“Frugal” is a six letter word that does not really apply to me. Sous Chef thought it did when he first met me, for I was a banker after all, but I fooled him. And throughout her life my German Grandma Helen stretched soup with ketchup and water should unexpected guests appear for dinner, saved and reused every food container, and cleverly spanxed before Spanx was invented by removing the tattered legs of her hosiery and repurposing them for body shaping. However the frugal genes seemed to have escaped my DNA. So the idea of fashioning a budget friendly meal for this week’s Sunday Supper was vexing.
Fortunately, Grandma Helen often served German sausages, and the recollection of those wonderful repasts was my inspiration for a budget friendly meal. Providentially, Sous Chef was no novice in the art of sausage gastronomy given his German heritage. So after fumbling around for a while and asking a series of inane questions about sausage preparation, Sous Chef stepped into the fray and I just sat back, sipped a glass of wine, watched, and took notes.
We decided on a one-dish meal using the German culinary holy trinity of bratwurst, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes. Sous Chef does not work from a script, so I apologize in advance if the following recipe is vague in parts. His culinary training consisted of watching his mother cook and the trial and error synonymous with long periods of bachelorhood. But his instincts are good when it comes to German sausages. He subscribes to the “braise the brats in beer and finish in the oven” school of sausage preparation. If you have good brats, good beer (for the brats and the chef), and good sauerkraut, he says the rest is easy.
At about $6 per serving, including a glass of beer, the finished dish was very budget friendly. To plate, Sous Chef used a tri-level stacking approach, laying down a base of horseradish mashed potatoes on which he placed the bratwurst and covered it all with the sauerkraut. Grandma Helen would have been very pleased with the result and the cost.
A special thanks to Gluten Free Crumbley and Cooking Chat for hosting Sunday Supper this week! Make sure to stop by and visit their great sites and all the other Sunday Supper Budget Friendly recipes this week!
Scrumptious Mains (Breakfast and Dinner)
- Curry Baked Chicken Wings from Chocolate Moosey
- Shrimp Fried Rice from The Redhead Baker
- Grits And Grillades from Nik Snacks
- Vegan Black Bean Soup from Killer Bunnies, Inc
- Slow Cooker Swiss Steak from Nosh My Way
- Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili from Peaceful Cooking
- Curry Veg Soup from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Beef from Noshing With The Nolands
- Tortelini & Cannelini Minestrone with Spinach from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Addictive Korean Beef Bowl from A Mama, Baby & Shar-pei in the Kitchen
- Grilled Lemon Chicken with Corn Salad from Brunch with Joy
- Five Bean Chili from The Foodie Army Wife
- Vaca Frita from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Chicken Pot Pie Turnovers from The Life and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch
- Spaghetti Squash Nests with Meatballs from Curious Cuisiniere
- Chicken Meatballs and Spaghetti from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Cauliflower Chowder from Flavor Mosaic
- Individual Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal Cups from Peanut Butter and Peppers
- Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Casserole from Yours And Mine Are Ours
- Mac, Veggie and Cheese Casserole from Cooking Chat
- Loaded Sweet Potato Quinoa Chili from Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
- Chicken Pot Pie Cupcakes from Having Fun Saving
- Vegetable Fried Rice from Basic N Delicious
- Comforting White Bean-Pancetta Soup from The Weekend Gourmet
- Spicy Marinated Steak Tacos from Nik Snacks
- Mujadara with Lebanase Salata from Take A Bite Out of Boca
- Hunters Stew from Simply Healthy Family
- Brats & Kraut from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
- Beef Taco Soup from Fit Foodie Runs
- Slow Cooker “Hash Brown” Breakfast Casserole {#lowcarb #glutenfree} from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- French Toast Pigs in a Blanket from Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
- Gluten Free Spinach and Feta Frittata from Gluten Free Crumbley
Satisfying Sides
- Tender Whole Wheat Bread from What Smells So Good?
- Austin-Style Black Beans from The Texan New Yorker
- Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls w/Creamy Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce from Daily Dish Recipes
Sweet Treats
- Apple Blackberry Crisp from Hot Momma’s Kitchen Chaos
- Brown Sugar Shortbread from Shockingly Delicious
- Rock Cakes from Happy Baking Days
- Incredible White Chocolate Brownies from The Perfect Brownie
- Rocky Road Brownies from Wallflour Girl
- Autumn Spice Truffles from Desserts Required
- Profiteroles with Caramel Drizzle from Food Lust People Love
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cake Donuts from NinjaBaking.com
- Carrot Cake Sheet Cake from Pies and Plots
- Risalamande (Danish Christmas Eve Rice Pudding) from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Sips, Spreads, and Snacks
- Pumpkin Spice Roasted Pumpkin Seeds from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Tex Mex Chicken Salad Spread from Momma’s Meals
- Budget Friendly Wines for Budget Friendly #SundaySupper from ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
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- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 1 ½ bottles Spaten Lager or other beer (½ bottle for the chef)
- 4 bratwursts or other German sausage
- 2 – 3 cups sauerkraut
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Pour olive oil in skillet and heat on medium high heat. Add the sliced onions and cook until they soften and are light gold in color. Add bratwursts and 1 ½ bottles of beer and braise about 10 minutes, turning the bratwursts periodically and sipping frequently from the remaining ½ bottle of beer.
- Pour braising liquid into a baking dish and reserve. Return the skillet to medium high heat, brown the bratwursts on each side, and place in baking dish. Cover the bratwursts with sauerkraut and bake uncovered in oven for approximately 20—25 minutes.
- Serve the bratwursts and sauerkraut over bed of mashed potatoes.
Man, I haven’t eaten sauerkraut in an age! Now I want it. In fact, I don’t think I ever served it to my kids. Must remedy that.
Ha ha…I missed the frugal gene, too. Bill has just given up on trying to influence me 🙂 I adore brats and sauerkraut…and adding potatoes to the mix would make my German roots very happy (Bill’s, too!). Happy #SundaySupper!
That is good old German cuisine on a dime, YUM!!
I’m not a huge sauerkraut fan Christy, but your dish looks great! It’s one I would love to try!
LOVE Brats – can’t wait to try this recipe – Thank you 🙂
Christy, I’m dying to try this sauerkraut. This probably my excuse to have Octoberfest at home. Yum!
Love the family feature here 🙂 such a fun post with plenty of personality. Great share!
I just posted this recently too. Sauerkraut and beer braised brats are a perfect fall pair!
This dish looks just beyond amazing. WHY haven’t I had brats in forever?!? One of my favorite fall meals right there. So good. Thanks for posting!
it looks great and I’m sure my husband would ADORE this dish… and Mei and Emily. they are nuts for anything that even remotely resembles a “hot dog.” LOL 🙂