Kapusta Smothered Elbow Noodles

A simplified but incredibly delicious recipe inspired by the traditional Ukrainian kapusta dish passed down from my Grandparents. This version is unbelievably morish, and spooned over Chickapea elbow noodles makes a meal that is both tasty and packed with nutrients.
Kapusta Smothered Elbow Noodles
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Course: Dinner
- Cuisine: Ukrainian
- Servings: 3-4
Ingredients:
- 1 Package Chickapea Elbow noodles
- 2 Tbsp table salt (for boiling pasta)
- 4-5 Tbsp vegan butter, divided
- 3 yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 jar of sauerkraut, approximately 3 cups
- Vinegar packing liquid from 1 jar of sauerkraut
- 3 Tbsp Ketchup
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ package Big Mountain Foods Big Brat Veggie Links, chopped into bite sized pieces
- ¼ cup Green onion, thinly sliced
Instructions:
- In a large pan heat 3 Tbsp of vegan butter over medium-low heat
- Add the onion and 1 tsp of salt
- Sauté the onion until it becomes golden brown
- Drain 3 cups of sauerkraut over a bowl, reserving the vinegar liquid
- Add the sauerkraut, 1 cup of sauerkraut packing vinegar, 1-2 Tbsp vegan butter, ketchup, sugar and black pepper to the pan and mix in well
- Adjust the heat to medium and cover the pan with a lid
- Cook the kapusta for 1 hour
- Stir the mixture well every 10-15 minutes
- With 15 minutes remaining, add ½ the package of chopped big brat veggie links
- Brown the veggie links while continuing to mix the contents of the pan well to avoid the mixture sticking
- At the end of one hour the kapusta should be a light brown colour and slightly moist.
- Meanwhile, prepare the Chickapea Elbow pasta to package specifications (heat 16 cups of water and 2 Tbsp salt in a large pot over high heat until boiling. Add the pasta to the water and decrease the heat to maintain a gentle boil. Stir and cook the pasta for 6 minutes)
- Drain and rinse the pasta with warm water
- Plate the portions of pasta
- Top each portion with a generous helping of kapusta
- Sprinkle each serving with green onion and lemon juice to taste
- Enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
- This dish was inspired by traditional Ukrainian kapusta. It is a modified version of the dish that was taught to me by my Dido. It has been modified to be vegan and take less time than traditional versions of kapusta
- Traditional kapusta is made using a combination of fresh cabbage and rinsed sauerkraut along with kielbasa and/or bacon. It is generally also baked instead of fried
- For a milder flavour or less of a vinegar taste, the sauerkraut can be rinsed and vegetable broth may be used in place of the sauerkraut packing vinegar
- If at any point the mixture becomes too dry or the kapusta begins to burn, add more of the packing vinegar and reduce the heat slightly
- Big Mountain Foods Brat veggie links are a great vegan substitute in this dish for kielbasa but can be replaced with traditional kapusta ingredients or omitted