Sauerkraut and Weenies
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This is an old-fashioned Southern main dish. As the name suggests, all you need is sauerkraut and weenies to make this tangy yet delicious dish.
This sauerkraut and weenies recipe was one of my dear favorite meals as a girl and still is. It is a prime example of a budget meal (very common in the South back in the day) and so very good! Oh goodness, I’m getting hungry.
Now, I realize some folks are just not sauerkraut fans. Chances are, I lost about half of you in the title of this post. But I know some folks saw that photo and your stomach started growling, and chances are pretty darn good that you’ll be having this for supper tonight. Those who don’t fit into this category, feel free to think of the rest of us as weird. We won’t mind and there will be more sauerkraut for us! Everyone has their preferences and it’s all good either way.
This is one of those meals that is great with slices of polish sausage. But I still like to cook it how Mama did growing up; just by chopping up a few weenies and cooking until the sauerkraut and weenies brown a bit. That’s all there is to it. You can add as many weenies or sausage as you like and if you’re vegetarian, just get some vegan hot dogs and keep on keeping on. If you want to take it up a notch, you can make your own sauerkraut as I do in this post. Put it on your Classic Reuben Sandwich and you will crave it every day.
Recipe Ingredients
- Sauerkraut
- Weenies
- Salt and pepper
Helpful Kitchen Tools
How to Make Sauerkraut and Weenies
Slice your weenies and put them in a large skillet.
Add in about two cups of sauerkraut.
Cook this over medium to medium-high heat, stirring often.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
You can start with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper and then adjust to make it just right for you.
Cook this until your weenies and sauerkraut get a little brown or you can just cook it until everything is heated through.
Now here is a supper from the old days!
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I recommend reheating on the stovetop on low heat until heated through.
Recipe Notes
- How many weenies you use is up to you. We used to have to determine this based on how many we had, so to be able to use as many as you want is a big step up nowadays.
- I have a friend from Germany ~waves to Gudrun~ who swears by the bagged sauerkraut so I started buying it and now I’m a convert, too. You can get it in the refrigerated section near the weenies usually and sometimes near the deli if they have a refrigerated section there as well. Mama likes the kind you get in a glass jar and we’ve both used the kind that comes in a can (which you get on the vegetable aisle). Overall, they are all good and there isn’t a lot of price difference so it is up to you to pick your favorite.
- As mentioned, you can use a different type of sausage with the sauerkraut. For example, sauerkraut and brats (bratwurst) is a popular dish in Germany. Kielbasa or franks also work.
- For extra flavor, add 1 diced apple to the skillet as well.
Recipe FAQs
What goes well with sauerkraut and weenies?
Here are some serving suggestions for your sauerkraut and weenies:
- Dinner rolls (with mustard)
- German potato salad
- Mashed potatoes
- Fried potatoes
- Freshly fried corn (or creamed corn or baked corn on the cob).
- Baked beans
- Broccoli salad
- Fresh green beans
- Cornbread
Do you drain sauerkraut before cooking?
If you’re using jarred sauerkraut, you’ll want to drain it before using it.
What condiment goes well with sauerkraut?
Mustard, ketchup, green tomato relish, and hot sauce (like sriracha or tabasco sauce) all pair perfectly with sauerkraut.
How do you season sauerkraut?
Besides salt and black pepper, if you want a touch of sweetness add up to a tablespoon of brown sugar. If you want a more savory flavor, add a teaspoon of caraway seeds. Alternatively, for a kick, add a dash of red pepper flakes or a teaspoon of paprika.
What food goes well with sauerkraut?
Here are some other dishes that pair well with sauerkraut:
- Hot dogs or hot dog chili
- Pork chops
- Reuben sandwich
- Grilled cheese sandwich
- Polish sausage or kielbasa sausage
You may also like these recipes:
Southern Fried Cabbage With Bacon
Ingredients
- 2-4 weenies or polish sausage
- 2 cups sauerkraut
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice weenies into small pieces and place them in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat.2-4 weenies or polish sausage
- Add sauerkraut. Cook, stirring often until kraut and weenies brown slightly. Salt and pepper to taste.2 cups sauerkraut, salt and pepper to taste
- Serve hot.
Nutrition
This was originally published in 2010. I updated the post and photos in 2020.
Life is really simple,
but we insist on making it complicated.
First – we had “train tracks” around our necks :>) Played long and hard – when we weren’t in the garden during the summer mornings. I’m the only one that would go the kraut…but there have been plenty of hot dogs cut up in a can of pork-n-beans then heated. Growing up, my Dad’s favorite “expensive dish” was either what we called baked tomatoes (home canned tomatoes and stale bread with a dash of sugar, salt and pepper – then baked)….or that expensive potato soup-no cream or anything fancy- just taters, onion, water and a small amout of milk added to make it white. OH – such good food!
I just love reading your website. I’m California born and raised, but my family on my mom’s side is southern so we have all these foods. Love sauerkraut but couldn’t get my husband or son to even try it. (Northerners!) I love reading through the comments and rememering all the foods I had growing up. Does anyone say “How much do you lack?” for How much do you have left? My grandmother always says that and i figured it must be a Southern thing.
Yes!!! My mom and dad both used that term for “how much more do you have to do?” — “How much do you lack on that homework?”. I never even thought about it being just a Southern thing until you posted that.
I make this with kielbasa (normally turkey kielbasa), and let me say first that I do NOT like sauerkraut lol… so, I first rinse the kraut under cold water in a big colander, then I put it in a big pot (dutch oven) with a sliced onion, cover with water, throw in a few chicken bouillon cubes, garlic powder, about 1/3 C of brown sugar, a bay leaf or two, a little dried parsley, fresh black pepper, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. I bring it to a boil and simmer for about 2 1/2 hrs, then add the kielbasa and simmer another 30 min. It is delicious.
Our favorite meal growing up was rice and ‘maters with smoked sausage.Mama canned tomatoes and Grandaddy’s pigs supplies the sausage so it was real cheap eatin’.I still fix this quite often.
We had this growing up and we have it now! I brown my weiners a bit before adding kraut. A pone of cornbread along with it and u-m-m-m-m!
Well, I didn’t call it poor folks food; it was just what we ate at our house. We loved kraut and weenies–still do, with butter beans and cornbread. Also, like Heather, we had SOS and loved it; in fact, my kids love it today. Also, had salmon patties, fried potatoes and biscuits. We had our share of corned beef hash(from the can mixed with fried potatoes) and fried spam too.
My mom and grandma used to make these with chopped and fried taters! So delicious! My grandma still makes it when I come to visit!