Bigos (Hunter's Stew)
Poland's national dish: sauerkraut slow-simmered with kielbasa, canned tomatoes, onion, cremini mushrooms, bay leaves, and allspice until deeply flavoured. Serve with bread.
Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add kielbasa rounds and brown on both sides, about 4 minutes. Remove and set aside.
In the same pot, add onion and cook over medium heat until softened and lightly golden, about 6 minutes.
Add mushrooms and cook until they release their moisture and begin to brown, about 5 minutes.
Rinse the sauerkraut under cold water if you prefer a milder flavour, or add it unrinsed for a more sour result. Add sauerkraut, diced tomatoes (with juice), kielbasa, bay leaves, allspice, and black pepper.
Add water or broth. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 45–50 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the stew is thick and the flavours have melded.
Remove bay leaves. Taste and adjust salt — the sauerkraut and kielbasa both contribute salt, so add carefully.
Serve in bowls with bread for dipping. Bigos tastes better the next day after the flavours have continued to develop.
Kielbasa is now $7.49 per 375g package at No Frills (up from the previously listed $6.50). This recipe uses 300g of the package, leaving 75g for another use.
- A 1L jar of No Name wine sauerkraut is $4.29 — the recipe uses roughly half the jar ($2.15 allocated). Leftover sauerkraut keeps indefinitely in the fridge.
- Cremini mushrooms at approximately $2.99 per 227g pack; 150g used = $1.97 (proportional). White button mushrooms from the loose bin are cheaper if available.
- Bigos freezes very well. Make a double batch and freeze half for another night.
Estimated values per serving.
This recipe can be made gluten-free with substitutions.
- Replace kielbasa with check label — some sausages contain fillers with gluten (no cost change; verify the specific brand)
The stew base is gluten-free. Pillers kolbassa is generally gluten-free but check the package. Skip the bread accompaniment or use GF bread.