Kapusniak z Kvasoleyu — Ukrainian Sauerkraut and White Bean Soup

Romanian Fast With Oil Published June 13, 2026

Kapusniak is the sour cabbage soup that holds the Ukrainian winter table together. The sourness of sauerkraut against the earthy sweetness of root vegetables makes a broth that is bright and bracing, and the white beans turn it into a full meal that sticks to your ribs. It smells of caraway and bay and the faint funk of good fermented cabbage — the kind of pot that makes a cold kitchen feel inhabited.

On oil days the soffritto of onion, carrot, and root parsley is softened in oil, which rounds the whole thing out. For strict days, sweat the vegetables in broth and let the sauerkraut and beans carry the body. The beans bring real protein, so this is a soup you can build a working day around, not just a starter.

FASTING LEVEL: Fast With Oil (adaptable for strict days — see notes)
SERVINGS: 6
TIME: 1 hour (plus bean cooking, or use canned)

INGREDIENTS

- 1.5 cups (300g) dried white beans, soaked and cooked (or 2 cans, drained)
- 500g sauerkraut, drained and roughly chopped (reserve a little brine)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (omit for strict days)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, grated
- 1 parsley root or small parsnip, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 allspice berries
- 3 potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1.5 liters (6 cups) vegetable broth or water
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Chopped fresh dill, to finish

METHOD

1. If using oil: heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, grated carrot, and parsley root. Cook for 8 minutes until soft. (For strict days: sweat in 1/2 cup broth instead.)

2. Add the garlic, caraway seeds, and tomato paste. Stir for 2 minutes until the tomato paste darkens.

3. Add the chopped sauerkraut and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, to mellow its sharpness slightly.

4. Pour in the broth and add the potatoes, bay leaves, and allspice berries. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

5. Add the cooked white beans and simmer for another 10 minutes to bring everything together. Taste the broth — if it needs more sourness, add a splash of the reserved sauerkraut brine.

6. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Remove bay leaves. Serve in deep bowls with a generous scatter of fresh dill.

NOTES

- On strict no-oil days, skip the oil and rely on the sauerkraut and beans for depth; a teaspoon of smoked paprika compensates nicely.
- The soup should taste pleasantly sour. Different sauerkrauts vary — adjust with brine or a squeeze of lemon at the end.
- A handful of dried mushrooms, soaked and chopped, deepens the broth considerably; add the soaking liquid too.
- Like most sour soups, it improves overnight.