May 12, 2010

Polish Reuben Bake

"For-a-Crowd" Recipes, casserole, cheese, main dish, sauerkraut, sausage

Presented by

54 ratings

Prep time: 10 minutes
baking time 1 hour
Servings: 8
Partner: Golden Polish Kolacky

No church supper was complete without this dish, a Reuben sandwich masquerading as a casserole.

Ingredients

2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 1/3 cups milk
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
2 (16-ounce) cans sauerkraut
1 (8-ounce) package medium-wide noodles
1 1/2 pounds Polish sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese (8 ounces)
3/4 cup whole-wheat bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13 × 9-inch baking dish. Combine mushroom soup, milk, chopped onion and mustard in medium bowl until well blended.
2

Rinse sauerkraut and drain well. Spread sauerkraut in prepared baking dish. Top with noodles. Spoon soup mixture evenly over noodles; cover with sausage. Top with shredded Swiss.
3

Combine bread crumbs and butter in small bowl; sprinkle over Swiss.
4

Cover dish tightly with foil. Bake until noodles are tender, about 1 hour. Garnish with apple slices and a fresh sage sprig, if desired.

Grandma's Secret Trick

Keeping fresh bread crumbs on hand was a matter of kitchen economy for Grandma. Leftover ends of loaves or the heels were cut into chunks and whirred in the blender or food processor to form crumbs. Grandma stored the fresh bread crumbs in a plastic freezer bag in the freezer and then measured out the amount she needed for a recipe. She used them frozen or let them thaw for a few minutes. Grandma used all types of bread to make into fresh crumbs, from white and whole wheat to rye, sourdough and sandwich rolls.