings for Sauerkraut and Sausage: 

If you loved this Sausage & Sauerkraut recipe I would appreciate it so much if you would give it a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.

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PS – If you love kraut, be sure to check out these 37+ recipes that use sauerkraut too!

Sausage and Sauerkraut Bake Recipe

Sausage Sauerkraut Oktoberfest Skillet Bake | platingsandpairings.com

Sausage and Sauerkraut Oktoberfest Skillet Bake

This Oktoberfest inspired dish combines polska kielbasa sausage and sauerkraut, topped with emmentaler cheese and thin potato slices and baked until bubbly.
4.93 from 13 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot, garlic and red pepper and cook until softened.
  • Add the sliced sausage and sautee until beginning to brown and curling at the edges.
  • Add the sauerkraut, mustard, fennel seeds, cayenne, and black pepper, and stir until heated through, about 4 minutes. Add the wine and parsley and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
  • Spread the sour cream over the skillet mixture and sprinkle with cheese.
  • Toss the potato slices with 1 teaspoon oil, the melted butter and salt. Arrange the seasoned potatoes in a tight formation over the sauerkraut mixture and bake for 40-50 minutes, until the potato slices are browning at the edges and the mixture is bubbling. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • To reheat, bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes.
Did you make this recipe?Mention @platingsandpairings or tag #platingsandpairings!

Nutrition

Calories: 446kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 1270mg | Potassium: 622mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 905IU | Vitamin C: 43.7mg | Calcium: 211mg | Iron: 4.2mg

36 thoughts on “Sausage and Sauerkraut Bake”

  1. Ummm, I’m not even sure this would make it more than two days at my house! It’s the perfect way to celebrate Oktoberfest at home! My family is from Jamestown, and I have very fond memories of visiting my grandma there 🙂

    Reply
  2. Sounds great! I didn’t like sauerkraut really until I tried a homemade version my friend made at her Oktoberfest party last year. Now I’m hooked. And totally agree with the love of giant pretzels at the German beer halls. That basically made me fall in love with Germany!

    Reply
  3. Just wanted to say thank you for the recipe. Many years ago my mother-in-law showed me how to make Sauerkraut and pork with buttered fried noodles and mashed potatoes. it was a Go To meal for January 1st…New Years Day. For the children who would not eat the port, we put in the best hotdogs

    Reply
  4. 5 stars
    I just made this and it was awesome. Emmental cheese was a little too pricey at my grocery store so I substituted with Gruyere and it tasted fantastic. I also used Hillshire Farms hot smoked sausage instead of kielbasa because I like it better. Great recipe! Next time I will probably add a little cheese to the top of the potatoes during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

    Reply
  5. 5 stars
    This was amazing and not that difficult it make. It had all the things I love with my sauerkraut. I did substitute with Swiss cheese. Delicious!!!!

    Reply
  6. 5 stars
    This dish is the bomb. My husband, so and me are crazy about this dish. It is hard to find a lot of uses for sauerkraut.

    I would change absolutely nothing! Yummy

    Reply
  7. 4 stars
    This is SO good! I can’t stand fennel, though, so we left it out. Otherwise, it’s amazing as is. Thanks for the great recipe!

    Reply
  8. 5 stars
    This dish is DELICIOUS and looks like a cover on a magazine when I finished. I made it for the first time over the weekend and we devoured it. Takes a little time but definitely worth every minute. This will be on my fall/winter rotation.

    Reply

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