Recipe #212: Spaetzle, Sauerkraut and Sausage Casserole

I was going to do my usual meal with kielbasa and sauerkraut by just cutting up and frying the kielbasa in a pan and then adding the sauerkraut to the pan to warm it up, but I found a recipe in the meanwhile that I modified to make this.  I'm glad I tried it because the meal was good when I ate it, but it was the LEFTOVERS that were phenomenal!

INGREDIENTS:

4 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 small Gala (or similar) apple, cored and chopped
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 16oz package sauerkraut
1 16oz package kielbasa, cut into coins

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the bacon in a skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the bacon is crisp.  Remove the bacon, leaving the drippings in the pan, and set aside.  Cook the onion in the same pan until browned.  Remove the onions.  Add butter, apple, and brown sugar to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes.  In a bowl, mix the spaetzle, onions, butter, apple mixture and sauerkraut together.  Put this mixture into a greased 9x9 casserole dish.

Brown the kielbasa in the pan.  Layer on top of the casserole dish.  Bake for 15 minutes in the oven.

Recipe #201: Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

I have no idea why it took me this long to make stuffed cabbage, but here it is.  This is a very simple recipe, but that doesn't matter- it came out exactly how I want cabbage rolls to taste!

Simmering...

Potatoes made with cream, cheddar cheese, dried chives, and butter

INGREDIENTS:

1-1.5 cups cooked white rice (I used Uncle Ben's instant rice)

8 cabbage leaves

1lb lean ground beef

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon salt

2 (10.75oz) can condensed tomato soup (a third if you want even more sauce)

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Bring a large, wide saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil.  Add cabbage leaves and cook for 2-4 minutes or until softened; drain.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, rice, onion, egg, salt and pepper, along with 2 tablespoons of tomato soup.  Mix thoroughly.

Divide the beef mixture evenly among the cabbage leaves.  Roll and secure them with toothpicks or string.  (Or piece together broken pieces of leaves to imitate a wrapping, as I had to do for some)

In a large skillet over medium heat, place the cabbage rolls and pour the remaining tomato soup over the top.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring and basting with the liquid often.

Recipe #194: Kielbasa, Pea, and Potato Bake

I love kielbasa.  This recipe has fall written all over it, so I had to try it.  While I was mixing the ingredients, I started feeling a bit skeptical about how it could possibly have any flavor.  About an hour into baking, though, the smell wafted up the stairs where I was passing time during the long baking time, and I knew it was going to be amazing.  SO DELICIOUS!  The smokey sausage was fantastic!!  This is a keeper.

INGREDIENTS:

1.5lbs kielbasa, sliced (I bought a package that was less than a pound, and regret it.  The meat makes it!)
4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups frozen peas
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups milk
1 (10oz) can cream of mushroom soup
Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients in a large casserole dish.  Stir gently until well mixed.

Cover the dish and bake until the potatoes are tender, about 1.5 hours.  Serve hot.

Recipe #134: Chicken Paprikas

I loved how the house smelled after I made this!  Another great recipe from a friend with minimal and common ingredients!  Lots of flavor, and the German in me loved the spaetzle ;)

INGREDIENTS:

1-1.5lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1" pieces  (leave some of the soft fat! It cooks down and creates more flavor- trim off any hard fat or too much excess.  Chicken breasts aren't recommended)
1 onion, chopped
Olive oil
Heaping tablespoon of paprika (Use good quality stuff!)
1c (8oz) sour cream
Salt to taste (optional)
Cooked spaetzle, noodles, or rice

DIRECTIONS:

Sautee onion in olive oil for a few minutes, then add chicken, salt, and paprika.  Cover and simmer about 30 minutes, stirring often so chicken doesn't burn or stick.  (I had to add a little chicken broth because I didn't stir often enough).  Near the end, add the cup of sour cream and heat through.  I always use spaetzle and mix that in after nowadays, heating through.

Recipe #90: Creamy Kielbasa and Potato Soup

Usually when I have kielbasa or smoked sausage, I either cut it into coins, fry it up and serve it with sauerkraut, or I leave it whole and fry it up, and serve it with sauerkraut in a bun.  This time, I wanted to try something different.  OMG.... this is FANTASTIC (and I've burned my mouth a few times already...)- perfect for a freezing Cleveland dinner-time!  Reminds me somewhat of loaded baked potato soup.  I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and highly modified it, so here's my version:

INGREDIENTS:

8-10 baby redskin potatoes, skin on, cut into 6-8 pieces each
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 stalk celery, cut down the middle, and then into 1/2 inch pieces
2 carrots, cut down the middle and then into 1/2 inch pieces
1.5c frozen corn or a can of corn
1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 pound kielbasa sausage or smoked sausage, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup/cream of potato
ground black pepper to taste
parsley, oregano, bay leaf to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar, plus more for topping


DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot over medium heat, combine potatoes, onion, celery, beef broth, chicken broth, seasonings, and milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, 15 minutes. Stir in sausage and condensed soup and continue to simmer until heated though (about 10 minutes or so) and slightly thickened. Season with pepper. Serve hot, topped with shredded cheese.