Slow-Cooker Pork, Sauerkraut and Kielbasa

Prep 25 min
Total 6 hr 25 min
Servings 6

Delight the hearty eaters in your life with this, the ultimate meat and potatoes dish. Actually, we should say meats, since it contains both country-style pork ribs and kielbasa sausage, which taste mighty fine served alongside creamy Yukon Gold potatoes. Keeping all those richly-flavored ingredients in check, is the zesty Dijon marinade and tangy sauerkraut. So while this certainly is not a light meal, it is well-balanced. The only thing it might be missing is a slice of brown rye bread and a stein of your favorite Oktoberfest brew. Prost! MORE+ LESS-

By Betty Crocker Kitchens

Updated December 19, 2019

Make with

Progresso Broth

Ingredients

lb Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1 1/2

teaspoons dried thyme leaves

teaspoon salt

1/2

teaspoon pepper

1 3/4

lb boneless country-style pork ribs

tablespoon vegetable oil

medium onion, chopped

3/4

cup Progresso™ chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)

package (14 oz) kielbasa sausage, cut into 2-inch slices

tablespoons Dijon mustard

jar (16 oz) sauerkraut, drained

Steps

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1

Spray 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
2

In slow cooker, place potatoes, 1/2 teaspoon of the thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Toss to coat.
3

Season ribs with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook ribs in oil, turning occasionally, until browned. Transfer to large bowl.
4

Add onion to skillet with drippings, stirring 5 to 6 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer to slow cooker. Add broth to skillet; heat to boiling, scraping up any brown bits on bottom of skillet. Add to slow cooker.
5

Add kielbasa and mustard to pork in bowl. Toss to coat.
6

Arrange pork and kielbasa on top of onions in slow cooker.
7

Spread sauerkraut over meat. Sprinkle remaining 1 teaspoon thyme over sauerkraut.
8

Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours or until ribs and potatoes are tender.

Expert Tips

Kielbasa simply means “sausage” in Polish. Here it refers to a mild, smoky, U-shaped sausage that comes precooked and is widely available in the meat case of large grocery stores.
Country-style ribs are cut from the blade end of the loin, close to the pork shoulder. They are meatier than other rib cuts.
Potatoes are cooked in the bottom of the slow cooker where there’s plenty of liquid to prevent them from turning brown. Layering makes a difference in slow cooking, so we recommend always following recipe directions where this is concerned.
This dish is Oktoberfest in your slow cooker. Truly, it brings out the best of old-world flavors using the convenience of your new-world slow cooker. Serve this to a meat-loving crowd, on game day or when you find yourself feeding a gang of growing teens—but you don’t wait for any of these occasions. This is a deeply flavorful dish that’s delightful reheated the next day.

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: About 1 1/2 cups

Calories: 540
Calories from Fat: 290

% Daily Value

Total Fat: 32g; 49%
Saturated Fat 11g 55% Trans Fat 1/2g
Cholesterol: 130mg; 43%
Sodium: 1780mg; 74%
Potassium: 940mg; 27%
Total Carbohydrate: 23g; 8%
Dietary Fiber 4g 17% Sugars 5g
Protein: 41g

% Daily Value*:

Vitamin A: 0%; 0%
Vitamin C: 15%; 15%
Calcium: 6%; 6%
Iron: 20%; 20%

Exchanges:

1/2 Starch; 0 Fruit; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 3 1/2 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 2 High-Fat Meat; 3 Fat;