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Sauerkraut bigus with minced meat and sausage

Bigos — Polish Sauerkraut Stew with Ground Meat and Sausage

A delicious, traditional Polish dish made with both fresh cabbage and sauerkraut! Many people know the Russian-style version — cabbage braised with meat or sausage. But ours isn't the only cuisine with dishes like this; Poland loves them too. Take Polish bigos: unlike the usual version, it's made with fresh green cabbage and sauerkraut at the same time, and with both smoked and boiled sausage at once. You can also add other meats, smoked cuts, and more, depending on what you have and what you feel like.

Snezhana

Recipe author

Sauerkraut bigus with minced meat and sausage

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

White cabbage

300

Sauerkraut

300

Carrots

Onion

Boiled sausage

200

Smoked sausage

200

Ground meat

200

Garlic

Prunes

Tomato paste

Vegetable oil

Salt

Ground black pepper

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 31 % 8 g

Fats 46 % 12 g

Carbohydrates 23 % 6 g

182 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

Prep the ingredients. Finely chop the onion. Peel the carrot and grate it on the coarse side of a grater. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet, add the chopped onion and grated carrot, and sauté until the vegetables turn translucent.
Step 2:

Add the ground meat — a fattier blend such as beef-and-pork works best and makes the dish tastier, more fragrant, and richer. Stir it into the vegetables and cook for about another 15 minutes.
Step 3:

Add the sauerkraut to the pan and cook for about 15 more minutes over medium heat.
Step 4:

If it looks like there isn't enough liquid and the vegetables are starting to catch, add a little water. Meanwhile, shred the fresh cabbage into thin strips.
Step 5:

Add the fresh cabbage to the pan as well, stir in the tomato paste, and cook — with a little water added so it half-covers the contents of the pan — for about 20 minutes.
Step 6:

Cut the boiled and smoked sausage into small cubes and add them to the pan with the vegetables.
Step 7:

Peel the papery skins off the garlic cloves and finely chop them, or press them through a garlic press. If you don't like garlic you can leave it out, but it adds a nice flavor to the dish.
Step 8:

Rinse the prunes well — it's best to soak them briefly in boiling water to remove any impurities and plump them up a bit — then cut them into small pieces. Add the garlic and prunes to the pan, and season with ground black pepper and salt to taste.
Step 9:

Cover the pan and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes, until the excess liquid cooks off. But don't let it get too dry — some liquid should stay in the pan, or the bigos won't be as good. Serve the Polish bigos with freshly baked bread. Enjoy!