Kielbasa Casserole!

The first thing you'll notice about Polish grocery stores is all the sausage! Kielbasa (polish sausage) is EVERYWHERE! Unfortunately most brands are not gluten free. However, after reading just about every sausage label in the store, we discovered one! It doesn't specifically say it is gluten free but it did list the allergens and gluten was not one of them. So we sort of gambled with this one but I ate this casserole 3 different times (dinner and two leftover lunches) and never felt a thing. Like I mentioned before the brand is Nowak and we found it in Slupsk at E.Leclerc.

I found this recipe online on the Taste of Home website after Levi mentioned we should make more casseroles. It is officially termed Three-Cheese Kielbasa Bake. Obviously this is not a dairy free recipe but Levi was ok taking a few lactase pills :) 

Here's how delicious it looked...

Sometimes I make something and I'm entirely unsure if it will be good or not. Not this time. I knew right when I put it in the oven it was gonna be so good. We had one of Levi's teammates over (a 6'-10" basketball center) and there were plenty of leftovers so this is a great meal to have with company. I'm sure kids would love this too!

Ok, here's the recipe:

Ingredients

12 z uncooked fusilli2 pounds kielbasa, cut into bite size pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium zucchini, quartered and sliced
2 medium carrots, grated
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce - I use homemade which is about 3 1/4 cups
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 carton (15 oz) ricotta cheese
2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups (8 oz) part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
2 green onions, chopped

Directions

1. Cook fusilli according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown sausage in oil over medium heat; drain. Add the onions, zucchini, carrots and garlic; cook and stir for 5-6 minutes or until crisp-tender.
2. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Drain pasta.
3. In each of two greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dishes, layer half of the pasta and meat sauce. Combine egg and ricotta cheese; spoon half over sauce. Sprinkle with half of the cheddar and mozzarella. Repeat. Top with green onions.
4. Cool one casserole; cover and freeze for up to 2 months. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350° for 15 minutes. Uncover; bake 15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
5. To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until heated through.

I made just 1 casserole so I split all these quantities in half. That was enough to feed 6-8 hungry people. I will say this recipe is fairly labor intensive. Not hard, just a lot of prep-work. Make sure to have all your ingredients cut, shredded, chopped, beaten, etc. ahead of time and it will be a lot easier. It also originally said to layer everything 4 times! I felt like this was a little overkill and two was enough to distribute all the ingredients well.

I don't think people in Poland really eat this but it was a good way for us to ease into Polish food :) I hope you like it!

Maura