Great Eats: Cabbage/Sauerkraut Soup

Oh, sauerkraut. Why are you so delicious? Most of the time I don't even ask, as I stand there, eating you right from the jar/can. You're just so good!

And calorie-free, which is no small thing - as at one point eating lots of sauerkraut soup helped me shed 70 pounds. And even now, it's such a simple thing - a handful of staples, not even thirty minutes on the stove and BAM, I have a huge pot of delicious, pungent, colorful soup that all together cost less than $5 to make.

It really can't be beat, and the ease of preparation seals the deal. Heavenly with sour cream, but vegan without and if the idea of so much sauerkraut is off-putting, try draining it or if you're so adamant, rinsing the delicious, delicious pickled cabbage.




The ingredients are very basic - this is but a start - improvise to your heart's content.

2 tbs butter, unsalted
1 onion, diced
1/2 medium head cabbage, diced
1 glass jar of sauerkraut (try not to eat it before you cook with it) with about 1/2 of the liquid drained.
3 bay leaves, preferably fresh
1 small jar of tomato paste
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste
Large pinch of sage, dill and Italian seasoning
pinch of ground cumin

Melt butter in large pot, add the onion and cook for a few minutes without letting it burn. Add the cabbage, stir and cook for a several minutes, until the cabbage starts turning translucent and soft. Add 7 cups of water, bay leaves, salt and pepper and bring heat to max. As the mixture starts to boil, add the sauerkraut and stir. If soup is more like a stew, add more water and salt/pepper. Bring to a boil and add the tomato paste. Lower heat and add spices. Continue to cook for about 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with sour cream and rye bread. Enjoy!