Cheesy Kielbasa and Potato Casserole

I must be on a "make up a casserole kick" lately. I swear I have been brainstorming casserole ideas in my head all week.

This inspiration came from the coupon section of the Sunday paper, I kid you not. I saw a recipe for a breakfast casserole using kielbasa and I thought, hmmmm, I think I can do something similar and turn it into a non-breakfast kinda dish.

Buh-bye eggs. Hello leeks, mushrooms and cheese.

When I had all the ingredients in the bowl I was tempted to add in some more liquid. I almost went for the chicken broth, but then I worried that it would be too wet. I know the kielbasa is going to cook and let out a lot of juice, so even though it looked like it was a little dry going in, it came out of the oven perfectly moist.

Success again. I'm on a roll.

Actually this would be pretty good served at breakfast or brunch, but we ate it for dinner with a nice spinach salad.






Cheesy Kielbasa and Potato Casserole

1 pound of kielbasa cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 bag (20 ounces) refrigerated shredded hash brown potatoes
(I used Simply Potatoes, they are in the refrigerated section, if you are using frozen hashbrowns, make sure to thaw them first)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (8 ounces)plus extra for the top
1 cup sour cream
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced thin (you can substitute 1 medium onion, chopped if you don't like leeks)

1 package baby bella mushrooms, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9x13 inch baking pan.

In a skillet cook the leeks in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add in the mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are tender. Transfer to a large bowl.

Cut the sausage into ½ inch cubes and add to the bowl. Add in the remaining ingredients and stir gently to combine. Spread into pan. Sprinkle with a little more shredded cheddar.

Bake 40 – 45 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.