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    Home » Recipes » Mains

    Meat Stuffed Potato Dumplings and Sauerkraut

    Published: Nov 20, 2022 · Modified: Jun 10, 2024 by Petra Kupská | Cook Like Czechs · 6 Comments

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    Potato dumplings stuffed with smoked meat and served with creamy sauerkraut are a true comfort food from Czech cuisine. The perfect recipe to warm you up on a cold day!

    Czech stuffed potato dumplings with smoked meat, served with sauerkraut.

    Although preparing these Czech-style stuffed potato dumplings takes a bit of work, the result is definitely worth it!

    You will need potatoes cooked in their skins beforehand as a basis for the potato dough. The delicious filling consists of diced smoked meat fried with onions. And how about some creamy sweet and sour sauerkraut? You make this side while stuffing potato dumplings!

    Here's the Czech version of this recipe in case you were curious: Bramborové knedlíky plněné uzeným, s kysaným zelím

    MY TIP: Try classic Czech potato dumplings, a tasty side dish that goes perfectly with roasted pork or duck!

    ➜ Ingredients

    Ingredients for stuffed potatoes inclusive captions.

    For better clarity, I divided the ingredients into three parts:

    Potato dumplings

    • Potatoes; that have been cooked in their skins and cooled. I always prepare them the day before. So I can start using the potatoes right away after they cooled overnight. If possible, use starchy potatoes such as Russets, Yukon Gold, or Idaho. 
    • All-purpose flour; to make the dough
    • Farina (Cream of Wheat); makes the dough a little fluffier. Just so you know, the Czechs usually use coarse flour (hruba mouka) for dumplings, which is hard to find abroad. A suitable substitute is a regular flour, with some farina (Czech krupicka) mixed in.
    • Egg; the egg helps the potato dough stick together better.
    • Salt; to taste

    Meat filling

    • Smoked meat; fully cooked. I used smoked pork shoulder, which is lightly fatty.
    • Onion; onions fried in a pan enhance the flavor of smoked meat
    • Pork lard (sadlo); feel free to use rapeseed or sunflower oil if you don’t have lard

    Creamy sauerkraut

    • A packet of fresh sauerkraut; if you can't find Czech sauerkraut, buy a German or Polish one, which has a similar taste.
    • Pork lard; or rapeseed oil
    • Onion
    • All-purpose flour; to thicken the sauerkraut
    • Granulated white sugar; to sweeten the kraut

    For serving: Optionally garnish with some finely chopped green herbs and fried onions in fat for better taste and a nicer presentation.

    ✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.

    ➜ Instructions with photos

    Make the smoked meat filling

    Diced smoked meat frying in a pan with chopped oinon.

    Cut the smoked meat into small cubes. Peel and finely chop the onion.

    Melt the lard in a frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the onions in it until golden. Don't forget to stir. Add the smoked meat and fry for about three further minutes, stirring occasionally.

    Transfer the meat filling from the pan to a bowl and let cool.

    Cook the sauerkraut

    Drain the sauerkraut, but don't rinse it. Put the sauerkraut in a pot, and pour water over it, so the kraut is submerged. Cover the pot with a lid and let the sauerkraut cook at low heat for half an hour.

    Sauerkraut cooking in a pot with a lid.

    Peel and finely chop the onion. Melt the lard in a frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the onions in it, constantly stirring, until golden brown. Add the sugar, stir, and let it dissolve, which will happen in a moment.

    Fried onion in a pan, seasoned with sugar to make caramelized onions.

    Add the cooked sauerkraut and about a ladleful of the water in which it was cooked. Dust the sauerkraut surface with flour and stir. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pan with a lid, and let it simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.

    Thickening the sauerkraut in a pan with flour.

    Taste and add a little more sugar if necessary.

    How to make potato dumplings

    Boil the potatoes in their skins and let them cool completely. Peel their skins and grate them finely on a hand grater.

    Shredding boiled and peeled potatoes on a hand grater.

    Boil a pot of water that you've salted.

    Add the flour, farina (cream of wheat), egg, and salt. Work into a stiff but smooth dough first with a wooden spoon, then with your hands.

    Ingredients to make potato dumplings in a white bowl.

    Shape the dough into a cylinder and cut it into equal-sized pieces. With your hands, form each piece into patties. Place a spoonful of meat filling in the middle. Fold the edges over the filling and close the dumpling. Gently roll the dumpling between your palms to give it a round shape.

    Showing how to make meat stuffed potato dumplings.

    Place the stuffed dumplings in the gently boiling, salted water. Cover the pot with a lid and cook at low heat for 15 minutes. If the potato balls stick to the bottom, carefully loosen them with a fork. Toward the end of cooking, the dumplings should float on the surface. Remove them with a slotted spoon into a bowl.

    Cooking stuffed potato dumplings in a pot of salted water.

    ➜ Serving

    And now it's time to eat! Spread a ladle of sauerkraut on the plate. Place three to four stuffed dumplings on the bed of cabbage. You can cut the dumplings in half.

    Czechs often add fried onions to dumplings and sprinkle them with chopped green herbs such as parsley.

    Czech stuffed potato dumplings with smoked meat, served with sauerkraut.

    ➜ Storage

    If you have any leftover stuffed dumplings, place them in a bowl and cover with foil. Store them in the refrigerator in this manner for up to five days.

    This type of dumpling freezes perfectly! Store them in the freezer in a resealable container, where they will last at least three months.

    MY TIP: Try French potato gratin, known in Czech as Francouzske brambory!

    ➜ Useful tips

    • One quick way to mash cooked and peeled potatoes is with a potato ricer or potato press. This useful tool comes in handy if you like to cook a lot of potato dishes.
    • Before making the potato dough, allow the potatoes to cool completely. If they were warm, the dough would soften and not hold together during the dumpling-making process.
    • Reheating: Stuffed potato dumplings including sauerkraut are best heated in the microwave. Another popular method is to cut them into halves or quarters and fry them in a little fat in a frying pan with the sauerkraut. The resulting mixture may not be visually appealing, but it tastes fantastic!

    More Czech dumplings:

    • Bread dumplings – fluffy raised dumplings
    • Chlupate knedliky – made of raw potatoes
    • Fruit dumplings – sweet, filled with seasonal fruit
    • Dumplings and sauerkraut – Czech strapacky

    Or browse the category with dumpling recipes.

    Tried this recipe?

    Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Other readers and I love hearing what you think. Stay in touch by following me on Facebook and Pinterest. For more Czech stuff, subscribe to my newsletter!

    Czech stuffed potato dumplings with smoked meat, served with sauerkraut.

    Meat Stuffed Potato Dumplings and Sauerkraut

    Author: Petra Kupská | Cook Like Czechs
    Potato dumplings stuffed with smoked meat and served with creamy sauerkraut are a true comfort food from Czech cuisine. This recipe is perfect for warming you up on a cold day!
    5 from 2 votes
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    Prep Time: 45 minutes mins
    Cook Time: 15 minutes mins
    Total Time: 1 hour hr
    Servings: 5

    Tap or hover to scale

    Ingredients 

    Potato dough for dumplings:

    • 1 ¾ pounds potatoes cooked in their skins
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • ⅔ cup farina or cream of wheat
    • 1 egg
    • 2 teaspoons salt

    Creamy sauerkraut:

    • 1 ½ pounds sauerkraut Czech, German or Polish style
    • 1 medium onion
    • 1 Tablespoon lard (or canola/sunflower oil)
    • 1 ½ Tablespoons granulated sugar the amount depends on the sweetness of the sauerkraut
    • 1 ½ Tablespoons all-purpose flour

    Meat filling:

    • ½ pound smoked meat fully cooked
    • 1 medium onion
    • ½ Tablespoon lard (or canola/sunflower oil)

    For serving:

    • fried onion rings
    • parsley sprig chopped

    Misc.

    • a wide pot of gently boiling salted water to boil the dumplings

    Instructions 

    Smoked meat filling:

    • Cut ½ pound smoked meat into small cubes. Peel and finely chop 1 medium onion.
    • Melt ½ Tablespoon lard in a frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the onions in it until golden. Don't forget to stir. Add the smoked meat and fry for about three further minutes, stirring occasionally.
    • Transfer the meat filling from the pan to a bowl and let cool.

    Creamy sauerkraut:

    • Drain 1 ½ pounds sauerkraut, but don't rinse it. Put the sauerkraut in a pot, and pour water over it, so the kraut is submerged. Cover the pot with a lid and let the sauerkraut cook at low heat for half an hour.
    • Peel and finely chop 1 medium onion. Melt 1 Tablespoon lard in a frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the onions in it, constantly stirring, until golden brown. Add 1 ½ Tablespoons granulated sugar, stir, and let it dissolve, which will happen in a moment.
    • Add the cooked sauerkraut and about a ladleful of its cooking water. Sprinkle 1 ½ Tablespoons all-purpose flour over the sauerkraut and stir. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid, and let it simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.
    • Adjuste the taste with salt and/or sugar if necessary.

    Stuffed potato dumplings:

    • Boil 1 ¾ pounds potatoes in their skins and let them cool completely. Once cooled, peel the skins off and finely grate them using a hand grater.
    • Place a pot of salted water on the stove and bring it to a boil.
    • Add 2 cups all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup farina (cream of wheat), 1 egg, and 2 teaspoons salt to the bowl of shredded potatoes. Mix into a stiff but smooth dough, starting with a wooden spoon and then using your hands.
    • Shape the dough into a cylinder and cut it into equal-sized pieces. With your hands, form each piece into a patty. Place a spoonful of meat filling in the center. Fold the edges over the filling and close the dumpling. Gently roll the dumpling between your palms to form a round shape. Continue until all the dumplings are ready.
    • Place the stuffed dumplings in gently boiling, salted water. Cover the pot with a lid and cook on low heat for 15 minutes. If the dumplings stick to the bottom, carefully loosen them with a fork. Toward the end of cooking, the dumplings should float to the surface. Remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a bowl.

    Notes

    • The basic recipe makes 16 stuffed dumplings, 4-6 portions.
    • SERVING: Spread a ladle of sauerkraut on the plate. Place three to four stuffed dumplings on the bed of cabbage. You can cut the dumplings in half. Czechs often add fried onions to dumplings and sprinkle them with chopped green herbs such as parsley.
    • STORAGE: If you have any leftover stuffed dumplings, place them in a bowl and cover them with plastic wrap. Store them in the refrigerator for up to five days. These dumplings also freeze perfectly! Store them in a resealable container in the freezer, where they will last for at least three months.
    • One quick way to mash cooked and peeled potatoes is with a potato ricer or potato press. This useful tool is invaluable if you frequently prepare potato dishes.

    Nutritional estimate pro serving

    Calories: 503kcal | Carbohydrates: 98g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 1883mg | Potassium: 1068mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 76IU | Vitamin C: 55mg | Calcium: 247mg | Iron: 14mg
    Servings: 5
    Calories pro serving: 503
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Czech
    Keyword: Recipes with sauerkraut
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    Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.
    • 859shares

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    Comments

    1. Carole says

      November 20, 2022 at 11:47 am

      This is exactly what my Mom would make She filled them with a bacon onion mixture. Thank you so much for the recipe! I have recreated many of my Mother's dishes and tried some new ones. 🙂

      Reply
    2. Michael says

      November 26, 2022 at 3:18 pm

      5 stars
      Dobre, dobre, dobre!

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská says

        November 28, 2022 at 3:25 am

        Thanks a lot and dekuji! 🙂

        Reply
        • Julian says

          December 18, 2023 at 3:38 am

          5 stars
          dobre den petra,
          can we have a recipe for palacinki please 🤤
          great recipes reminds me of my childhood

          Reply
          • Anicka Cooklikeczechs.com says

            December 23, 2023 at 3:45 pm

            Hello Julian, but of course 🙂 Please, find the recipe below:
            https://www.cooklikeczechs.com/czech-palacinky-recipe/#growSource=search&growReferrer=true

            Reply
            • Diane says

              September 23, 2024 at 10:24 am

              Dobrý den!
              Do you cook the dumplings in batches if there is too many to fit in the pan?
              Thank you!

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    Hi there, I am Petra, born and raised in the Czech Republic, a self-taught home cook with over 20 years of experience. I am on a mission to keep Czech culinary heritage alive by sharing cherished recipes & stories with nostalgic hearts worldwide.

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