This hearty vegetable soup, known properly as Kapusniak, may sound odd, but it’s a delicious bean soup and a great way to get fermented food into your diet for gut health. Don’t worry, it doesn’t taste overly sauerkraut-y, just hearty and filling. Make sure to buy fresh (not canned) sauerkraut to get the beneficial live cultures. Probiotic cultures are destroyed at around 115°F (47°C), so add the sauerkraut at the end of cooking and be sure not to simmer or boil.
Sauerkraut provides probiotics, the healthy bacteria that live in your gut, while the beans provide prebiotics, which are foods high in fiber that feed the bacteria in your gut. Both are critical for optimal gut health.
Active time: 20 minutes Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Polish Bean and Sauerkraut Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 ounce (14g) dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 strip (7g) nitrate-free center-cut bacon or pancetta, chopped
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, sliced
- 2 celery ribs, chopped
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 3/4 teaspoon dried marjoram or thyme
- 2 medium garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 cups (473ml) low-sodium chicken broth
- 8 ounces (227g) red or yellow potatoes, cut into bite-size chunks
- 1 (15-ounce/425g) can cranberry or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 cups (230g) drained fresh naturally fermented sauerkraut (I used Cleveland Co., but HEB has a similar sodium count)
- 1 dash salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions
Put the dried mushrooms in a small bowl. Pour the 1 cup (237ml) boiling water over the mushrooms, cover, and set aside for 30 minutes. Chop the mushrooms and reserve the soaking liquid.
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until the bacon begins to brown, 5 minutes. Add the onions, carrots, celery, caraway, marjoram or thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
Add the reconstituted mushrooms to the pot. Slowly pour in the mushroom soaking water, stopping before you get to any grit at the bottom of the pot. Add the broth, potatoes, beans and bay leaf and stir gently to combine. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the potatoes are tender, 20–25 minutes.
Reduce heat to low, add the sauerkraut, salt and pepper; cover and cook until heated through, about 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Serve.
Serves: 4 | Serving Size: 1 3/4 cups/ 345g
Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 260; Total Fat: 5g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 3mg; Sodium: 686mg; Carbohydrate: 40g; Dietary Fiber: 15g; Sugar: 6g; Protein: 13g
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