German · Authentic-ish German
Sauerkraut mit Speck
138 kcal a serving, against 166 for the traditional version. That is 28 kcal off, or 17%, with 11.3g of protein. Serves 6. 1 hour.
What the traditional version is
Sauerkraut braised with a hefty chunk of smoked pork belly or thick-cut bacon, cooked with onions, juniper berries, bay leaves and sometimes caraway. The fat from the meat slowly renders into the kraut, making everything soft, salty and rich. Served as a side or sometimes a light lunch alongside rye bread or potatoes.
What changed, and what each change costs
300g of back bacon for 250g of reduced-fat cooked ham
Bacon is the first thing you'd taste in the original, but it also does most of the damage. Swapping it for lean ham trims a pile of fat and keeps enough pork flavour to make it more than just cabbage.
What it costs you. You lose all that rendered smoky fat melting its way through the kraut. The dish is less sticky, less rich, and the smoky edge is basically history. There's a workaround below, but it's not fooling anyone who grew up on the proper stuff.
20g of olive oil down to 5g, add smoked paprika
Cutting most of the oil out stops the ham sticking and gives a little slip to the onions, but doesn't drown the cabbage. Smoked paprika steps in to give you some of that smoke without extra pork fat.
What it costs you. No amount of paprika is going to make you forget bacon, but it helps.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 166 | 138 |
| Protein | 11.9g | 11.3g |
| Fat | 7.2g | 3.7g |
| Saturated fat | 1.8g | 1g |
| Carbohydrate | 15.8g | 16.8g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 7.2g | 8.2g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish German prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. celery.
The method is in the book
You don't get the sticky mouthfeel of proper bacon fat, and no one's going to be fooled by smoked paprika. But it's still satisfying and fills you up. The lean ham delivers enough savoury notes to keep it interesting, and the kraut stays the star. Not as good as the real thing, but good enough to get the job done on a cold day.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish German, along with 54 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.