Cold weather for me means lots of slow cooker recipes that are rich and filling and don’t require too much chewing. Why that last bit? I have no idea, but there’s something about softer foods that just feels more wintery to me. I just want a nice bowl of something hot that I can hold onto to warm my hands while eating, that also isn’t crunchy, and this Vegan Keto Braised Sauerkraut & “Sausage” (or Kiełbasa z kiszoną kapustą in Polish)fits the bill perfectly.

If you don’t like sauerkraut, I would recommend skipping this dish altogether, or making this with an equal measure of thinly sliced cabbage instead. The sauerkraut really comes through here and is very tangy. I usually eat this dish as a side, but you could also eat a half batch as a main course, and it would pack a lot of nutrition!

This is a really easy recipe that can be made in a crock pot or an instant pot. I just got an instant pot at a Yankee swap/white elephant (literally the best gift I have ever received in any of these exchanges – it’s been a week and I still can’t believe it) and so I’ll likely be adding instant pot instructions to a lot of recipes coming up! This recipe is my first instant pot recipe for this blog, though, and I’m super excited about it.

While I imagine you could use any vegan sausage you want for this, I really like the ones from Beyond Meat (noooot sponsored!) for a few reasons: they are gluten-free, they are soy-free, they taste really, really, really good. They are definitely a processed food, so I try to limit my intake to a once-a-month treat, but they are truly the tastiest mock sausage I have come across. Plus, they pack 18g of protein each. Pretty exciting. Anyway, if you want to use another brand, go for it, these are just the ones I like.

If you would rather not use a meat substitute at all, I hear you. Most of the time I’m in this camp and will opt to add in two cups of mushrooms (fresh or frozen) instead.

Notes on Making Vegan Keto Braised Sauerkraut & “Sausage” (Kiełbasa z kiszoną kapustą)

• The smoked sea salt serves to bring a little more of a smokey kiełbasa flavor to the mock sausage. It’s not at all necessary for the recipe, but does add some nice depth. Liquid smoke would also work here.
• Similarly, if you don’t have allspice or bay leaves, don’t fret! The dish will still taste good without them. 🙂
• Because this is cooked for so long and the probiotics in the sauerkraut/kiszona kapuste will be destroyed, I don’t bother using the fancy, expensive versions for this. Just the regular old sauerkraut from the jar will work fine!
• You can easily double this recipe – just double everything but the vegetable broth (this stays the same) and cook for the same amount of time. For even larger batches, you will likely have to increase the cooking time.
• If you want to cook this in a crock pot instead, combine all the ingredients and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours. You can tell it’s done when the sauerkraut is no longer crunchy!
• While I strive to provide accurate nutritional information, different brands and varieties of ingredients will have different values, so your calculations may vary!

Vegan Keto Braised Sauerkraut & Kiełbasa (Kiełbasa z kiszoną kapustą)

Print Recipe

This super easy, low carb vegan take on a classic Polish dish (Kiełbasa z kiszoną kapustą) is sure to keep you warm on a cold winter's day.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine polish, vegan keto

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Servings 4 servings

Calories 186

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp smoked sea salt
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 Beyond Sausage Brat links
• 2 cups 450g/1lb sauerkraut
• 2-3 bay leaves

Instructions

• Add two tbsp of olive to your instant pot and set to "saute."
• Thinly slice the onion and add to the instant pot, along with the allspice, pepper and smoked sea salt. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion softens and starts to brown slightly.
• Add in the vegetable broth and stir.
• Slice the faux sausage into roughly 1" (2.5cm) each and add to the instant pot.
• Drain the sauerkraut thoroughly and add to the instant pot.
• Top with bay leaves and place the lid on the instant pot.
• Set the instant pot to "pressure cook" on high pressure for 10 minutes. Be sure the vent is closed!
• After the 10 minutes, let the pot depressurize for 10 minutes naturally, then carefully open the vent to let it completely depressurize.
• Turn off the pot, remove the lid and serve.

Notes

Prep time includes the time required for the pot to depressurize.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 4.2g | Protein: 9.5g | Fat: 12.9g | Fiber: 5g