Quick and Easy Sauerkraut Pasta
If you’re after a quick and easy pantry dish that is delicious and a little different, then this sauerkraut pasta is right up your alley!
I’ve grown up on sauerkraut, and I’ve had it in MANY different ways. I’d have to say that after a plain sauerkraut salad with lots of garlic and pepper, this would have to be my favourite way to eat it.
I currently have two other flavourful recipes that use delicious fermented cabbage. They are my take on a classic Slovenian bean and sauerkraut stew called “Jota” and a mouthwatering tempeh Reuben sandwich.
Another popular dish is the 3-ingredient cabbage pasta which has a similar concept; however, it has a more sour and richer flavour as the fermented cabbage brings out more flavour.
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When I was doing some research, I came across another dish that is a traditional Polish dish called “Haluski”, which is sauerkraut with noodles.
This dish is also quite simple, but will typically have some kind of meat in it too.
Using simple everyday ingredients
I have picked eight very simple ingredients:
- Pasta
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Sauerkraut
- A bay leaf
- Tomato paste
- Sweet paprika
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The sauerkraut that I use in this pasta dish is the shelf-stable one that you can find in your supermarket. Not the variety that you’ll see in the fridge in the health food store. This is a much more affordable variety.
Save the dearer one to eat raw and as a salad. You can, of course, eat this sauerkraut raw as well and can make a delicious salad too!
Please let me know in the comments if you’d like me to share that simple recipe with you as well.
Should I rinse sauerkraut before using it?
Rinsing sauerkraut removes the lactic acid, some of the bacteria and reduced the flavour profile and saltiness of the kraut.
For me, it depends on how I’m using sauerkraut to know if I rinse it, give it a good squeeze or tip out the whole jar with all its juices.
For a recipe like this sauerkraut pasta, you can use it in all three ways. I have in the past and will again. But to have more control over how the dish turns out and what the flavour profile is, I give the sauerkraut a good squeeze and add filtered water when liquid is required.
The rule of thumb for me is if I’m using it in a soup, stew or any other way that there needed to be liquid in the dish, I squeeze it out and add a different liquid. This is also what I do for a sauerkraut salad.
If it’s a dish like this one, and you need some cooking liquid that will evaporate during the cooking process, you can add it all in, sauerkraut juice included.
A few tips to make this sauerkraut pasta dish
- When you add the sauerkraut, sweet paprika and tomato paste to the saucepan, make sure that you stir it in well. This will help with the even distribution of flavour. The paprika and tomato paste can easily clump in certain parts if not mixed in.
- If you like a bit of smokiness, reduce the amount of sweet paprika and add some smoked paprika.
- If you want heat, add some cayenne pepper, chilli powder or fresh chillies to the dish.
- The longer you cook the sauerkraut, the softer it becomes and the more flavours it infuses. If you’re in a rush, 10 minutes will still be okay. It will just have a bit of a bite and crunch to it.
- Be careful with adding salt. As sauerkraut is fermented cabbage (using cabbage and salt), it will be naturally salty. So try it first and then add more bit by bit to your taste.
What are the health benefits of sauerkraut?
You might be wondering why you should eat sauerkraut besides the fact that it tastes DELICIOUS. Here are some of the health benefits of raw sauerkraut:
- It can help you lose weight
- Rich in beneficial probiotics
- Help to boost your immune system
- Improve your digestion
- Assists with brain health
- Aids in reducing stress
- A good source of dietary fibre
- Rich in phosphorus, calcium, potassium, and vitamins C and K
I hope you love this dish and can think of it next time you want a pantry dinner in no time!
Other recipes you’ll love:
- Creamy Pumpkin and Capsicum Penne
- Easy Vegan Baked Ziti
- Sauerkraut and Bean Stew (Slovenian Jota)
- 3-Ingredient Cabbage Pasta
- My Lentil Spaghetti Bolognese (Vegan)
If you try this recipe, let me know! I would love for you to leave a comment and rating below. If you want to go that extra mile, tag us on Instagram, or share your photo of the recipe on Pinterest. Or Pin It for later!
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Quick and Easy Sauerkraut Pasta
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Description
Quick and easy sauerkraut pasta that is ready in under 30 minutes and serves 4 people. Perfect for a day when the pantry is looking a little bare.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups (tightly packed) sauerkraut, drained
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 400g / 14.10 ounces rigatoni pasta (or pasta of choice)
- Salt,* to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a saucepan on medium-high heat, add in the onion and place the lid on fully to trap the heat and let the onion caramelize. Once it starts to brown, stir in the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes until you have a nice colour on the onions and garlic. I like to stir it well at this point.
- Add in the sauerkraut, sweet paprika, tomato paste, and the bay leaf. Make sure you stir the ingredients well to disperse the ingredients through the sauerkraut.
- When you notice that the ingredients are sticking to the bottom of the pan, add in about ¼ cup / 60ml of water to deglaze the pan and put the lid on fully and reduce heat to low-medium.
- Cook the sauerkraut, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. If you notice that it needs a little more liquid, add a tablespoon of water to the saucepan at a time. You want it to slightly simmer in its own juices.
- While the sauerkraut cooks, cook the pasta as per the packet instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Once the sauerkraut is done, add in the pasta and stir well. Add another tablespoon (or two) of olive oil and stir well.
- Season to taste and be generous with freshly cracked pepper.
- Best served straight away.
Notes
Salt: This will depend on how salty your sauerkraut is.
- Diet: Vegan
This was fab! At the end i popped in in a dish, bit of grated Colby on top, and baked for a few minutes until browned. Yum!!
I’m so glad you liked it! And thanks for sharing how you finished it off, sounds divine 😊 Would you mind leaving a rating with your review next time? It really helps more people find this recipe. Thank you! x
The sauerkraut was delicious! The paprika was excellent with it and you really do need that much garlic to stand up to the tang.
I added a dab of sriracha, cooked the sauerkraut right down, and served it over Not Dogs, vegan hot dogs made of carrots. It was exceptional.
I will use this recipe again for various applications. I’m thinking of making latkes with it next.
I liked the flavour and texture of the sauerkraut in this recipe. I used gluten free penne and thought it was a very good main. I will make it again.
I’m sorry but this was not a winner for me. I like sauerkraut but maybe just on hot dogs. I ended up throwing this in the compost bin & having a cookie for dinner.
Sorry to hear that. What about it didn’t you like? Sauerkraut does have a different flavour when it’s cooked to when it’s raw.
Made this a few times now, it’s an easy, economical and flavourful dish.
Many thanks.
So glad you like it! Thank you for the review 😊
Really good! I love sauerkraut but never thought of this combo, it’s easy and good. But a verrry generous amount of nutritional yeast really makes it even better!
My pantry + fridge are pretty bare and it’s too cold outside, so I thought I’d get creative with what I have. I remember a friend’s spectacular sauerkraut lasagna, so I looked up sauerkraut pasta recipes and found this one. So glad I went with it — simple, easy, relatively quick, absolutely delicious!
A few notes:
–I found that some freshly ground pepper really helped round out the finished dish
–Heating sauerkraut does kill a lot of its good bacteria, so if you’re looking to reap the maximum health benefits from sauerkraut, this is not that dish. However, if you have a lot of sauerkraut on hand (like me!) and you need to get creative with how you eat it, I 100% recommend this recipe.
–For those who aren’t vegan: I found that topping the pasta with a hard-boiled egg really helped make this a filling main dish
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
We enjoyed this and are here to tell you it’s tasty even when reheated in the microwave the next day! Makes our apartment smell great. Going to make it again in the very near future. I used a 24oz/680jar of sauerkraut, then noticed (after shopping and before cooking) that your recipe links to a 32oz/907g jar. I also used approximately 2oz/56g more pasta than recommended and will use less next time so the flavor will be more concentrated. It seemed like it had enough sauerkraut but I just wanted to check — do you really use a 32oz/907g jar, including liquid? In the recipe you say to use drained sauerkraut but elsewhere in this post you advise me can use the entire contents for a recipe like this. I did that and didn’t bother adding salt.
Hi Nicole,
Sorry about the confusion! I linked that particular product as that’s the sauerkraut that I personally use and recommend (as it’s super tasty and organic). However, where you see the link in the recipe card itself, it states to use 2 tightly packed cups of sauerkraut, drained. I hope that helps to clear things up.
I made this again and this time I left out the oil and the sauerkraut liquid and reduced the amount of pasta to what you suggested. Even better!
Glad to hear it! 🙂
Awesome!
This is a meal from my childhood 🙂 i will be making this today!
Oh lovely! Hope you enjoy it 🙂