The Ultimate Fall & Football Casserole

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.

1. Mix together all of the ingredients except the tots and kielbasa in a large bowl. Pour that into a casserole dish.
2. Place the tots on top leaving about a 1/4-1/2″ space in between. Place the sliced kielbasa rounds between each tot.
3. 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

1. Preheat the grill or smoker to 375, indirect heat.
2. 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.

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