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Polish

Bigos

Non-vegetarian

Poland's 'hunter's stew' of sauerkraut and fresh cabbage slowly cooked with pork, smoked sausage, bacon, mushrooms and warm spices — even better reheated over several days.

Bigos is a Polish stew from Poland, ready in about 2 hours 55 minutes and made with kielbasa (smoked polish sausage), sauerkraut and cabbage. It serves 8 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Bigos
Photo: Dr. Bernd Gross / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
25 min
Cook
2 h 30 min
Total
2 h 55 min
Serves
8
Level
Easy
Calories
353

Ingredients

8 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Fry the bacon (opens in a new tab) in a large heavy pot until the fat runs. Add the pork and brown on all sides, then add the onion (opens in a new tab) and cook until soft.

    Food safety: Wash hands and boards after handling raw pork.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Add the sausage and mushrooms (opens in a new tab) and fry for a few minutes more.

    • 5 min
    • medium heat

  3. Step 3

    Stir in the sauerkraut (opens in a new tab), fresh cabbage (opens in a new tab), tomato paste (opens in a new tab), wine, water, bay, allspice (opens in a new tab), marjoram (opens in a new tab), salt and pepper (opens in a new tab).

    • 5 min

  4. Step 4

    Cover and cook over very low heat, stirring now and then and adding a splash of water if it catches, until the cabbage (opens in a new tab) is soft, dark and the pork is tender.

    • 130 min
    • low heat

About this dish

Origin
Poland · Well documentedAlso popular in UkraineMore food from Poland
Dish
Dinner · Lunch · Stews & braises · Main courses
Cooking method
Stewed, Slow-cooked
Taste
sour, smoky, savoury, umami
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein · Carb-conscious · Calorie-conscious
With the listed swaps: Alcohol-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Batch cooking
Cook more with
Kielbasa (smoked Polish sausage) · Sauerkraut · Cabbage · Bacon · Pork shoulder · Onion
Techniques
Stewing

Allergens

  • May contain: Mustardfrom kielbasa (smoked polish sausage)
  • Contains, can be adapted: Sulphitesfrom kielbasa (smoked polish sausage), dry red wine

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

353 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 359 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 21%
  • Carbohydrate 15%
  • Fat 65%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy353 kcal98 kcal
Protein17.7 g4.9 g
Carbohydrate12.6 g3.5 g
Net carbohydrate7.5 g2.1 g
Sugars5.6 g1.6 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre5.1 g1.4 g
Fat24.5 g6.8 g
Saturated fat8.4 g2.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol71 mg20 mg
Sodium1277 mg356 mg
Salt equivalent3.2 g0.9 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
674 mg
Calcium
78 mg
Iron
3.1 mg
Magnesium
44 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
10 µg
Vitamin C
37 mg
Vitamin D
1.4 µg
Vitamin B12
1 µg
Folate (DFE)
59 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Bigos is traditionally cooled and reheated over two or three days — the flavour deepens each time.

Common mistakes

  • Rinsing the sauerkraut too much removes the characteristic sourness.

Serve with

  • Serve with rye bread or boiled potatoes.

Storage

  • Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for 3 months.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently until piping hot throughout.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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