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    Home » Recipes

    Pork and Sauerkraut Balls - A New Year's Tradition for Good Luck

    by Patti Estep · Jan 25, 2019

    Jump to Recipe

    ring the tradition of good luck to the party by making these pork and sauerkraut balls on New Year's Eve. Perfect for snacking on the next day while watching the game too.

    pork and sauerkraut balls on plate

    The Pennsylvania Dutch tradition of eating pork and sauerkraut on New Year's for good luck is something my husband and I grew up with and have continued our entire lives. In fact, we probably eat it several times a year.

    This year, however, I thought it would be fun to make something in a finger food for a New Year's Eve party or to have as a snack while watching football on New Year's Day. So instead of pork loin, ribs or kielbasa, I decided to make pork and sauerkraut balls and serve them in a slow cooker.

    Pork and sauerkraut balls cookie sheet

    You can make these ahead and let them sit on a warm setting in the slow cooker. 

    These little meatballs have sauerkraut inside so each bite contains the required pork and sauerkraut ingredient.

    Pork and sauerkraut balls in slow cooker

    First, you need to bake them in the oven. That's how my husband always makes his Italian meatballs so that's what I did. 

    pork & sauerkraut meatball on plate

    Afterward, I placed them in a slow cooker with more sauerkraut to keep them from drying out.

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    Pork and sauerkraut balls toothpick

    Serve them with toothpicks or forks. Or, make a sandwich with a yummy crusty roll. You could offer a grainy mustard (my husband would love that) or mayo for the sandwich.

    Pork and sauerkraut balls hand

    I like being able to serve these as party food and homemade meatballs are always so delicious. However, if you are really short on time you could serve sliced kielbasa with sauerkraut in the same fashion. And if the sausage is made with pork it still counts for the good luck tradition.

    Just another idea for some yummy homemade entertaining game-day finger food.

    Patti signature

    P.S.  I love to be able to bring something to the party. Last year I brought Greek Chicken Bites to my brother's house and they were a big hit because it was January and they were low carb so many people were watching what they eat. Another low carb finger food recipe is mushrooms stuffed with avocado cream. However, one of our favorite things to make on game days for a group is my husband's famous Stromboli which takes a bit of time but so worth the effort.

    Pork and sauerkraut balls collage
    Pork and sauerkraut balls on plate

    Pork and Sauerkraut Balls

    Bring the tradition of good luck to the party by making these pork and sauerkraut balls on New Year's Eve.
    4.30 from 10 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Additional Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
    Course Recipes
    Cuisine PA Dutch
    Servings 36 meatballs
    Calories 50 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 pound ground pork
    • 2 eggs
    • 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
    • 27 oz can sauerkraut
    • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven 350 degrees
    • Whisk eggs in a large mixing bowl
    • Add pork, breadcrumbs 1/2 cup of sauerkraut, caraway seeds, salt and pepper.
    • Mix together just until combined.
    • Spray or oil a large jelly roll pan or baking pan.
    • Add a little oil to your hands to help roll 1 inch balls.
    • Place on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
    • Transfer to slow cooker along with the remaining sauerkraut and heat through, about 20 minutes.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1gCalories: 50kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 3gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.001gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 200mgPotassium: 81mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 18IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although attempts have been made to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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    About Patti Estep

    Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Michael Knapik

      December 28, 2021 at 12:44 pm

      Very good ! Next time I'll dredge and deep fry

      Reply
    2. Carole

      January 25, 2019 at 8:36 am

      I grew up eating sour kraut this time of year. My grandma made a similar dish like this but with sausage. She also made a really good soup and canned her own kraut wow it was good. She did so much more than I, Truly amazing.

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        January 25, 2019 at 8:52 am

        Your grandmother sounds awesome. If I could go back in time I would love to meet her.

        Reply
    4.30 from 10 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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