Ground Beef and Sauerkraut Soup (Video)
Ground Beef and Sauerkraut Soup is so tasty and the sauerkraut gets sweet and tender as it cooks in this flavorful low-carb soup! Even if you aren’t sure if you like sauerkraut, I urge you to give this tasty soup a try!
PIN Ground Beef and Sauerkraut Soup to try it later.
If anyone just rolled their eyes a bit at the mention of sauerkraut in this Ground Beef and Sauerkraut Soup, please stay with me a bit before you dismiss this recipe. There are a few good reasons to give this soup a chance!
- First, fermented foods are so healthy which is why they’re becoming so trendy, so the sauerkraut in the soup is a very good thing.
- Second, this soup is super low in carbs, easy to make, and freezes well.
- Third (and most important for people who are skeptical about the sauerkraut!) simmering sauerkraut in soup makes it sweet and breaks it apart into the soup, so that when you’re eating the finished soup you might not even realize it contains sauerkraut.
Add some sour cream at the table if you’d like (which is the way I always eat it), and this soup is absolutely delicious!
A few years ago a faithful reader told me that she makes this soup every time she diets more strictly for a few weeks, and my friend Bonnie’s husband George adores it too. I’ve also made it quite a few times for my annual soup party, and people love it every year. And I make it myself every January, which is why I’ve updated the photos a couple of times!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- ground beef
- olive oil
- chicken stock (or canned chicken broth (affiliate link))
- beef broth
- canned diced tomatoes
- canned sauerkraut
- Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), or sweetener of your choice
- Worcestershire sauce, or Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce (affiliate link)
- Bay Leaves (affiliate link)
- minced parsley (see notes)
- Dried Sage (affiliate link)
- onion
- Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
What sauerkraut is good for Ground Beef and Sauerkraut Soup?
You can use sauerkraut in a jar or a can, or fresh sauerkraut sold with the refrigerated foods for this soup. Any of those options will be delicious!
Why is sauerkraut such a healthy food?
Sauerkraut is made from cabbage, which is a nutritious cruciferous vegetable. Sauerkraut contains fibre, vitamins, and minerals. It’s also a fermented food so it helps the digestive tract create beneficial probiotics.
More recipes with sauerkraut:
Want more low-carb soup recipes using cabbage?
If you’re a cabbage fan like I am, check out Low-Carb and Keto Soups with Cabbage to find more soup ideas like this one!
How to make this soup with sauerkraut and ground beef:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Start by cooking the ground beef until it’s well-browned. Don’t rush this, because browning adds flavor.
- While the beef is browning, start simmering the stock, canned tomatoes, sauerkraut, sweetener of your choice, Worcestershire Sauce or Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce (affiliate link), Bay Leaves (affiliate link), parsley, and Dried Sage (affiliate link).
- When the beef is well-browned, add it to the soup pot and let the soup continue to simmer.
- Heat more olive oil in the same frying pan and saute the chopped onions, then add the Minced Garlic (affiliate link) and saute a few minutes more.
- Add the onions and garlic to the soup and simmer on low about one hour, or until the sauerkraut has softened and broken down in the soup.
- After an hour taste the soup to see if it seems too strong and add some water if needed. (Simmer a little longer if you add water.)
- Season to taste with a generous amount of fresh-ground black pepper (and a little salt if desired) and serve hot, with or without sour cream.
More Delicious Low-Carb Soups:
Check out Keto Cauliflower Soup Recipes or Low-Carb and Keto Instant Pot Soups to find more tasty soups like this one!
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Ground Beef and Sauerkraut Soup
Ground Beef and Sauerkraut Soup is so tasty and the sauerkraut gets sweet and tender as it cooks in this flavorful low-carb soup!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef (see notes)
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 2 cups chicken broth (see notes)
- 2 14 oz. cans beef broth (see notes)
- 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1 14 oz. can sauerkraut (see notes)
- 1 T sweetener of your choice
- 1 T Worcestershire sauce (see notes)
- 4 dried bay leaves
- 3 T minced parsley (see notes)
- 1 tsp. dried rubbed sage
- 1 medium onion, chopped small
- 1 T minced garlic (or less if you’re not that fond of garlic)
- 1-2 cups water (if needed)
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In heavy frying pan, heat 1 tsp. olive oil, add ground beef and brown well, breaking into small pieces with turner. This will take as much as ten minutes but don’t rush the browning step.
- While ground beef browns, combine chicken stock, beef stock, canned tomatoes with juice, sauerkraut with juice, sweetener of your choice, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, parsley and sage in large stock pot. Bring to a low simmer.
- When beef is well browned, add to soup in pot. Deglaze pan with a bit of the soup liquid, scraping off any browned bits, and add to soup.
- Wipe out frying pan and add other 1-2 tsp. olive oil. Saute onions 2-3 minutes, until starting to soften, then add garlic and saute 1-2 minutes more.
- Add to soup, reduce heat under soup pot and let soup simmer at low heat about one hour.
- After an hour, taste for seasoning and add water if soup seems too strong. Simmer 15 minutes more if adding water.
- Season to taste with fresh-ground black pepper (and a little salt if desired) before serving. Serve hot, with sour cream if desired.
Notes
I would use ground beef with less than 10% fat because I don't enjoy beef fat floating on the top of the soup; your choice on that!
This soup would be great with homemade chicken stock, or just use 1 can (14.5 oz. can) chicken broth and a little water. Start with 2 cans beef broth and add a little more if desired.
Use bottled sauerkraut if you prefer.
Use Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce (affiliate link) if needed. You can use 1-2 T dried parsley if you don't want to buy fresh parsley.
I know this soup was inspired by a recipe I saw somewhere, but I can’t remember where I saw it!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 222Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 995mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 19g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Ground Beef and Sauerkraut Soup would be great for low-carb and Keto diets and it’s also a perfect Phase One lunch or dinner for the original South Beach Diet. (South Beach and low-carb diets would recommend using an approved sweetener, but even if you used brown sugar this is still a very low-carb soup.)
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Soup Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
Ground Beef and Sauerkraut Soup was first posted in 2007! This favorite recipe was improved with better photos January 2010 and again in January 2016, and the recipe was updated slightly in 2023.
99 Comments on “Ground Beef and Sauerkraut Soup (Video)”
I cannot get over how good this sounds. I wish my husband liked kraut!
Glad to hear people are liking the soup. I heard from someone who added rice too, for a phase two version.
We made this recipe for supper last night and wow! – it will definitely be going into our Favorites file! Thanks for sharing, Kalyn!
Kalyn, I loved this soup. The tang of the sauerkraut was very palate pleasing, and the overall flavor was just terrific. I just posted a variation of your soup on my blog, including a link back to your blog for credit. Thank you for posting such amazing recipes. YUM!
Linda, as you can see, there are a lot of people who did like the soup. Maybe sauerkraut just isn't your thing. Sorry it didn't work for you.
I'm sorry to say this wasn't a favorite of mine. And I'm a big fan of homemade soups and of sauerkraut. Not sure what it was about this soup, but I just dumped it in the sink. Keep 'em coming, though, I've loved every other recipe of yours that I've tried Kalyn!
Anonymous, you are so welcome, glad it was such a big hit. (And love hearing how you lost weight for your wedding, way to go!)
Kalyn,
I made this soup last night. My husband stood over the stove asking when it was his time to taste. The house smelled amazing! It was soooo good!!! I think its even better today as lunch. Just finished my last spoonful! Your recipes helped me look amazing for my wedding and continue to help me stay healthy and thinner 🙂
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
Susan, I bet it's just as good with ground turkey. Glad you liked it.
Carole, thanks for sharing the article, very interesting. I love anything with cabbage, so that's a no-brainer for me. Some of the others I never eat though.
Eileen, so happy to hear it was a hit with you and the 3 year old both!
This was really tasty! I've never had sauerkraut in anything and this soup was delicious. My 3 yo liked it. Kalyn, you never steer me wrong!
Delicious — flavorful and filling. I also used ground turkey, and the taste and texture was great. Thanks very much.
Becki, so glad you liked it! (And I think knowing how to substitute what you have for what the recipe says is the sign of a good cook!)
I made this tonight, too. It looked great, it smelled delicious, and best of all, it tasted like the cabbage rolls from my favorite Polish restaurant back home. I decided to make it on the spur of the moment, and had to make a few substitutions to avoid running to the store (ground turkey instead of beef, broth made from bouillon cubes, stevia instead of Splenda). But it still turned out terrific.
Rachel, enjoy! Sounds like perfect timing for the soup.
Just finished cooking this as we get inches upon inches of snow here. The house smells good, and I am cold and tired from all the shovelling, so this will be a welcome meal.
Anonymous, when I originally lost my weight I made almost all my meals ahead and froze them. Having something you know is SB friendly ready to go really helps! Thanks for the kind words. I agree, everyone should eat this way.
I am making the soup right now, it sounded yummy. I added some caraway seed which is supposed to offset the strong taste of sauerkraut. We are on phase one and I am trying to make meals ahead of time. (So we will have it for lunch tomorrow). I love your blog! I believe the south beach diet principles should be followed by everyone, it is a healthy and safe diet. I think it is great that you are posting SB friendly recipes that are so yummy and healthy.
Dara and Maria, thanks! I thought it was interesting to compare my first photo of it with this one.
Kim, glad to hear you enjoyed it!
This was YUMMY! As soon as I saw it, I made it for dinner and it was filling, satisfying and delicious on a cold winter night! Will be making often. 🙂 Thanks, Kalyn! Kim
I am in love with that little red mug/bowl. Great photos.