Hangover Soup

Eastern Europeans have known for centuries that sauerkraut and sour cream are the cure for a rough morning, and this soup puts that wisdom into a single Dutch oven. Sliced kielbasa, crumbled bacon, rinsed sauerkraut, mushrooms, tomatoes, and a hit of paprika simmer together into a smoky, tangy broth that’s restorative in the best possible way.

The flavor base comes from rendering the kielbasa and bacon first, then cooking onion and green pepper in those drippings. That rendered fat carries all the smoky, porky flavor into the vegetables before the broth even goes in. Caraway seeds add a distinctly Central European aroma that ties the sauerkraut and sausage together.

The sour cream finish is what makes this a proper hangover cure. Tempered with a little flour and hot broth to prevent curdling, it stirs into the soup at the end and transforms the tangy, thin broth into something creamy, thick, and deeply comforting.

Pro Tips

• Rinse the canned sauerkraut under cold water before adding. Un-rinsed kraut can overwhelm the soup with vinegary brine.
• Temper the sour cream by stirring hot soup into it gradually before adding it back to the pot. Dumping cold sour cream into hot soup causes it to curdle.
• Slice the kielbasa thin so it releases more smoky flavor into the broth as it simmers.
• This soup reheats beautifully and the flavors deepen overnight.

Variations

• Spicy version: Add ½ teaspoon of cayenne or a diced hot pepper with the onions for more heat.
• Potato addition: Add 2 diced potatoes with the broth for a heartier, starchier soup.
• Dill finish: Stir in a tablespoon of fresh chopped dill with the sour cream for a brighter, more herbaceous bowl.