Quick and Easy Sauerkraut Pasta
Recipe Highlights
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 favorite way to eat it.
I currently have two other flavorful 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, this one has a more sour and richer flavor as the fermented cabbage brings out more depth.
Ingredients
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 at the health food store. This is a much more affordable option.
Save the more expensive one to eat raw and as a salad. You can, of course, eat this sauerkraut raw as well and make a delicious salad too!
Step by Step
Should I rinse sauerkraut before using it?
Rinsing sauerkraut removes the lactic acid, some of the bacteria, and reduces the flavor 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 flavor profile is, I give the sauerkraut a good squeeze and add filtered water when liquid is required.
The rule of thumb for me: if I’m using it in a soup, stew, or any other dish where there needs to be liquid, 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, where you need some cooking liquid that will evaporate during the cooking process, you can add it all in, sauerkraut juice included.
Is cooked sauerkraut still good for you?
Cooking sauerkraut kills off the beneficial bacteria, so if you’re eating it for the probiotics, this isn’t that dish. Keep some raw kraut on hand for that. What you do keep here is the fiber, the flavor, and a very satisfying way to use up a jar.
TIP: The longer you cook the sauerkraut, the softer it becomes and the more flavor it develops. 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.
Variations
- Make it oil-free. One reader skipped the oil entirely and loved it. The onion caramelizes just fine with the lid-on method, and the sauerkraut juices keep everything moving.
- 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, chili powder, fresh chilies, or a dab of sriracha stirred through at the end.
- For extra savoriness, stir a generous amount of nutritional yeast through at the end.
- Add a drizzle of mustard just before serving. A reader tip that makes total sense, as sauerkraut and mustard are a classic pairing.
- Turn it into a bake. Transfer the finished pasta to a baking dish, top with grated vegan cheese, and bake for a few minutes until browned.
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
Equipment
- Cutting board and knife
- Large saucepan with lid
- Wooden spoon
- Measuring cups or scales
- Measuring spoons
- Large pot (for the pasta)
- Colander
Ingredients
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cups (tightly packed) / 310g sauerkraut, drained
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup / 60ml water, plus more as needed
- 14 ounces / 400g large spiral pasta (or fusilli, rigatoni, or any pasta of choice)
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Instructions
Tip: For step-by-step images, please check earlier in the post.
- Caramelize the onion: In a large saucepan on medium heat, add the onion (1). Place the lid* on fully to trap the heat and let the onion caramelize.
- Add the oil and garlic: Once it starts to brown, stir in the olive oil (3 tablespoons) and garlic (5 cloves). Cook for another couple of minutes until you have a nice color, and continue stirring.
- Caramelize the tomato paste: Stir in the tomato paste (1 heaped tablespoon) and cook for a minute or two, stirring, to deepen its flavor.
- Add the sauerkraut: Add the sauerkraut (2 cups), sweet paprika (1 teaspoon), and bay leaf (1). Stir well to disperse the paprika evenly through the sauerkraut.
- Deglaze and simmer: When you notice the ingredients sticking to the bottom of the pan, add the water (¼ cup) to deglaze, put the lid* on fully, and reduce the heat to low-medium.
- Cook the sauerkraut: Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. If it needs a little more liquid, add a tablespoon of water at a time. You want it to gently simmer in its own juices.
- Cook the pasta: While the sauerkraut cooks, cook the large spiral pasta as per the packet instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Combine: Once the sauerkraut is done, remove the bay leaf. Add the pasta to the saucepan along with the remaining olive oil (1 tablespoon) and stir well.
- Season and serve: Season to taste and be generous with freshly cracked pepper. Best served straight away.
Notes
Lid: If your lid has steam holes, some steam will escape. Depending on that and how much heat your burner puts out, you may need to lower the heat and add a splash more water.
Caramelizing the onion: Traditionally, onions are caramelized slowly with oil and salt. Here, the lid-on method speeds things up, and the salt is left until the end since sauerkraut brings plenty of its own. It’s not quite the same, but it gets you most of the way there in a fraction of the time.
Salt: Sauerkraut is naturally salty, so taste before seasoning. How much you need will depend on how salty your sauerkraut is.
Smoky version: Reduce the sweet paprika and add some smoked paprika in its place.
Heat: Add cayenne pepper, chili powder, or fresh chilies.
Cooking time: The longer the sauerkraut cooks, the softer and more flavorful it becomes. 10 minutes works if you’re rushed, but it will keep some bite.
Olive oil: Feel free to add an extra tablespoon at the end if the pasta needs it.
Storage: Keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheats well.
Recipe updated 14th August 2026.
- Diet: Vegan
Excellent! I didn’t add any salt, I used regular paprika, and penne pasta by Jovial, and two different types of sauerkraut. What a great way to use up my sauerkraut and buy more! I added a drizzle of regular mustard and it satisfied my craving for Costco hotdogs which I gave up years ago! Thank you!! Well done!
do you lose the gut bacteria levels by cooking the sourkrout this way?? thanks Denise
You do unfortunately. The only way to preserve the good bacteria is to keep it raw.
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.
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 🙂
Love trying new things, trying to get more of that beautiful fermentation in more of my meals!