Lottie's Kielbasa Noodle Casserole

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 35 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 8 -10 slices rye bread (with caraway seeds)
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped or 1 cup dried mushroom, that have been soaked and drained
• 1 medium onion, cubed and divided
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1 -2 cup chicken stock (or broth)
• 2 lbs sauerkraut, rinsed & very well drained
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 8 ounces medium wide egg noodles, parboiled & drained
• 1 1/2 lbs cooked kielbasa, cut into 1/2 inch thick pieces
• 1/2 lb ground lamb
• 1 1/2 cups shredded swiss cheese
• 1/2-3/4 cup rye breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Recipe

• 1 shred about 2 slices of bread, to make 1/2-3/4 cups of rye bread crumbs (set aside).
• 2 butter enough of the remaining rye bread to line the bottom of a large casserole, place it buttered side down.
• 3 in a skillet, add 1 tablespoon butter and saute 1/2 the onions with the ground lamb until onions are lightly browned.
• 4 mix onion, lamb and any drippings into sauerkraut.
• 5 in same skillet, add 2 tablespoons butter and saute remaining onions and mushrooms until onions are clear.
• 6 in small saucepan, combine sour cream, mustard, milk and 1 tablespoon flour, mix well and heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens.
• 7 gradually stir in broth, continue heating and stirring until sauce thickens again.
• 8 stir mushroom mixture into sauce.
• 9 spread sauerkraut mixture evenly over bread in casserole pan.
• 10 spread parboiled noodles evenly over sauerkraut.
• 11 pour sauce mixture evenly over noodles.
• 12 cover noodles with a layer of kielbasa.
• 13 mix melted butter with bread crumbs, and spread over kielbasa.
• 14 cover casserole pan tightly with tin foil.
• 15 bake in preheated 350°f oven for about 25-35 min.
• 16 or until noodles are tender.
• 17 remove foil, cover the top of casserole with shredded cheese.
• 18 return to oven uncovered and bake about another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
• 19 **shortcut: you can substitute two 10 1/2 ounce cans cream of mushroom soup and 1 1/2 cups of milk for the"scratch sauce" (mushrooms, milk, sour cream, flour and broth).
• 20 mix soup, mustard, remaining sauted onions and milk together well and use in place of"scratch sauce".