Pork and Sauerkraut is a simple casserole that everyone in my family LOVES!
Layers of tender potatoes, melt in your mouth pork chops and zesty apple sauerkraut!
This casserole is baked in the oven until the pork chops are fork tender for a meal your whole family will love!
If you are looking for a delicious way to prepare fork-tender pork, you’ll love this Pork and Sauerkraut Bake!
A one dish meal complete with potatoes and pork chops smothered in sauerkraut, apples and onions. It is the perfect combination of savory that you will fall in love with!
This recipe was given to me from a pork farmer and who says this is one of her family’s favorites! She said she often adds sliced tomatoes to top off the sauerkraut too!
For this recipe, I choose a thick shoulder pork chop or a chop with lots of marbling.
Cooking a well marbled pork chop (or pork steak) at a low temperature for a long period of time will make your chops fork tender (and infuses extra flavor into the potato layer)!
If your pork is lean or too thin, it can become dry and tough which is disappointing.
What is sauerkraut?
Sauerkraut is something that we’ve enjoyed for years in our family and I can remember how much my Grandma loved it!
Sauerkraut, simply put, is shredded fermented cabbage.
It starts with a simple base of cabbage that has been shredded along with salt. The salt is massaged into the cabbage until liquid (or brine) is formed.
Once there is enough liquid to cover the cabbage it is placed in a container or large jar and weights are added to compress the cabbage (and keep it below the level of the liquid).
The cabbage will begin the fermentation process and should be ready to eat within 3-5 weeks.
Is Sauerkraut good for you?
It is used in many cultural dishes originating from countries like Ukraine, Poland, and Germany.
Not only delicious, sauerkraut is good for you too! It is a good source of vitamins, breaks down proteins during digestion and can help balance stomach PH levels. It is easy to digest and helps purify your body from toxins and gives you more energy! It also helps boost your body’s immunity! Sounds a little like a super food to me!
Just like cabbage, sauerkraut pairs perfectly with pork, is great on hotdogs or with sausage or added to Cabbage Rolls or soups.
One of our favorite ways to enjoy it is in this easy Pork and Sauerkraut bake!
How Do You Cook Pork and Sauerkraut?
This Pork and Sauerkraut Bake recipe is very simple to make.
What Kind of Pork Should I Use?
You’ll want to choose a marbled pork chop that has some fat in it such as a sirloin chop or shoulder chop. If your chops are really large, they can be cut in half (and bone in is perfect in this recipe).
Cooking leaner cuts for extended periods of time can result in a tough chop. Additionally, if you use a thinner chop you may need to reduce cooking time.
Be sure to brown the pork chops as this adds lots of flavor to the dish and helps seal in the juices.
While the pork is browning, prepare the sauerkraut apple mixture.
Place the potatoes in the bottom of a casserole dish and season them with salt & pepper (and a little garlic powder if you’d like). Next layer the browned chops and top with the sauerkraut mixture.
Cook this in your oven low and slow until the potatoes are soft and the pork is melt in your mouth tender.
We love to serve this along with a delicious and fresh Cucumber Dill Salad and some 30 Minute Dinner Rolls!
Easy and delicious, this Pork and Sauerkraut Bake is the perfect recipe to add to this week’s menu!
Pork and Sauerkraut Bake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ pounds potatoes peeled and thinly sliced (about 2 large)
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 6 pork chops 1″ thick (see notes below)
- 3 cups sauerkraut drained
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 small onion thinly sliced
- 1 granny smith apple peeled and thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place potatoes and butter in a 9×13 pan. Toss with garlic powder and salt & black pepper to taste.
- Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Brown over medium high heat, about 3 minutes each side.
- Meanwhile, combine sauerkraut, brown sugar, onion, granny smith apple and caraway seeds in a bowl.
- Place ½ of the sauerkraut mixture over the potatoes. Top with browned pork chops and finally remaining sauerkraut mixture. Cover tightly with foil.
- Reduce oven to 325°F and bake for 2 hours. Uncover and bake an additional 15-30 minutes or until fork-tender. Serve warm with applesauce.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner
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Can I use bone-in country style ribs for this recipe? Maybe bake a little longer?
Hi Miriam, we have never tried this recipe with bone-in country style ribs but it should work. We would love to hear the adjustments that you end up making!
Can this recipe be frozen? I want to make it but I need a casserole to take with on vacation and cook later.
Hi Dorothy, we haven’t tried freezing this recipe but it should work well. We would love to hear how it turns out!
Very good! But next time I’ll try it in the crockpot, after I’ve given the potatoes a few minutes in the microwave. I’ll use all the sauerkraut in two
14 oz cans, plus the juice from one can. We enjoyed it on a cold night tonight!
So so good! I will be making this again and again. Thank you!
Holly, my son is a brittle diabetic and cannot eat potatoes. What can you suggest in place of the potatoes? We all are crazy about sauerkraut and pork so what do you think? This is such a good recipe!
We eat roasted radishes in place of potatoes. I think that’d work well in this recipe too Sharon! Let us know if you try it.
I love this recipe!
Made it a few months back turned out delicious!
Making it today but will add a few more potatoes.
So glad you loved this Beverly.
I’m posting this 1 star to even out the 4 star I left to ask a question. The pork was over done at 2 hours. I bought the pork that was specified in the recipe – sirloin at least an inch thick- and it was too long. The potatoes were done. The sauerkraut was good. But the pork was dead. Pretty disappointing.
Oh no Margaret, I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you, that’s definitely disappointing!
I have had good success with well-marbled pork chops becoming tender as they cook. If the pork was tough it may have needed a little bit more time to continue cooking and tenderizing (similar to how ribs become more tender as they cook). I make them frequently in my Mushroom Chops recipe and if they’re not tender usually an additional 20-30 minutes will do the trick. I hope that helps!
I was thinking two hours seemed way too long for this. Note to self. I’ll be sure to use the thermometer to 145.
Im guessing I should use regular sauerkraut and not the Bavarian style?
I have only made this with regular sauerkraut.
I thought 2 hours was too long to bake
If your pork chops were thinner 2 hours may have been too long Michel. Just test to make sure your pork is fully cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F before removing from the oven.
Hello! I love any recipe with sauerkraut and I’m excited to try this tonight. One question for you: why do we preheat the oven to 350 only to reduce it to 325 when we put the casserole in to cook? I want to make sure I don’t overcook the chops so I’m looking for your expertise :) Thank you!
I find that 325 cooks the pork low and slow making it tender but starting at 350 gives it a bit of a jumpstart to get things heated up a bit quicker. :)
So good and easy! I also sprinkled the meat with thyme and minced garlic as well.
This recipe looks just like Granmas! Cooking it right.
I hope you love it Thom!
I remember when I was 16 and my grandmother came to visit us. She made a pork roast with sauerkraut. When the roast was done she removed it from the roaster and made a gravy with the juices and the sauerkraut. She had mashed potatoes on the side. I am sure there was some other vegetable but I don’t remember what it was. The roast, gravy and potatoes was all I ate. I have tried to replicate the meal but it has never been as good as hers. I am going to try this version but with a roast instead of chops. I hope it comes closer than I ever have. By the way, I am now 73 and I still remember that meal. It was that good.
Thanks for sharing a wonderful memory Pamela! I hope this dish comes close to the memory!
Do you have a list of recipes for party appetizers that are simple to make?
We have a whole section on appetizers & snacks Marge. So many delciious party recipes can be found there!
So good. Will make again. I too used 1/4 cup brown sugar to one can of rinsed sauerkraut. I browned 1/2 an onion while browning 3 lg. Pork chops sprinkled with coarse steak seasoning. Sprayed 13×9 pan layer chops in bottom covered with mixture, then took chic boullion cube added 1 cup water heated in microwave then added to brown drippings in pan. Then poured over chops. Baked at 350′ covered for 30 min’s then uncovered for 20 mins. Perfect!!☺
Oops I forgot potatoes. One of those days so that’s why I cut down baking time. Still good.
So happy to hear that it was perfect for your Cindy! Thank you for sharing!
I added baby Swiss over the potatoes and a layer on top for the last 20 minutes. Came out great!
Perfect addition Chad!!
January 27, 2018 @ 7:00 pm
Thank you for this recipe!! I am also a recipe creator!! I made your simple & easy to follow recipe this afternoon. It is still in the oven! Everything smells so good. My husband can’t wait to try it!!
My twist on this was that I added 2-3 medium sliced sweet potatoes to the mix for the bottom layer ….. just for fun! (Trying to watch the white starches!). Oh, I browned 5 bacon slices chopped into 1″ pieces and added it to the sauerkraut mix. To that same fry pan, I used the bacon grease to brown and season six (6) medium pork chops. Just before popping this all in the oven, I poured 1/3 cup or so of my favorite Honeycrisp apple cider over the apple/ sauerkraut/brown sugar/onion/bacon mixture.
Great recipe!!! This will definitely be one of my “Go To” recipes in the future.
Try my added items & let me know what you think!!
Now just 2-1/2 hours later……. SUCCESS!!! Love this sweet n sour porky one dish dinner!!
Love your additions! Thank you for sharing!
This twist sounds fantastic ! Did the extra liquid (cider) affect the potatoes. I would expect them to get mushy with the added liquid. Thanks, Jim
I hope y get this I’m try make this y way how or when I add onion brown sugar an bacon mix do I add everything together
I thought rating recipes is SUPPOSED to be based on the published recipe ‘as is’ vice using as a platform for your own recipe creation. I see people do this all the time on recipe sites and think it’s rude.
Hi Melissa, we love hearing how people adjust our recipes to suit their families. If you do try this recipe, we would love to hear how it turns out for you too!
Haven’t made yet but am going to modify: use bbq sauce on meat – it seeps into kraut after turning – potatoes on bottom is new for me but sounds amazing. I normally don’t modify but this sounds very good and easy also.
I can’t wait to try this Holly. It’s simple and I love how you gave tips on the pork to buy. I’m not sure how to rate this since I haven’t made it yet, but it’s simple, to the point and nothing can go wrong when making it. It’s a 5 star for sure.
Enjoy Jacquie!