With only two ingredients, this easy sauerkraut recipe takes little time to make and is beneficial for your gut!
My love of sauerkraut began with my neighbor. She let me taste a batch she had made. All it took was one bite and I was sold! The tangy flavor was addictive.
But, here is some even better news, not only is it delicious/addictive, it’s healthy! Double whammy!
Sauerkraut is packed with probiotics, vitamins, and minerals that nourish the body and heal the gut. Do I have you on the edge of your seat?
Okay, I know, I may be the only one who gets a little giddy when talking about sauerkraut. I love it so much that I checked into the history of this delicious condiment and it turns out, this is not a new thing. Let’s find out more…
History of Sauerkraut
It is said that sauerkraut first began in China 2,000 years ago. They used fermentation as a way to keep food from spoiling. From there, it spread to Europe where it became a popular side dish and condiment.
The name sauerkraut hails from Germany and means “sour cabbage”. “Sour cabbage” is most commonly known in Germany, but is also popular throughout Europe under a variety of different names.
I’ve also seen fermentation referred to in American History.
I remember reading the “Little House” books to our children where they mention fermentation as a way to preserve food. In fact, pickling is kind of a new thing. Fermenting was the method of choice to keep food from spoiling throughout the winter. Fermenting your food preserves and increases the nutrients, whereas pickling decreases the nutrients.
Well, there you have it, they were definitely on to something with this “sour cabbage”.
Health benefits of sauerkraut
Okay guys, we’ve got some history under our belt, lets talk about what is actually in sauerkraut. Can anyone say probiotics? Yep, it is loaded with probiotics! Lets take a look at what these probiotics do for our gut…
- Helps make food digestible! This is super important because a lot of people are walking around with poor gut health. Unhealthy guts can’t absorb vitamins and minerals well. BUT, probiotics help heal our guts so we can digest food better and absorb all the nutrients from our food.
- Gives our body’s immune system a boost. Sauerkraut is loaded with vitamin C, vitamin K and iron. When our guts are absorbing nutrients properly, it is going to benefit from all these immune boosting vitamins and minerals.
- Fights against the risk of heart disease. Remember I mentioned that good ol vitamin K? Well, vitamin K is believed to help reduce the risk associated with heart disease.
- Reduce the risk of certain cancers. Studies have shown that sauerkraut may help reduce some cancer. This is also true for other fermented foods/drinks like kombucha tea.
- Contributes to stronger bones!
Basically, all I see is a win, win here!
Why make your own sauerkraut
Okay Amanda, I get it, it’s 2,000 years old and it’s good for me, but can’t I just go buy some at the store? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Just kidding, was that a bit harsh? Okay, technically you COULD buy it from the store, but here is what you need to look out for. All sauerkraut is not created equal…
- Is it pasteurized? This is a big no,no. When sauerkraut is pasteurized, much like milk, all the beneficial bacteria is destroyed. Which means you can say goodbye to a lot of those health benefits I listed earlier. You did read those right?
- Does it contain preservatives? Without going into detail, preservatives are another no,no. Preservatives are unnatural. Our bodies react negatively to them. Moving on.
- Does it contain added sugars? Food companies love to slip sugar into everything, so beware of the sugar monsters and read the label.
Have I convinced you yet to make your own sauerkraut? Anytime we choose to make our own food, we gain control of our own health. We get to choose the quality of ingredients and we get to control where our food comes from. Plus, there is just a wonderful feeling knowing, hey, I made that. So be proud, and lets make some sauerkraut!
Ingredients for Easy Sauerkraut
- Cabbage
- sea salt
How to make Easy sauerkraut
The first step in making sauerkraut is to remove the outer leaves of the cabbage until you reach the lighter green leaves. Now, on to slicing.
We need to cut out the stem or hard piece in the center. Start by cutting the cabbage in half and then in fourths, this gives you better access to the hard stem. Take the knife and cut out the stem of each fourth. This picture shows a good way to cut that piece out.
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Alright, now that the stem is out, it is time to cut the cabbage into manageable pieces to shred. There are three options here for shredding. The first, is the good ol’ fashioned knife, slicing each fourth into slivers of cabbage. A little more time consuming, but still does the job. Next is the cheese grater, I have done this, and again, it works just fine. Now, if you have a food processor, this is the fastest way to shred the cabbage. Especially if you are making large amounts of sauerkraut.
For the food processor, just stuff those pieces in and let the shredding begin.
Once it is shredded, dump everything into a bowl.
From here, we are going to add the salt. You will add 1 Tablespoon of salt per head of cabbage.
Once the salt is added, take your hands and mix it all together, squeezing the cabbage as you go to help release the juices. In this picture, I added shredded carrots to the cabbage. I love adding carrots to give it some extra color!
Now it is time to spoon the mixture into a glass jar. I make large batches at a time so I use a half gallon mason jar like this. I also you this stainless steel funnel specifically made for mason jars, just to keep the mess to a minimum.
Add a quarter of the cabbage to the jar.
Now, for this next step, you can use your hand or anything you have to push the cabbage down into the jar and get the juices flowing. I use a special tamper that fits mason jars and I absolutely love it! You can buy it here at Cultures for Health (or here on Amazon). The official name is the pickle packer. Tamper or pickle packer, either way, it makes the job easier! Cultures for Health is also an excellent resource for all things fermented. Their website contains a wealth of information, recipes, and supplies to get you started. I love this company, so go mosey around their site!
Okay, now add another quarter of cabbage and tamp again. Keep doing this until all the cabbage is in the jar. Give one last good tamp to extract as much juice as possible.
Now it is time to add the last piece. Take one of the discarded cabbage leaves and fold it to fit over the cabbage in the jar. Lay it on top. After this, you can add a weight, I use these fermentation weights from Mason Top and I love them (also sold at Cultures for Health)! These glass weights help to keep the cabbage down as well.
I have also used rocks in the past to hold down the cabbage leaf, just make sure the rock is clean and for good measure, wrap it in a cabbage leaf as well.
To finish, just cover the jar with a cloth and place on the countertop for 5-7 days, depending on the warmth of your kitchen. After a few days, give it a taste test. If the flavor is right, place a lid on it and put it in the fridge. If you want it a little more tangy, just leave it out a little longer.
When you put the sauerkraut in the fridge, you stop the fermentation process. Once in the fridge, it will keep for many months!
Ways to use Easy Sauerkraut
Oh the possibilities are endless! Here are just a few ways we use sauerkraut in our house…
- as a side to breakfast eggs
- a topping for taco salad night
- a yummy mid-day snack
- mixed into black beans and rice
- take a spoonful whenever passing the fridge (this actually happens)
For more ideas on fermenting vegetables, check out my Fermented Foods page!
~Amanda
Easy Sauerkrat Recipe
With only two ingredients, this easy sauerkraut recipe takes little time to make and is beneficial for your gut!
Ingredients
- 1 head of cabbage
- 1Tablespoon of salt
Instructions
- Peel off outer leaves of cabbage.
- Cut cabbage in half and then again into fourths.
- Cut out hard stem from each fourth.
- Shred cabbage using a knife, cheese grater, or food processor.
- Place cabbage in a bowl, along with salt, and mix in thoroughly, squeezing the cabbage as you go to release the juices.
- Fill 1/4 of jar with cabbage and press down to further release juices. Keep doing this in fourths until all the cabbage is in the jar.
- Press down one last time to extract remaining juices.
- Take a discarded cabbage leaf and fold to fit into the jar. Place leaf on top of shredded cabbage.
- Place a fermentation weight or other weight on top of the cabbage leaf and cover jar with a cloth.
- Let sit on the countertop 5-7 days or until desired taste is reached.
- Once fermentation is finished, place a lid on the top and put in the fridge.
Notes
The speed of fermentation depends on the warmth of your kitchen. If your kitchen runs hot, the fermentation process will be much shorter.
