Pork & sauerkraut goulash

Name: Pork & sauerkraut goulash
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 28 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons Lard; 4 Chopped Onion; 1 tablespoon Cumin Seeds; 800g Pork Shoulder; 4 Cloves Crushed Garlic; 2 tablespoons Plain Flour; 2 tablespoons Paprika; 1 1/2 L Beef Stock; 4 Bay Leaves; 400g White Sauerkraut; 200ml Whipping Cream; 4 tablespoons Sour Cream

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 45 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 · 28 min total

3 tablespoons Lard
4 Chopped Onion
1 tablespoon Cumin Seeds
800g Pork Shoulder
4 Cloves Crushed Garlic
2 tablespoons Plain Flour
2 tablespoons Paprika
1 1/2 L Beef Stock
4 Bay Leaves
400g White Sauerkraut
200ml Whipping Cream
4 tablespoons Sour Cream

Step-by-step instructions

Heat the lard in a saucepan over a medium heat and fry the finely chopped onion until golden, around 5-8 mins. Tip in the cumin and pork, and fry for 10 mins all over until browned. Add the garlic, season well and scatter over the flour. Cook for about a minute, then add the paprika and cook for 1 min more.
Pour in half of the stock, add the bay leaves, and simmer with the lid on over a low heat for 30 mins.
Add the sauerkraut, remaining stock and a drizzle of the sauerkraut pickling juices. Simmer with the lid for 30 mins, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender. Stir in the cream and simmer for 5 mins to combine the flavours. Season to taste, the serve garnished with a spoonful of soured cream.
This recipe has been provided by Apetit Online and not been re-tested by us.

Why this works on a weeknight

Pork & sauerkraut goulash genuinely fits a 30-minute weeknight window, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan 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. Pork & sauerkraut goulash 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 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Pork Polish ⚡ 30-Min Dinner