Bigos (Hunters Stew)

Name: Bigos (Hunters Stew)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 2 sliced Bacon; 1 lb Kielbasa; 1 lb Pork; 1/4 cup Flour; 3 chopped Garlic; 1 Diced Onion; 1 1/2 cup Mushrooms; 4 cups Cabbage; 1 Jar Sauerkraut; 1/4 cup Red Wine; 1 Bay Leaf; 1 tsp Basil; 1 tsp Marjoram; 1 tbs Paprika; 1/8 teaspoon Caraway Seed; 1 dash Hotsauce; 5 Cups Beef Stock; 2 tbs Tomato Puree; 1 cup Diced Tomatoes; 1 dash Worcestershire Sauce

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Pork recipe with Polish flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 59 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 60 min total

2 sliced Bacon
1 lb Kielbasa
1 lb Pork
1/4 cup Flour
3 chopped Garlic
1 Diced Onion
1 1/2 cup Mushrooms
4 cups Cabbage
1 Jar Sauerkraut
1/4 cup Red Wine
1 Bay Leaf
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp Marjoram
1 tbs Paprika
1/8 teaspoon Caraway Seed
1 dash Hotsauce
5 Cups Beef Stock
2 tbs Tomato Puree
1 cup Diced Tomatoes
1 dash Worcestershire Sauce

Step-by-step instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and kielbasa; cook and stir until the bacon has rendered its fat and sausage is lightly browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat and transfer to a large casserole or Dutch oven.
Coat the cubes of pork lightly with flour and fry them in the bacon drippings over medium-high heat until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pork to the casserole. Add the garlic, onion, carrots, fresh mushrooms, cabbage and sauerkraut. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir until the carrots are soft, about 10 minutes. Do not let the vegetables brown.
Deglaze the pan by pouring in the red wine and stirring to loosen all of the bits of food and flour that are stuck to the bottom. Season with the bay leaf, basil, marjoram, paprika, salt, pepper, caraway seeds and cayenne pepper; cook for 1 minute.
Mix in the dried mushrooms, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, beef stock, tomato paste and tomatoes. Heat through just until boiling. Pour the vegetables and all of the liquid into the casserole dish with the meat. Cover with a lid.
Bake in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until meat is very tender.

Why this works on a weeknight

Bigos (Hunters Stew) lands at about 60 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Quick Soups & Stews collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Bigos (Hunters Stew) actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥣 Quick Soups & Stews Pork Polish