This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy. My mom has been making sauerkraut for as long as I can remember. It was a staple in our house growing up and it is a very common recipe made by Russian and Ukrainian folks. The traditional version is amazing but takes several days to make but this sour cabbage is done overnight. This sauerkraut is eaten as a side/salad and is delicious paired with mashed potatoes, buckwheat, or anything else you might eat with a pickle.
Ingredients for the Overnight Sauerkraut:
2 medium heads of cabbage (4lb) 3 carrots 4-5 large garlic cloves
Sauerkraut Marinade Ingredients:
4 cups water 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 1/2 Tbsp of sea salt 10 pepper corns 5-6 whole cloves 4 bay leaves 1/2 cup olive oil 2/3 cup white vinegar (5%)
How To Make Overnight Sauerkraut Salad:
1.Remove the outermost leaves of the cabbages, cut them into quarters and shred finely (use a mandolin to do this if you know what’s good for you ;)). Discard the core, or trim it and eat it – it’s very tasty and healthy! Place shredded cabbage in a large mixing bowl. Grate 3 carrots and very finely dice 4 garlic cloves, add everything to the bowl with shredded cabbage.
In a medium cooking pot add the first 6 marinade ingredients: 4 cups of water, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 1/2 Tbsp of sea salt, 10 peppercorns, 5 cloves and 4 bay leaves)bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. After the time is up, stir in 1/2 cup of olive oil and 2/3 cup of vinegar then remove the pot from the stove to let it cool for 10 minutes.
Remove peppercorns and bay leaves from marinate then pour in the mixing bowl with vegetables and stir everything together until well combined. Now place a weight over your mixture until if fully cools. We put a flat dinner plate over the salad then placed a large bowl of water over the top to weigh it down.
Transfer cooled sauerkraut to a large jar, along with the leftover juice to fully submerge it, place the lid on top and place in the fridge for 24 hours.
