Sauerkraut and Weenies

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This is an old-fashioned Southern main dish. As the name suggests, all you need is sauerkraut and weenies to make this tangy yet delicious dish.

Sauerkraut and weenies on plate with beans and bread roll.

This sauerkraut and weenies recipe was one of my dear favorite meals as a girl and still is. It is a prime example of a budget meal (very common in the South back in the day) and so very good! Oh goodness, I’m getting hungry.

Now, I realize some folks are just not sauerkraut fans. Chances are, I lost about half of you in the title of this post. But I know some folks saw that photo and your stomach started growling, and chances are pretty darn good that you’ll be having this for supper tonight. Those who don’t fit into this category, feel free to think of the rest of us as weird. We won’t mind and there will be more sauerkraut for us! Everyone has their preferences and it’s all good either way. 

This is one of those meals that is great with slices of polish sausage. But I still like to cook it how Mama did growing up; just by chopping up a few weenies and cooking until the sauerkraut and weenies brown a bit. That’s all there is to it. You can add as many weenies or sausage as you like and if you’re vegetarian, just get some vegan hot dogs and keep on keeping on. If you want to take it up a notch, you can make your own sauerkraut as I do in this post. Put it on your Classic Reuben Sandwich and you will crave it every day.

Ingredients for sauerkraut and weenies.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Sauerkraut
  • Weenies
  • Salt and pepper

Helpful Kitchen Tools

How to Make Sauerkraut and Weenies

Place sliced sausage in skillet.

Slice your weenies and put them in a large skillet.

Add sauerkraut and cook, stirring often.

Add in about two cups of sauerkraut.

Cook this over medium to medium-high heat, stirring often.

Season with salt and pepper.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

You can start with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper and then adjust to make it just right for you. 

Cook this until your weenies and sauerkraut get a little brown or you can just cook it until everything is heated through.

Now here is a supper from the old days!

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I recommend reheating on the stovetop on low heat until heated through.

Recipe Notes

  • How many weenies you use is up to you. We used to have to determine this based on how many we had, so to be able to use as many as you want is a big step up nowadays.
  • I have a friend from Germany ~waves to Gudrun~ who swears by the bagged sauerkraut so I started buying it and now I’m a convert, too. You can get it in the refrigerated section near the weenies usually and sometimes near the deli if they have a refrigerated section there as well. Mama likes the kind you get in a glass jar and we’ve both used the kind that comes in a can (which you get on the vegetable aisle). Overall, they are all good and there isn’t a lot of price difference so it is up to you to pick your favorite.
  • As mentioned, you can use a different type of sausage with the sauerkraut. For example, sauerkraut and brats (bratwurst) is a popular dish in Germany. Kielbasa or franks also work.
  • For extra flavor, add 1 diced apple to the skillet as well.

Recipe FAQs

What goes well with sauerkraut and weenies?

Here are some serving suggestions for your sauerkraut and weenies:

Do you drain sauerkraut before cooking?

If you’re using jarred sauerkraut, you’ll want to drain it before using it.

What condiment goes well with sauerkraut?

Mustard, ketchup, green tomato relish, and hot sauce (like sriracha or tabasco sauce) all pair perfectly with sauerkraut.

How do you season sauerkraut?

Besides salt and black pepper, if you want a touch of sweetness add up to a tablespoon of brown sugar. If you want a more savory flavor, add a teaspoon of caraway seeds. Alternatively, for a kick, add a dash of red pepper flakes or a teaspoon of paprika.

What food goes well with sauerkraut?

Here are some other dishes that pair well with sauerkraut:

You may also like these recipes:

How To Make Sauerkraut

Southern Fried Cabbage With Bacon

How To Make Kimchi At Home

Kielbasa Sausage Recipes

Classic Reuben Sandwich

Kielbasa Skillet

Sauerkraut and Weenies

This is an old-fashioned Southern main dish. As the name suggests, all you need is sauerkraut and weenies to make this delicious dish.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: sauerkraut, sausage
Servings: 4
Calories: 268kcal

Ingredients

  • 2-4 weenies or polish sausage
  • 2 cups sauerkraut
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Slice weenies into small pieces and place them in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat.
    2-4 weenies or polish sausage
  • Add sauerkraut. Cook, stirring often until kraut and weenies brown slightly. Salt and pepper to taste.
    2 cups sauerkraut, salt and pepper to taste
  • Serve hot.

Nutrition

Calories: 268kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

This was originally published in 2010. I updated the post and photos in 2020.

Life is really simple,

but we insist on making it complicated.

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363 Comments

  1. My husband would have a royal fit if I served hotdogs any other way but in hotdog buns. ( poor man, doesn’t know what he’s missing), but tonight we are having this with polish sausage, and beans!

  2. Glad to hear there are other southern kids, who remember running in the door, to eat this delicious dish. I’m 53 now and making it tonight. Will go hug my momma in a little while. Love her and y’all too.

  3. 5 stars
    Sounds like we had the same childhood growing up. Mom would always have cornbread or hoe cakes with this meal.

  4. 5 stars
    Oh you grew up like I did ! My mom cook this a lot with beans and cornbread. It’s so good especially on a cold day.

  5. 5 stars
    You brought back so many fond memories! We had this dish many times, but because of having very little money, Mama always had to buy the cheap-o weenies from Safeway. They were red and came in a big bag and were so cheap. (If I recall they cost a whole dollar!) BUT when they were cooked with the sauerkraut, they made the sauerkraut have reddish spots where the rested on it..
    Anyhoo, the meal sure tasted good and she also served them with some pork n beans or whatever left over beans that she had saved in the refrigerator and some homemade cornbread. I am a “Baby Boomer” and was raised by Depression Era and WWII parents who knew how to stretch a dollar until it screamed! Thank you Christy, for reminding me of very fond and sweet memories of my long ago childhood.
    Claudine in Fort Worth, TX

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