German · Authentic-ish German
Kassler mit Sauerkraut
422 kcal a serving, against 660 for the traditional version. That is 238 kcal off, or 36%, with 53.6g of protein. Serves 4. 1 hour.
What the traditional version is
Thick-cut smoked pork loin steaks gently simmered until hot, served with mountains of sauerkraut and usually a pile of mashed potato (with lashings of butter or cream). Plenty of white bread or rye bread gets used to mop up the salty juices. Sometimes there's a token apple or two in the kraut, but not always. The whole point is rich, salty, smoky pork and tangy cabbage.
What changed, and what each change costs
600g potato, 60g butter, and 200g white bread for 400g tinned cannellini beans
Potatoes are a blank starch and the butter is pure fat. Beans bring a pile of protein and fibre instead, and leave you less likely to need a nap. The beans don't soak up pork juices quite as well but they do cut through the salt.
What it costs you. You lose the pillowy mashed potato and that rich, dairy gloss. If you really want the full buttery mash, this is not the page for you.
Apple doubled from 100g to 200g, caraway up slightly, sauerkraut stays the same
Upping the apple brings more sweetness and tang to balance out the sharp kraut, especially now the buttery potato is gone. Caraway's not always in the original, but I add more because it stops everything becoming too heavy.
What it costs you. The kraut ends up a bit more aromatic and dare I say, lively, than a classic. No one in Hamburg would object. Maybe a Bavarian would.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 660 | 422 |
| Protein | 53.1g | 53.6g |
| Fat | 22g | 9.6g |
| Saturated fat | 10.3g | 2.5g |
| Carbohydrate | 62.5g | 31g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 8g | 12.7g |
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
Kassler is already close to perfect for anyone after a high-protein meal. You're just stripping out the mountain of potato and butter and dropping in beans. The result is a lighter plate, but you don't lose the main event, because smoky pork and sharp kraut are what you actually came for. If you want comfort food, you'll miss the butter and spuds. If you want old-school German pub food that won't flatten you, this hits the spot.
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.