When a German-style dinner calls for more than one sausage and a bowl of mustard, sturdy mains and sides make the table complete. These 19 recipes cover brats, pork, beef, cabbage, potatoes, sauerkraut, pretzels, soup, and a few broader Central European or American additions that keep the spread varied. Most of the lineup leans clearly German or German-inspired, while the outliers are treated honestly rather than pushed into a tradition, they do not belong to. The collection gives you roasts, skillet dinners, soups, warm sides, bread, and a sweet finish built around ingredients that hold up well beside a stein.
Roasted Kohlrabi with Parmesan
Roasted until browned at the edges, Roasted Kohlrabi with Parmesan turns two pounds of kohlrabi into four servings in 35 minutes. Olive oil, black pepper, Parmesan, and parsley keep the ingredient list short while the high heat brings out the vegetable’s sweetness. It fits beside pork, sausages, or roast beef when the table needs a vegetable that can stand up to heavier German-style mains without adding another creamy or starchy side.
Get the Recipe: Roasted Kohlrabi with Parmesan
Sauerkraut Balls
Crisp on the outside with a rich center, Sauerkraut Balls combine bratwurst, sauerkraut, cream cheese, Swiss cheese, breadcrumbs, and eggs. The recipe makes four servings, with 15 minutes of prep, 15 minutes of cooking, and a 30-minute chill before frying. Set them out with the mustard dipping sauce as a first bite before the larger plates arrive, especially when you want sauerkraut to show up in a form that works as finger food.
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German Meat Patties (Frikadellen)
Pan-fried in about 10 minutes after a 15-minute prep, German Meat Patties (Frikadellen) combine ground beef and pork with milk-soaked bread, onion, German mustard, marjoram, parsley, and smoked paprika. The batch makes six patties with a rustic, substantial texture that works well beside potatoes or cabbage. They also fit into rolls, so the same recipe can move from a plated German-style dinner to a more casual spread without changing the core preparation.
Get the Recipe: German Meat Patties (Frikadellen)
Oma’s German Potato Salad
Warm instead of mayonnaise-heavy, Oma’s German Potato Salad serves six in 35 minutes with Yukon Gold potatoes, bacon, red onion, apple cider vinegar, broth, German mustard, and sugar. The dressing comes together in the bacon drippings before the potatoes and bacon are folded back into the pan. Serve it beside bratwurst, pork loin, or meat patties when you want a tangy potato side that cuts through richer meat without cooling the plate down.
Get the Recipe: Oma’s German Potato Salad
Classic German Beer Braised Brats
Beer, onions, and mustard do most of the work in Classic German Beer Braised Brats, a six-serving main that takes 50 minutes. Bratwurst nestles into deeply cooked onions with German beer, chicken broth, garlic, butter, and mustard before finishing in the oven. Tuck the sausages into buns or plate them with cabbage and potato salad when you want the kind of dish that makes a stein on the table look completely at home.
Get the Recipe: Classic German Beer Braised Brats
Authentic Hungarian Goulash
Slow cooking gives Authentic Hungarian Goulash six hours to soften stewing beef in onions, garlic, beef broth, tomato paste, paprika, smoked hot paprika, thyme, and bay leaves. The recipe serves six and uses a Crock Pot after the beef is browned. This one is Hungarian rather than German, so it works as a Central European outlier in the lineup, especially when you want one long-simmered stew beside the more distinctly German sausages and cabbage dishes.
Get the Recipe: Authentic Hungarian Goulash
Bacon Fried Corn
Done in only 15 minutes, Bacon Fried Corn cooks corn kernels in the fat from crisping bacon, then adds garlic, green onions, paprika, parsley, salt, and pepper. The recipe makes four servings and can be finished on a flat-top griddle or in a large skillet. It is not a traditional German side, but it gives a meat-heavy spread a quick vegetable option with enough smoky flavor to sit comfortably beside brats, ribs, or pork roast.
Get the Recipe: Bacon Fried Corn
German Pork Loin
Coated with German mustard before a quick sear, German Pork Loin cooks slowly with onions, garlic, white wine, chicken broth, thyme, and bay leaves. The recipe serves eight in about 4 hours 10 minutes, with the cooking liquid thickened into gravy at the end. Slice it for a larger dinner and pair it with sauerkraut, potatoes, or red cabbage when you want a centerpiece that can carry the table without needing constant attention.
Get the Recipe: German Pork Loin
Oma’s Sauerkraut Soup with Kielbasa
Built around smoky sausage and tangy cabbage, Oma’s Sauerkraut Soup with Kielbasa makes six servings in 55 minutes. Kielbasa, potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, chicken broth, sauerkraut, and optional caraway simmer together until the vegetables are tender. Ladle it out with crusty bread when the menu needs something spoonable between heavier meat dishes, or let it handle dinner on its own when sausage, potatoes, and sauerkraut are exactly the direction you want.
Get the Recipe: Oma’s Sauerkraut Soup with Kielbasa
Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage with Bacon
Bacon drippings start the base for Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage with Bacon, a five-serving German side that cooks in one hour. Red cabbage, onion, garlic, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and broth simmer until tender before the bacon goes back in. The sweet-and-tangy balance makes it useful beside bratwurst, roast pork, or pot roast, especially when the rest of the plate leans rich and needs something sharper to break up the heavier flavors.
Get the Recipe: Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage with Bacon
German Chocolate Cupcakes
For a sweet finish, German Chocolate Cupcakes make 12 individual desserts in about 50 minutes with chocolate cake, coconut, pecans, and a caramel-style topping finished with chocolate buttercream. The name is German, but this dessert is American rather than a traditional German bake, so it is the clearest theme outlier in the collection. Serve the cupcakes after the savory dishes when you want a portioned chocolate dessert that does not require slicing a full cake at the table.
Get the Recipe: German Chocolate Cupcakes
Roast Pork with Apples
From one roasting pan, Roast Pork with Apples pairs a five-pound bone-in pork roast with potatoes, carrots, shallots, garlic, thyme, chicken broth, apple juice, and fresh apples. The recipe serves eight, with 10 minutes of prep and about two hours of cooking. Its listed cuisine is American, but pork with apples sits naturally beside the German-style sides here, especially when you want one large main that brings meat, fruit, and vegetables together.
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Sheet Pan Bratwurst & Potatoes
Across a single pan, Sheet Pan Bratwurst & Potatoes roasts bratwurst with baby potatoes, carrots, red onion, and bell peppers under a German mustard and smoked paprika seasoning. Four servings are ready in 55 minutes, with the potatoes and carrots getting a head start before the sausages join them. This works when you want a hearty German-style dinner without managing several pots, and extra mustard at the table keeps the beer-hall direction clear.
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Oven Baked Ribs
Low oven heat does the heavy lifting for Oven Baked Ribs, which serves six after about 2 hours 10 minutes. Two racks of ribs cook with sliced onion, garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, salt, and pepper until tender. The recipe is American rather than German, so it works best as a broader meat option in this lineup. Pair it with red cabbage or warm potato salad if you want the plate to lean closer to the collection’s German theme.
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Slow Cooker German Pot Roast
Chuck roast, beer, pickles, and mustard give Slow Cooker German Pot Roast its unmistakably German direction before carrots, baby potatoes, and red cabbage turn it into a full six-serving meal. Bacon, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and sour cream deepen the cooking liquid, which becomes gravy at the end. With about 6 hours 10 minutes total, it is built for a day when you want a substantial centerpiece without keeping the oven or stovetop busy.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker German Pot Roast
Cabbage Roll Soup
Ground beef and cabbage make Cabbage Roll Soup a substantial eight-serving pot in about 1 hour 10 minutes. Onion, garlic, tomato paste, paprika, diced tomatoes, beef broth, rice, cider vinegar, and thyme give the soup its cabbage-roll profile without the work of filling individual leaves. Its listed cuisine is Eastern European rather than German, so treat it as another regional neighbor that fits best beside the more clearly German mains and sides.
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Sauerkraut with Apples & Bacon
Sweet apple and smoky bacon soften the sharper edge of sauerkraut in Sauerkraut with Apples & Bacon, which makes six servings after 15 minutes of prep and about an hour in the oven. Onion and bay leaf round out the short ingredient list, while the apples cook down into the cabbage. Spoon it beside pork loin, bratwurst, or pot roast when you want a warm German-family-style side that connects several of the meat dishes on the table.
Get the Recipe: Sauerkraut with Apples & Bacon
Homemade Soft Pretzels
Fluffy dough and a baking-soda bath give Homemade Soft Pretzels their browned crust and chewy center, with the recipe making 16 servings in about 1 hour 40 minutes. Milk, yeast, flour, brown sugar, butter, baking soda, and coarse salt form the base, with mustard or warm cheese sauce suggested for dipping. Although the recipe is labeled American, pretzels fit naturally beside brats and beer when you want bread that can double as a snack.
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Classic Knackwurst & Sauerkraut
Smoky sausage, apples, potatoes, and sauerkraut share the same skillet in Classic Knackwurst & Sauerkraut, a four-serving German dinner that takes about 1 hour 10 minutes. Onion, chicken broth, whole-grain mustard, cream, butter, and a panko topping add richness around the sausages and cabbage. Bring it out when you want one pan to deliver several classic German flavors at once, with enough starch and vegetables included that very little else is required beside it.
Get the Recipe: Classic Knackwurst & Sauerkraut