KOLOŽVÁRSKA KAPUSTA : COZY SLOVAK CASSEROLE OF SAUERKRAUT, RICE AND PORK
- "Adelka ešte nevečerala"
- Apr 30
- 4 minút čítania
Updated: Aug 18
Koložvárska kapusta is a unique dish that combines the flavors of cabbage, ground meat, and rice. In Slovakia, it’s cooked quite often—not because it’s particularly easy to make, but because it’s a very juicy, tasty, and filling meal. Both children and adults love it. I hope you’ll agree with me that this is a dish of autumn and winter. Once it’s baked, the smell of Koložvárska kapusta will fill the whole apartment—maybe even reach the neighbors. I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it just like we have here in Slovakia, in the Czech Republic, and in Hungary.
The history of Koložvárska kapusta
As the name suggests, this dish comes from Hungary. It all started with fermented cabbage. In general, sauerkraut, which is used to make this dish, came to our region in the 13th century thanks to the Mongol Tatars, who carried it with them. It then settled in Hungary and spread further to neighboring countries.
Koložvárska kapusta was born—how else?—in the city of Kolozsvár, and we’re grateful for that.
It’s a very tasty dish that can feed the whole family. I think it’s one of those meals from our childhood in Slovakia.
In my opinion, the recipe is a bit more complicated at the beginning, but in the end, we forgive it for that. Because Koložvárska kapusta is a fantastic dish.
This recipe makes a full baking dish of Koložvárska kapusta, which will be enough for the whole family—for both lunch and dinner.
Koložvárska kapusta recipe.
INGREDIENTS
700 g sauerkraut
200 ml water
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100 g rice
150 ml water
A pinch of salt
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400 g ground pork (or ground boneless chicken thighs)
2 tablespoons oil
1 onion
½ teaspoon ground caraway seeds
A pinch of ground Kampot black pepper
2 teaspoons sweet ground paprika
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
A little water for simmering
⸻
300 ml sauerkraut
250 ml cooking cream (can be substituted with regular cream)
½ teaspoon salt
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1 sausage
Oil for greasing the baking dish
Baking dish approx. 25×20 cm
!!Koložvárska kapusta – Method!!
The recipe is divided into three parts, and that’s exactly how we’ll proceed when cooking.
I already divided the ingredients according to the steps in which they’ll be used during the preparation.
Step One: Preparing the Cabbage
When buying sauerkraut, pay attention to its quality. If you’re buying it loose at a market, taste it first. If you’re buying it packaged, check the ingredients—it shouldn’t contain preservatives or other unnecessary additives.
Pour off the brine from the sauerkraut, as it could make the dish too sour.
Place the sauerkraut into a pot, add water, and cook it until soft. This takes about 15–20 minutes. Make sure it’s always slightly covered with water; without it, the cabbage would dry out.
Step Two: Preparing the Meat
Heat the oil and sauté the onion, which you’ve peeled and finely chopped beforehand. Add the ground meat and sauté it for about 10 minutes. Then add black pepper, salt, caraway seeds, and finally the sweet paprika. Pour in a little water, cover with a lid, and let it simmer for 20 minutes. After it’s done cooking, add the pressed garlic.
Step Three: Preparing the Rice
Cook the rice as you normally would, just 5 minutes shorter—it will finish cooking in the oven. Pour the rice into a deeper pot, cover it with water, add a pinch of salt, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes at most.
While the rice is cooking, prepare a wonderfully tasty cream mixture. Mix the cooking cream and whipping cream with a bit of salt.
Final Step: Assembling and Baking
Take everything you’ve prepared and start layering it into the greased deep baking dish.
First, spread half of the sauerkraut into the dish, then add half of the cooked rice, and on top of that, half of the meat. Pour over half of the cream mixture.
Repeat the layers once more: sauerkraut, rice, meat, and pour the remaining cream mixture—well, not quite yet.
On top, add a little of the remaining sauerkraut, and only now pour over the rest of the cream mixture.
A TIP: press down the layers gently with a wooden spoon. This helps the casserole hold its shape better after baking.
A LITTLE TRICK: I like: arrange sliced sausage on top. The sausage will release delicious juices that add another flavor dimension to the whole dish. Its taste will slowly seep through all the layers during baking. At the end, the sausage pieces will become crispy little treats that you’ll secretly nibble on while still warm. Thanks to them, the casserole will hold together a bit better once it cools, making it easier to serve on a plate.
Put the prepared dish into a preheated oven at 180–200°C (350–390°F) and bake for 45 minutes.
When the smell of cabbage fills your whole apartment and the top of the casserole has a golden-brown crust, you know your Koložvárska Kapusta is ready.
What to Serve with Koložvárska Kapusta
Koložvárska Kapusta is excellent on its own, but if you want to complement it with something, boiled potatoes are the best choice. We eat it both with and without potatoes, so it mostly depends on your personal preference or tradition. You can serve it with or without potatoes.
A Tip for Enhancement
If you like a stronger flavor, add some smoked paprika or chopped bacon to the meat.
For a vegetarian version, you can replace the meat with lentils or mushrooms.
Koložvárska Kapusta tastes even better the next day when the flavors have had time to meld together.
Admit it, your mouth is already watering.
Cook this traditional Slovak dish, Koložvárska Kapusta, at home—whether following my recipe or trying your own method or creativity.
I’m sure you’ll enjoy it very much because sauerkraut is very healthy, and combined with rice and meat, you get a perfect, complete meal for the whole family.
This is how Slovakia tastes.
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