Cabbage, sauerkraut, mushrooms, and herbs come together to make a uniquely Polish pasta topping. Does the combo sound a bit odd to you? It did to us too.

Even until the last step, when I tasted the cabbage mixture, I still couldn’t put it all together in my head. I think it’s because, as Americans, we’re not used to the vinegar tang of sauerkraut and the earthiness of mushrooms paired together.

But, as I mixed in the sour cream at the final step, creating a creamy sauce that mellowed the sauerkraut tang, the dish’s flavors finally came together into something vaguely reminiscent of a stroganoff.

It is definitely different, but it was one of those dishes that grew on us as we ate, and by the end, we were wishing we had made more, so we could eat it for leftovers the next day.