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Pairing Sweet BBQ Baked Beans with Sweet & Smoky BBQ Sauerkraut, topping it with potato tots and kielbasa for The perfect game-day or weeknight casserole!

Even though it’s still 100+ in the temps, in my mind I’m channeling all things fall (except pumpkin spice). Sorry, but that’s not allowed until October in my world. No, my thoughts are if football is on, then it’s fall!
The Perfect Fall Casserole
This dish is similar to what my Mom made for us kids growing up. I’m sure most folks grew up on beans and weenies. It was cheap, delicious, and fed a crowd. Mom would amp hers up with baby potatoes. Sometimes she’d make this for breakfast and put a dippy egg over top for a bit more sauce.

When the folks from Frank’s Kraut came out with a new sauerkraut, Sweet and Smoky BBQ Sauerkraut, I immediately thought of this dish!
Grab Your Ingredients
You only need a few staple ingredients. Right now, you can only get that specific sauerkraut flavor (trust me, IT’S THE SECRET TO THIS DISH!) on their website and I believe at Hy-Vee stores.

- Frank’s Sweet & Smoky BBQ Sauerkraut
- Baked Beans
- BBQ Sauce
- Brown Sugar
- Potato Tots
- Kielbasa
Assemble The Casserole
Make sure to watch the video to see how easy this comes together!
This is pretty straightforward to assemble.
- Mix together all of the ingredients except the tots and kielbasa in a large bowl. Pour that into a casserole dish.
- Place the tots on top leaving about a 1/4-1/2″ space in between. Place the sliced kielbasa rounds between each tot.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the mixture bubbles and the tots are crispy. If needed, use heat-safe tongs and turn the kielbasa rings halfway through baking to prevent burning,

The Hardest Part…Waiting
Trust me, I get it. Waiting is the worst when you’re smelling something truly amazing AND you NEED to in your belly ASAP!
But coming from someone that has repeatedly burnt the inside of her mouth on more than one occasion (and regretted not waiting each time), trust me … wait the 15 minutes or so to let it stop from being super hot.

Ways To Serve This Casserole
So as I mentioned above Mom would serve it with or without an egg on top. I’ve served this a few ways and honestly, they all are delicious!
- Corn Bread Bowl – bake up some corn bread (cheese or not) and place a slice of warmed corn bread in the bottom of the bowl. Add a scoop or two of the casserole on top and dig in!
- Eggs – You can serve this over scrambled eggs or spoon some into a bowl and add a dippy egg on top.
- Over Toast – grill up some Garlic Butter Texas Toast and spoon some of this on top
- As-Is – seriously, this is truly incredible as a main dish!

Casserole Substitutions
Before you ask, YES you need to use this specific sauerkraut. It has such an amazing flavor and is different than their traditional (and my favorite) sauerkraut.
- Meats – instead of kielbasa, you can add little smokies, hot dogs, alternative meat or plant-based smoked kielbasa/sausages. Just make sure they are cooked first
- Tots – you can use other types of potatoes or veggie tots if you wish. I’ve not tried fries but have at it!
- Cheese – Cheddar is awesome with this. Add the cheddar the last 10-15 minutes of baking
Grill And Smoker Instructions
- Preheat the grill or smoker to 375, indirect heat.
- Prepare as directed and place on the smoker/grill and cook until the baked beans are bubbling, the tots are crispy and the kielbasa has some char to it.

The Ultimate Fall & Football Casserole
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutse
- Category: comfort food, football food, tailgating, casserole, fall foods, one pan meals
- Method: oven, grill, smoker
- Cuisine: comfort food, football food, tailgating, casserole, fall foods, one pan meals
Pairing Sweet BBQ Baked Beans with Sweet & Smoky BBQ Sauerkraut, topping it with potato tots and kielbasa for The perfect game-day or weeknight casserole!

Ingredients
- 28oz can Baked Beans
- 1 1/4 cups Frank’s Sweet & Smoky BBQ Sauerkraut, drained
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
- 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
- Potato Tots, 10-14 ounce bag
- 1 14 oz package of kielbasa, cut into 1/4” rounds (you’ll have extra)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large bowl, mix together the beans, sauerkraut, BBQ sauce, & brown sugar. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish.
- Place the tots on top of the mixture leaving enough space in between each of them to add a ring of kielbasa.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the mixture bubbles and the tots are crispy. If needed, use heat-safe tongs and turn the kielbasa rings halfway through baking to prevent burning,
- Serve with cornbread or biscuits.
Keywords: The Ultimate Fall & Football Casserole, The Ultimate Fall & Football Casserole with Baked Beans, Sweet & Smoky Sauerkraut, Crispy Tots and Kielbasa, comfort food, weeknight casserole, football foods, kielbasa and sauerkraut, bbq baked beans, tailgating food, homegating recipes, tailgating recipes, one pan meals
This casserole looks so flavorful and delicious! I love how simple and easy it is to make and you had me at sauerkraut with this one, yum!
★★★★★
Thank you so much!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
This dish is what I call “the only reason to watch the games on Sunday!” LOL We made it on Thursday night, had friends over and there were no leftovers. In fact I making it again this Sunday. Thanks so much, this casserole is the best.
★★★★★
HAHAHA I love it; thank you!
Best Kitchen Wishes
Such an easy and delicious game-day casserole! I can actually make this any time of the day!
So yummy!
★★★★★
Thank you so much!!!
Best Kitchen Wishes
When you say perfect, you really do mean perfect! This looks amazing, thank you so much for sharing this recipe 🙂 I can definitely see why waiting would be the hardest part 😉
★★★★★
Thank you so much for such kind words!
Best Kitchen Wishes
One of my favorite things about football season is all the comfort food, and this did not disappoint! Baked beans, sausage, tots — all my favorite things in one dish. So good.
★★★★★
Thank you so much!!!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Thanks for such a delicious recipe. Cant wait to try this dish. Presentation picture perfect.
★★★★★
Thank you so much!!!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Thank goodness it is football season, this was so good this past weekend. My husband asked me to save the recipe for super bowl!
★★★★★
Yeah! So happy you loved it!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
This casserole looks amazing and easy to make. I know it will be a huge hit for game day on Sunday. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
You are most welcome!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
We made this for the Steeler’s game last night. This was a HUGE hit with everyone! I had zero leftovers. I’ll definitely be making a double batch for the next game! This seriously hit home!
★★★★★
So awesome to hear! Thank you Russ!
Best Kitchen Wishes!
Very creative. I had a jar of Sauerkraut and I didn’t know what to do with it so I tried to recipe. Everything worked, and what I liked the best was how easy was to prepare. my husband enjoyed it a lot.
★★★★★
So happy you loved it! Agreed, I love how easy this dish is to throw together!
Best Kitchen Wishes!