This is the finale of my cook-n-freeze spree.  The original recipe is at AllRecipes:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sauerkraut-Soup-I/Detail.aspx .  My version below.

Sauerkraut Soup

32oz sauerkraut with the juice
1lb ground pork
8oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
4 small onions, diced
1 1/2 quarts water
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons whole wheat flour
pepper to taste

[list type=decimal][*]In a large pot (5-6qt), place the sauerkraut, water and mushrooms.  Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer.[*]In a skillet, saute the ground pork til most of the pink is gone (it will cook the rest of the way in the soup) and put into a small bowl.  Set aside for the moment.[*]In the same skillet, melt the butter and add the onions.  Saute until onions are soft.  Add in the flour and make a roux (just cooking the flour).  Add a few ladles of the soup broth to the skillet and stir until the mixture is fairly smooth.[*]Add both the pork and the onion mixture to the soup and stir to combine.  Cover and let simmer for about an hour.  Season with pepper to taste and serve.[/list]Notes: I got just over three quarts of soup.  Instead of water, I used the poaching liquid I had from cooking some chicken breasts - no salt or other seasonings, just the flavor of the chicken.  The original recipe also called for a 1/2 cup of barley to be cooked in the soup.  I didn't have any on hand so I left it out.  What I made today is going into the freezer for use later in the month but when I do use it, I may add some cooked ditalini pasta or cooked quinoa.  The original recipe is vegetarian, I added the pork for more flavor.  I think it would also taste good with polish sausage (if you don't have to worry about your sodium intake that is).

Yumm, that sounds good (without the mushrooms). Can you tell I don't like mushrooms? LOL

Unfortunately, I do have to watch my sodium intake, so sauerkraut is a no-no. If you rinse it, it still has lots of salt. If you rinse it to death, you might as well have cooked cabbage instead. Sigh. I abolutely love sauerkraut on a hotdog!

The barley sounds like a good addition too. My all time favorite soup in the winter is beef barley. I've never attempted to make it, but get it at a favorite pub on occassion.

allrecipies is one of my top go-to sites when I'm looking for a recipe. Some days I get lost on there, going from recipe to recipe. Now.....if I would just spend as much time cookin' as I do lookin', lol.