Sauerkraut with Mushrooms (Kapusta z Grzybami) (2024)

Sauerkraut with Mushrooms is a traditional vegetarian dish served at Polish Wigilia Christmas Eve dinner. It is extremely easy to make and contains a handful of ingredients. It’s a simpler, but just as delicious, alternative to sauerkraut pierogi, another traditional Polish Christmas dish.

Sauerkraut with Mushrooms is called ‘kapusta z grzybami’ in Polish (although ‘kapusta’ means ‘cabbage’ in this dish it refers to sauerkraut, ‘kapusta kiszona’ in Polish). Preparation is quick and easy and then everything is cooked together until soft.

This vegetarian sauerkraut stew with mushrooms is closely related to better-known Polish bigos, made with meat and Polish ‘kiełbasa’ in addition to the cabbage.

The tradition of eating sauerkraut and forest mushrooms (‘grzyby’) on Christmas Eve in Poland is rooted in old Slavic beliefs. Cabbage is a hearty vegetable symbolising good health and vitality, while mushrooms are associated with prosperity.

Other traditional Wigilia dishes made with these 2 ingredients include mushroom dumplings, uszka, mushroom soup and sauerkraut pierogi. Even Polish barszcz soup contains a small amount of mushrooms.

Sauerkraut and mushrooms ingredients

• Sauerkraut: I recommend buying sauerkraut that’s preservative-free and made only with cabbage and salt (sometimes carrot is added to sauerkraut and that’s also ok to use) and ideally, not pasteurised.
• Mushrooms: the cheapest wild mushrooms I’ve been able to find tend to be sold in Polish stores. They are usually either ‘borowiki’ (porcini) or ‘podgrzybki’ (boletes). Both are fine to use.
• Onion.
• Carrot: adds sweetness. Use the carrot even if your sauerkraut came with a bit of carrot in it.
• Prunes: add sweetness and more depth of flavour.
• Water: you will need it for cooking the mushrooms and adding into the stew.
• Vegetable oil: use any.
• Spices: these include allspice berries and bay leaf, frequently used in Polish dishes.
• Pepper: add to taste. You may not need to use any salt.

Do I need to rinse the sauerkraut

This is entirely up to you. I recommend tasting the sauerkraut before you cook it to decide whether to remove some of the tartness first. (Sauerkraut can have different degrees of acidity, depending on how it was made, whether it’s been pasteurised, kept in a barrel, etc).

If you do decide to rinse your sauerkraut place it in a large bowl, cover with cold water then transfer the whole thing to a strainer.

If you do not want to rinse the sauerkraut be sure to drain it before making the recipe (otherwise the finished dish may be too sour).

Do I need to soak the mushrooms

Some people recommend doing this step although I don’t think it’s needed. I do, however, recommend precooking the mushrooms. This will soften and help them release lots of rich flavour which can then be added to the final dish.

Step-by-step recipe instructions

1.Rinse mushrooms: Place the mushrooms in a strainer and rinse briefly rubbing with your fingertips to remove any grit.

2. Cook mushrooms: Place in a small pot, add approx. 1 cup/240ml of water, cover and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until soft. Remove from the heat and strain but reserve the water. Chop the mushrooms roughly and set aside.

3. Cook onion: In the meantime, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan, add the onion and cook over a low heat for about 8 minutes until softened, stirring often (do not brown the onion). Remove from the heat and set aside.

4. Prepare sauerkraut: Place the sauerkraut in a strainer and remove excess moisture by squeezing gently. Chop the sauerkraut roughly.

5. Assemble ingredients: Place the sauerkraut, onion, carrot, prunes, allspice, bay leaf, remaining oil, chopped mushrooms as well as mushroom water in a pot.

6. Cook: Cover and cook over a low heat for about 1-1.5 hours until the sauerkraut is very soft. Stir the mixture often during cooking to ensure it doesn’t burn (top up with a little more water as needed). Remove from the heat, add pepper to taste and serve hot.

Serving suggestions

Polish kapusta with mushrooms is served hot at Wigilia dinner and eaten with bread. You can enjoy leftovers with:

• Christmas leftovers, such as turkey or ham, along with potatoes or bread,
• Fried Polish kiełbasa,
• Polish pasta,
• As a side dish served with a Polish-style meat dish (such as ‘kotlety mielone’) and potatoes.

You can also use this mushroom sauerkraut as a filling for Polish krokiety or add it to your cabbage roll filling for more complexity.

Top tips

• Sauerkraut: You can, but don’t need to rinse the sauerkraut briefly before cooking it (if you find it too sour).
• Mushrooms: You can change the proportions and use more mushrooms if preferred.
• Seasoning: Add pepper to taste (you may not need to add any salt as the sauerkraut is salty).
• Storing: Once cooled cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave.
• Polish sauerkraut with mushrooms tastes even better the next day, so can be made ahead.
• Freeze for up to 3 months.

Other sauerkraut and mushroom recipes to try next

• Sauerkraut Cabbage Rolls
• Polish Sauerkraut Pierogi
• Sauerkraut Chicken Casserole
• Authentic Polish Bigos Stew Recipe

See also these other traditional Polish recipes including tips for cooking sauerkraut!

Recipe

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If you make this sauerkraut and mushroom dish I'd love to know what you thought. Let me know in the comments below, thanks:)

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