Cheesy Stuffed Kielbasa & Sauerkraut Bombs

Warm pizza dough stuffed with cheesy-filled kielbasa, mustard sauce, and sauteed sauerkraut. Easy, scrumptious, perfect for parties & absolutely irresistible!

So I’m all about versatility whether it comes to foods. Whether it’s different types of sandwiches, pizza toppings, to using pizza dough for things other than pizza. I guess it stems back to my childhood and the fact that we were really, really poor.

We often went without or we relied on help from others. Thing is, I wouldn’t change a single thing about my upbringing.

Why you may ask? It taught me to appreciate everything that wasn’t tied to money – not clothes, not shoes, not games. No, it taught me to appreciate morals, ethics, family, love. And ingredients.

Yes, ingredients. My Mom (and Dad) taught me how to make the most amazing meals out of meager items. That all you needed were things like flour, yeast, salt, water, and you could create some of the most amazing loaves of bread and doughs. Ground beef could be transformed into seemingly 5-star gourmet meals with pantry staples and both a hunger for food and knowledge.

This recipe is an ode to my childhood and something Mom would have whipped up with basic ingredients we had in the house.

Grab your Ingredients

This recipe is pretty straightforward and uses pretty standard fridge and pantry ingredients. Now if you do not have pizza dough you can use crescent roll dough. I’ll get into that later on in the additions/substitutions section.

• Prepared Pizza Dough
• Sauerkraut
• Mustard – whole grain and dijon
• Kielbasa – though you can use cooked sausages or even hot dogs as well
• String Cheese – I found string cheese worked best in this though you could use shredded it’s a pain in the butt to stuff into the meat
• Seasonings – brown sugar, caraway seed, poppyseeds
• Egg Wash – You can use a whole egg  or egg white for the wash

 

Pat out the dough

1. On a lightly floured board or counter, roll/pat the pizza dough into an 18×12″ rectangle.
2. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into quarters.

Pat out the dough

3. Cut the kielbasa string into 4 equal-size segments.
4. Cut a slit into each kielbasa lengthwise but do not cut all the way through

Chef’s Tip on String Cheese

Now with string cheese, you have a few options:

• You can use any flavor you want
• You can leave it whole OR you can cut it in half

By leaving it whole it will soften but not give you that full cheesy pull we all love and look for. It’ll be soft and tender but not fully melted. If you cut it in half (or pull it apart), you increase the meltability factor.   There’s no right or wrong way.

As you can see, I left mine whole because I LOVE cheese!

Make the Sauerkraut

I strongly advise sautéing the kraut as it’ll help dry it out which prevents the pizza dough from getting soggy. And you can infuse more flavor into it. Adding the brown sugar and caraway seeds is totally optional but since I love mine this way, I added it.

1. Drain the sauerkraut really well. It can help to press down into the colander to get as much moisture out.
2. To a non-stick pan over medium heat, add the sauerkraut, brown sugar, and caraway seed. Stir to combine and cook for about 5-10 minutes or until the brown sugar melts and the sauerkraut has a little bit of brownness to it.

*Note: You will have extra kraut if you use a 14-ounce can. So double up on the pizza dough, meat, and cheese to use it all up. Or you can save it for another use later.

Time to Assemble

1. Once the sauerkraut is cooled, add about 2-3 Tablespoons of it to the middle of the pizza dough squares.

2. On top of the kraut, add about a teaspoon or two of whole grain and dijon mustard mixture. *You can use both mustards or either one. I like the taste of both combined

3. Next, add the cheese-stuffed kielbasa on top.

4. Pull up the long edges, pinching to close. Grab the end pieces and pull up and over, pinching to close.
5. Place on a parchment-lined baking pan. Lightly spray with cooking spray and cover to proof for 30 minutes while the oven heats up.
6. Preheat the oven to 400F, rack in the middle.
7. Right before baking, brush the bombs with an egg wash and sprinkle with poppy seeds.

8. Bake for ~18-22 minutes or until the bombs are golden brown.
9. Remove from the oven and immediately transfer to a cooling rack.

Time to eat!

Well okay, you should let them rest about 5-10 minutes before slicing or sinking your teeth into one as they will be HOT inside.

Let’s Talk about Sauerkraut

So I am FIERCELY brand loyal when it comes to the products I love and recommend. When I lived on the East Coast, I only bought Snow Floss bavarian brand. However, when I moved to Arizona, I couldn’t find it. So I reached out to the company. And guess what I found out?!

They do sell it here BUT it’s branded as Frank’s Sauerkraut! It’s the same brand, same flavor, same taste. They just brand it under a different name on the West Coast. You’d be shocked as to how many companies do this – mayo companies, ice cream, cheeses, and so forth

Regardless of where you live in the US, you can still get my absolute FAVORITE sauerkraut. And no, they aren’t paying me to say this either. I don’t work that way 🙂

What if I don’t have pizza dough?

No worries, I can help you easily adapt the recipe. By skipping a step you can get these into the oven faster which means faster to the mouth! On the downside, I think these taste a bajillion times better with pizza dough. It’s just a personal preference. Go with what you love but I do suggest you try it with pizza dough.

Easy Substitutions

• Crescent Roll Dough
• Puff Pastry
• Frozen Bread Dough (thawed)

Instructions Modifications

1. You’ll need 2-3 tubes/sheets of crescent dough or puff pastry dough.
2. If using puff pastry or crescent roll dough, once you assemble, you do NOT need to proof these. Just assemble them, brush on the egg wash, and bake.
3. If using pre-made bread dough, you will need to follow the instructions as written.

Serving suggestions

• Sliced – these sliced up and then stuck with toothpicks make these a great party food
• Whole – they freeze beautifully (when using pizza dough). These are great for lunch bags, football gatherings, game nights

You can most certainly make these smaller so they truly are bite-size. Just cut the dough into small pieces and slice the meat into coins.

Make-Ahead

You can make these ahead and store, covered, in the fridge for up to a week. To reheat, pop into a 350F oven and heat for about 10 minutes or until warmed all the way through.

Recipe Substitutions

I’ve already given you suggestions on swapping out the pizza dough. so let’s tackle the fillings.

• Meat – it can be meat or meat-free type cooked sausages/kielbasa/hotdogs
• Cheese – The sky is the limit here. Sliced, cubed, or string cheese works. Yes, shredded does as well but I found it to be a PITA to work with on this recipe.
• Mustard – you could swap out the mustard and use a thousand island sauce
• Sauerkraut – sauté up cabbage with onions, pat dry, and use that

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