This recipe is for anyone who loves traditions or wants to start a New Year’s tradition. Anna’s husband, Dan grew up eating pork and sauerkraut with cooked apples for New Year’s. Anna didn’t grow up with a tradition, but she is from the South and the tradition there is beans and greens to bring you luck and money for the New Year.
Looking for a comforting meal for the New Year holiday that combines tradition and ease? This one-pot pork, black-eyed peas, and sauerkraut dish brings together multiple New Year’s customs, combining Southern beans and greens with pork and sauerkraut. Whether you’re celebrating the New Year or craving a hearty, flavorful dinner, this recipe brings flavor and maybe even some luck.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- This pork, black-eyed peas, and sauerkraut is a one-pot meal that makes for minimal cleanup.
- It’s easy to scale this up to make it for a crowd.
- You don’t have to reserve this dish for New Year’s. It’s simple enough for any winter evening when you have more than 30 minutes to make dinner.
Ingredients & substitutions for pork, sauerkraut and black eyed-peas recipe
- Pork tenderloin: Pork tenderloin typically comes in packages of 2 tenderloins. I’ve made this with pork loin chops and pork loin, but I prefer using pork tenderloin because it doesn’t dry out the way the others can. You could even make this with kielbasa or your favorite sausages.
- Onion and garlic: diced onion and garlic. Use fresh or jarred garlic.
- White wine: If you don’t have white wine, you can substitute apple cider or beer. If you don’t want to buy apple cider to use only ¼ cup, keep in mind that you can freeze it in ice cube trays and use the frozen cubes in smoothies and in other recipes.
- Chicken stock: Any brand will do. My favorites are Pacific Stock or Better Than Bouillon Chicken Stock. Better than Bouillon is what I’m using lately. It’s concentrated stock that you add boiling water to. The benefit is you make only what you need.
- Apple cider vinegar: If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, use Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar.
- Dark brown sugar: Light brown sugar will work, too. The difference is that dark brown sugar has more depth of flavor because it has more molasses than light brown.
- Fennel seed: Fennel seeds are small, aromatic seeds from the fennel plant, which is a perennial herb in the carrot family. They’re known for their licorice flavor. If you’re not a fennel fan, I’d recommend substituting 1 Fresh thyme: Chopped fresh rosemary would also taste great.
- Red pepper flake gives the dish a little kick, which is a nice contrast to the tartness of the vinegar. If you’d rather skip the red pepper flake, it’s no problem to omit it.
- Sauerkraut: I used Bubbies, but any brand will do. If you don’t like sauerkraut, use use chopped purple cabbage instead. Add the cabbage to the pan when you would have added the sauerkraut and cook it on the stove top for about 5 minutes before adding the pork and placing the pan in the oven.
- Dijon mustard: My preferred brand is Grey Poupon, but feel free to use your favorite brand of Dijon mustard.
- Black-eyed peas, canned: Canned beans work just as well as cooked dried beans, and they save you lots of time.
- Kale: Use either lactino or curly kale. If you don’t like kale, substitute spinach or leave out the greens entirely.
Steps to make the recipe
1. Spread each pork tenderloin with 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Marinate for 30 minutes up to 24 hours. If you’re marinating it for 30 minutes, you can let the pork sit out. If you’re marinating it longer, place it in a 9 x 13 inch pan and cover with plastic wrap or foil or place it in a zip top bag and store in the refrigerator until 30 minutes before you’re ready to cook the pork tenderloin.
2. While the pork is searing, rinse 1 ½ cups sauerkraut and squeeze out all the liquid. Place it in a strainer over a bowl until you’re ready to add it to the pan. Remove the browned tenderloins from the pan and place them on a plate while you follow the next steps.
3. Add 1 diced onion and 2 diced cloves of garlic to the same pan you used to sear the pork tenderloin. Sauté over medium high heat for 5-8 minutes or until the onions begin to look translucent.
4. Once the onions are cooked, add ¼ cup white wine and simmer 1-2 minutes.
Next add 1 ½ cups chicken stock, 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds, ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flake.
Add the reserved, 1 ½ cups drained sauerkraut and one can, drained, of black eyed peas, and 2 cups of chopped kale. Bring to a simmer.
5. Once the sauerkraut and beans mixture comes to a summer, add the pork tenderloins and any juices collected on the plate back to the pan with the sauerkraut and black eyed peas.
6. Add the kale around the pork tenderloins. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for 10-20 minutes or until the pork reaches 145-165 degrees F on an instant read or meat thermometer. Keep in mind, the pork will continue to cook once you remove it from the oven. I cook mine to 145-150 F so it’s still a bit pink and very tender.
Remove the pork tenderloins and place them on a cutting board that can catch any juices. Cover with foil and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
Serving suggestions for pork and sauerkraut New Year’s Day
Serve with rice, or roasted or mashed potatoes, crusty bread and a big mixed green salad.
Storage and reheating
- How to store leftovers: store any leftovers in an airtight container.
- How to reheat: Reheat in a microwave safe container according to your microwave instructions. Or place in an oven safe dish and cover with foil. Place the dish in a preheated 350 F oven for 20-30 minutes or until heated through.
- How to freeze: You can freeze the pork, but it’s not recommended to freeze sauerkraut because the texture can change.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make this recipe in an Instant Pot or slow cooker? There’s likely a way, but I haven’t tested either yet.
Anna and Dan’s New Year’s Traditions
It was New Year’s Eve 1996. My new boyfriend from Ohio was visiting me at home in Raleigh. We went to Duke, 30 minutes down the road, but being with my family in Raleigh was exposure to southern culture. On New Year’s Eve, my mother asked Dan, “What does your family have to eat on New Year’s Day?” With a shocked look on his face, he replied, “Pork and Saurkraut, like the rest of the world!?”
As he tells it now, (he stuck around and now I’m married to him) he didn’t know anyone who didn’t have pork and sauerkraut on New Year’s Day. It was such a shocking question to him. This interaction between my mother and Dan prompted a discussion about New Year’s Day food traditions and certainly black-eyed peas and greens.
As I understand it, the Southern tradition is to have black-eyed peas (often served in Hoppin’ John) and greens on New Year’s Day for good luck! The peas represent the coins and the greens the dollars that you will acquire over the next year.
New Year’s Day Traditions
I did not grow up with a certain food tradition on New Year’s Day. However, my children are growing up with both southern food traditions and long-standing mid-western family traditions. So, most years on New Year’s Day we try to have all traditions represented. This year and for many years, my mother made pork and sauerkraut for Dan and black-eyed peas for all of our good luck.
Expert tips from a registered dietitian
Children are skeptical of new or unfamiliar things
Holiday meals often remind me that children can be in general neophobic and skeptical of new or unfamiliar things. You may have heard children need to see a food 7, 10, or 20 or more times before they will try it. There’s no magic number, and each child is different in that way.
However, in our family, there are several holiday foods that they may not see all year, and then it’s presented on a special day with much anticipation, which could feel like pressure. The kids got excited to talk about where the traditions come from and what is “good luck” for them to try.
My oldest, Miriam, is the most adventurous eater, and this year ate all the different foods on the table. She didn’t love the black-eyed peas, but thought they were “pretty good.”
My son, Isaac, is more particular with his food and decided one black-eyed pea would bring him luck for the year. He did ask if the rolls would bring him good luck, too.
My youngest, Vivian, who is 2, has just hit that typically picky age. When she was 12- 18 months she ate anything that was presented to her. It’s typical, that as the growth rate decreases food variety decreases from around 18 months – 2 years.
So, she wouldn’t even tolerate the black-eyed peas or sauerkraut on her plate. However, that’s where Isaac was 5 years ago. I know that if I continue presenting them, and hopefully more often than once a year, she’ll try them when she is ready.
I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions, for many reasons, However, this year, I plan to incorporate more of the foods that we tend to cook only on holidays so it’s not so much of a surprise next year. I’m looking forward to trying Elizabeth’s beans and greens.
We have additional information on supporting picky eaters during the holidays and feeding kids during the holidays.
Pork, Black Eyed Peas and Sauerkraut
Pork, Black Eyed Peas and SauerkrautIngredients
- 2 one pound pork tenderloins
- 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 3 teaspoons Red Diamond Kosher salt, divided use half the amount if using table salt
- 2-4 turns freshly ground pepper
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic diced
- 1 1/2 cups sauerkraut drained, rinsed, and liquid squeezed out
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon fennel seed
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flake optional
- 1 – 15 ounce can black eyed peas drained
- 2 cups kale rinsed and chopped
Instructions
- Spread each 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard on all sides of each pork tenderloin and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Marinate for 30 minutes up to 24 hours. If you’re marinating it for 30 minutes, you can let the pork sit out. If you’re marinating it longer, place it in a 9 x 13 inch pan and cover with plastic wrap or foil or place it in a zip top bag and store in the refrigerator until 30 minutes before you’re ready to cook the pork tenderloin.
- Preheat your oven to 425 F.
- Dice the onion and garlic and set aside.
- Rinse and chop the kale and set aside.
- Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium high in an oven-safe sauté pan or large Dutch oven.
- Sear the pork tenderloins 3-5 minutes on each side.
- While the pork is searing, rinse 1 ½ cups sauerkraut and squeeze out all the liquid. Place it in a strainer over a bowl until you’re ready to add it to the pan in step 10.
- Remove the browned tenderloins from the pan and place them on a plate while you follow the next steps.
- Add 1 diced onion and 2 diced cloves of garlic to the same pan you used to sear the pork tenderloin. Sauté over medium high heat for 5-8 minutes or until the onions begin to look translucent.
- Once the onions are cooked, add ¼ cup white wine and simmer 1-2 minutes.
- Next add 1 ½ cups chicken stock, 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds, ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flake.
- Add the reserved, 1 ½ cups drained sauerkraut and one can, drained, of black eyed peas, and 2 cups of chopped kale. Bring to a simmer. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Once the sauerkraut and beans mixture comes to a summer, add the pork tenderloins and any juices collected on the plate back to the pan with the sauerkraut and black eyed peas.
- Cover with a lid and place in the oven for 10-20 minutes or until the pork reaches 145-165 degrees F on an instant-read or meat thermometer. Keep in mind, the pork will continue to cook once you remove it from the oven. I cook mine to 145-150 F so it’s still a bit pink and very tender.
- Remove the pork tenderloins and place them on a cutting board that can catch any juices. Cover with foil and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Slice the pork tenderloin and place it on a serving platter. Arrange the sauerkraut, black eyed peas, and greens around the sliced pork.
I searched your site for a recipe for black-eyed peas and sauerkraut, but I found nothing but articles about the traditions of serving for black-eyed peas and sauerkraut. Can you please tell me how to get a real recipe?
Thanks for your question! We have a recipe for black-eyed peas, but it looks like the recipe card isn’t showing up. I’ll find out what the issue is and get back to you. We don’t have a recipe for sauerkraut; we’ll consider adding one for the New Year.
The recipe for black-eyed peas and greens is back up.
All I have done for years is dice onions and put in some of my saved bacon grease. If you don’t have the grease, cook some bacon how you like it and add to the black-eyed peas. You can add garlic, salt and pepper to taste. There is a seasoning I am going to try this McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning. I use it on eggs, meat, potatoes, whatever. I love it!
Great suggestions!