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.
Hi, Christy!
Much like your mother and seafood, we didn’t have kraut when I was growing up, becase Mama didn’t like it. I DO remember having this at school on a regular basis, and was always very excited on kraut ‘n weenie day. As a grown-up, I’m working to make up for all the kraut I missed out on as a child!
(Side note: my daughter always called it “winnies and crap” when they served it at school. I finally corrected her, and she was so surprised. She thought it was called “crap” because (to her) that’s what it tasted like! Funny, I don’t REMEMBER dropping her on her head.)
Probably my favorite po’ folks meal (and boy, were we!) was salmon patties, black-eyed peas, slaw and cornbread. To this day, I make that exact meal, and it never fails to take me back to childhood.
We used to eat this when I was growing up too, except my mom would use Lil’ Smokies (the tiny sausages). I wasn’t a huge fan of sauerkraut, but I would eat a whole bowl of it for those delicious little sausages!
One of my favorite “po’ folks foods” was Poor Man’s Swiss Steak – Make patties out of ground beef (to stretch it you can add oats, rice, shredded carrot, whatever). Start cooking them in a frying pan. Mix together a can of tomato sauce and a can of cream of mushroom soup. Pour it over the hamburger patties, then cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is done. Eat over mashed potatoes. Mmmm, this is one I still love to make for my family.
My mother made this with polish sausage, cut in lager pieces, not sliced. She would put in a dutch oven with sauerkraut and peeled potatoes cut in large chunks.This would simmer for quite a while (or so it seemed at the time). Actually, it was probably just however long it took for the potatoes to cook.
I loved this. Too bad I can’t make it now. I’m the only one who likes sauerkraut. the only way my husband will eat cabbage is coleslaw.
I love sauerkraut with just about everything and this looks so simple, thanks!! My absolute favorite is to put pork chops on the bottom of a crockpot, dump sauerkraut on top of them and then 1/2 bottle ( or more!) of your favorite bbq sauce and cook on low all day…..all I can say is delicious! The kraut tastes like candy and the chops melt in your mouth!!
If you can believe it I had never ate kraut and weenies until I met my husband. My mom didn’t cook what she didn’t like. After he fixed them for me one time I was hooked. Now it is a regular meal in my house and my three year old son loves it too.
I LOVE kraut and weenies and pintos and cornbread. I could eat my weight in that stuff! Hope to see you at UNA!
Of course, I wore a granny bead necklace on a regular basis and I love kraut, weinies and pintos!