Grünkohl mit Pinkel — Kale and Sausage
This is the kind of German dinner you’ll make on repeat — curly kale and pinkel or smoked sausages, 90 minutes, big payoff.
✓ USDA-verified nutrition data
620 calories
30g protein
44g carbs
36g fat
8g fiber
Ingredients
- 2 lb Curly kale
- 4 Pinkel or smoked sausages
- 4 slices Bacon
- 1 Yellow onion
- 4 Potatoes
- 2 cups Vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp Mustard
- 0.25 cup Oats
Steps
- Strip the kale from its tough stems and chop it roughly. Blanch 2 minutes in salted water, then squeeze dry — this tames the bitterness and sets the deep green color.
- Render the chopped bacon, soften the diced onion in the fat, then add the kale and broth. Simmer covered 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the kale is silky and dark.
- Stir in the oats — the traditional northern trick for binding the pot liquor into a rich, spoon-coating base. Nestle in the sausages for the last 20 minutes.
- Boil the potatoes separately until tender; they’re served alongside, never mashed into the kale.
- Plate the kale with a sausage, boiled potatoes, and a bold smear of mustard. In Bremen they say you haven’t had grünkohl until you’ve had it three times — the first is just practice.