• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Living a Sunshine Life

Discovering the Positive in Every Day

  • Home
  • Start Here
    • About Living a Sunshine Life
    • Meet the Family
    • Recommendations
    • Terms of Service/Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure
  • Positive Inspiration
    • #SunshineYourFeed
  • Recipes
  • For Bloggers
  • Subscribe

Runza Casserole with Polska Kielbasa

by Mary 7 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.#OktoberOnTheFarm #CollectiveBias 

Messaging below is intended for ages 21+ and is intended to be enjoyed responsibly, in moderation.It's the perfect time of year to enjoy the flavors of Oktoberfest in a delicious casserole form. #OktoberOnTheFarm #ad

My husband has been doing a lot of genealogy lately and he was surprised to learn that I’m only 3rd generation in the United States. I’m German through ancestry and I’m said to say I have very little knowledge of my German culture. It’s amazing how fast that can go away. I do know my grandmother used to speak German every now and then, so I picked up on a few words, and I used to carry around a German/English translation guide when I was a kid. I’ve always wanted to learn more German, and I even have a language program to help teach me, if I’d only take the time.

Learning more about my German Heritage is a lot more than just learning the language. It also has to do with learning the culture. Part of culture is the food. For us, it’s the Runza sandwich. This is a sandwich popular in our area, and it’s history started in Russia, then moved to Germany where it was then brought over to the states and is widely popular in Nebraska, where I call home. The runza sandwich traditionally is a bread pocket stuffed with seasoned cabbage and meat (usually beef or pork). These are absolutely fantastic, and for the past several years my family has transformed them into a casserole with a huge nod to the traditional Runza sandwich. This is the kind of food I serve up for Oktoberfest, right alongside a good German beer. You can bet I’m up on that aspect of our heritage!

This recipe is too good not to share, and I’ve been wanting to share it for awhile now. This time around I decided to pick up some Hillshire Farm® Polska Kielbasa. As a nod to the community I grew up in, which was largely of Polish ancestry, a Polish sausage, which is the translation of Polska Kielbasa, was often served with cooked cabbage. So, this dish is sort of a cultural tour of my own personal upbringing, combining the German and Polish influences, which makes it a bit more special to me.

It's the perfect time of year to enjoy the flavors of Oktoberfest in a delicious casserole form. #OktoberOnTheFarm #ad

Runza Casserole with Polska Kielbasa

Let’s get this simple recipe moving with the gathering of ingredients. For a 9X13 casserole dish, which is 12 servings, you’ll need two packages of Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa, a small head of cabbage, a medium onion, about a cup and a half of shredded swiss cheese and two tubes of refrigerated dough. We used crescent rolls, but you can use whatever kind you want as long as it comes out as a sheet instead of biscuits (we’ve tried biscuits for this, they don’t roll out well.) Oh, you’ll also need just a bit of water to help steam the cabbage and salt and pepper to taste. It doesn’t take much seasoning to make this fantastic!

It's the perfect time of year to enjoy the flavors of Oktoberfest in a delicious casserole form. #OktoberOnTheFarm #adLet’s start chopping up the vegetables! Cabbage first because it takes the longest to cook. If you’ve never cut up a cabbage before, don’t worry it’s easy. First slice it in half through the core, then make a wedge cut to remove the core. Once you’ve done that, just slice the cabbage into shreds. I know some people use a mandolin for this, but I prefer to just cut it by hand. It’s quicker for me, and I don’t need it extra thin for sauerkraut or coleslaw.

It's the perfect time of year to enjoy the flavors of Oktoberfest in a delicious casserole form. #OktoberOnTheFarm #adPut your cabbage into a large skillet. I have one that has a wide base and tall sides. It’s perfect for a small cabbage or half of a larger one. If the skillet seems full, don’t worry, the cabbage will cook down quite a bit. It always looks like a lot to begin with.  Next add in the onion after you’ve chopped it, then a bit of salt and pepper. You’ll add more salt and pepper to taste after the cabbage has cooked down, so don’t go crazy here. Add in about a quarter cup of water, then bring the heat up to about a medium to get it cooking, put a lid on it to hold in the steam and reduce heat to low. Stir occasionally.

It's the perfect time of year to enjoy the flavors of Oktoberfest in a delicious casserole form. #OktoberOnTheFarm #ad

Alright now that the cabbage is cooking, it’s time to start building our casserole. First take one of the refrigerated doughs and place it in the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish.

Does this part of opening refrigerated bread dough make anyone else jump every time? Please tell me I’m not the only one.

It's the perfect time of year to enjoy the flavors of Oktoberfest in a delicious casserole form. #OktoberOnTheFarm #ad

Bake it according to package directions until done.

It's the perfect time of year to enjoy the flavors of Oktoberfest in a delicious casserole form. #OktoberOnTheFarm #adWith that in the oven, let’s cut up our Polska Kielbasa. I cut mine into manageable lengths, then quarter each length, chopping it into smaller pieces from there. Do that to both of packages.

It's the perfect time of year to enjoy the flavors of Oktoberfest in a delicious casserole form. #OktoberOnTheFarm #adDon’t forget to check on your cooking cabbage and stir occasionally. Looks good doesn’t it? Yum!

It's the perfect time of year to enjoy the flavors of Oktoberfest in a delicious casserole form. #OktoberOnTheFarm #adOnce the cabbage is mostly soften and has reduced in size add the cut up Polska Kielbasa to the skillet to heat it.

It's the perfect time of year to enjoy the flavors of Oktoberfest in a delicious casserole form. #OktoberOnTheFarm #adWhen the cabbage is soft taste it and add in more salt and/or pepper if needed. The Polska Kielbasa adds a wonderful flavor to it, so you may not need any additional seasoning.

By now the bread layer should be finished, so you can add the cabbage mixture to the dish. Add in all of it. It should bring it pretty much to the top of the dish.

It's the perfect time of year to enjoy the flavors of Oktoberfest in a delicious casserole form. #OktoberOnTheFarm #adAdd in a layer of swiss cheese (or cheese of your liking, pretty much any white cheese will work for this if you don’t like the sharp flavor of Swiss).

It's the perfect time of year to enjoy the flavors of Oktoberfest in a delicious casserole form. #OktoberOnTheFarm #adFinally add on the second refrigerated dough and bake, again according to the package directions.

It's the perfect time of year to enjoy the flavors of Oktoberfest in a delicious casserole form. #OktoberOnTheFarm #adWhen it comes out is should have a beautiful golden crust. It also has the middle line cut perfectly for you. Just cut down the middle, then cut each one of those in half. Cut your dish in thirds lengthwise and you have yourself 12 equal servings!

It's the perfect time of year to enjoy the flavors of Oktoberfest in a delicious casserole form. #OktoberOnTheFarm #adI’m telling you, this is one of my family favorites. It’s not exactly traditional, but it’s our own fingerprint on our heritage working to keep a spark of our ancestors culture alive with a spark of modern twist. Plus, it’s delicious.

Serve this up to the adults in the family with your favorite beer, any non-alcohol drinking family members can enjoy a sarsaparilla for a bit of festive flair. I’m telling you, this is a great recipe to enjoy for Oktoberfest or anytime as a Fall flavor.

It's the perfect time of year to enjoy the flavors of Oktoberfest in a delicious casserole form. #OktoberOnTheFarm #ad

Runza Casserole with Polska Kielbasa

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 small head of cabbage chopped
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 2 packages of Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa
  • 1 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
  • 2 tubes refrigerated crescent roll dough
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions
 

  • Unroll one tube of refrigerated crescent roll dough into bottom of 9X13 baking dish and bake according to package directions. (Do not form into crescent rolls, leave them in a sheet to form a base crust)
  • Place cabbage, onions, water and salt/pepper to taste in a skillet, heat at medium heat until it starts to cook, then cover and reduce heat and cook until cabbage is soft, stirring occasionally.
  • Cut Polska Kielbasa into pieces and add to the cabbage mix, heat through.
  • When cabbage is soft, season with salt and pepper to taste, then add mixture on top of the baked crescent roll sheet. Top with swiss cheese, then final sheet of unbaked crescent roll dough.
  • Bake according to crescent roll dough instructions.

I know, I know, food and language are just two parts to an amazing culture I want to learn more about. I would love to visit Germany some day to learn more about the land my family originated from. I don’t know much about my family  in Germany, but I would love to learn more.

Don’t forget to pick up some Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa next time you’re out at Walmart!

It's the perfect time of year to enjoy the flavors of Oktoberfest in a delicious casserole form. #OktoberOnTheFarm #adYou can follow Hillshire Farm on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube for more recipe inspiration.

What recipe does your family love using Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage or Polska Kielbasa? Pick up some recipe inspiration and share your favorites in the comments below.

Filed Under: Recipes

Previous Post: « NaNoWriMo Survival Guide
Next Post: 14 Ways to Celebrate Veterans Day »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. JanetGoingCrazy

    at

    Oh I’m so glad that you found out about your German heritage. This looks so good! [client]

    Reply
    • Mary Juett

      at

      This is just stuff I’ve always known, now the real fun comes as I discover more!

      Reply
  2. Erlene

    at

    I made something similar to this and used he sausage in premade biscuists. Love the mix of sausage and cabbage.

    Reply
    • Mary Juett

      at

      Oh, that sounds delicious! Sausage and biscuits are my downfall, lol

      Reply
  3. JD - altamontefamily.com

    at

    This is so brilliant! The kids and hubby will love this! As for me, I can easily switch out the meat for something else (or in my own terms, I’ll make the kilelbasa “super double dead” so I can eat it) 😉 TMI. LOL.

    JD

    Reply
    • Mary Juett

      at

      Haha, that’s awesome. We’ve been loving this recipe for years, it was time I shared it on the blog. Runza is a Nebraska tradition, so I had to share it.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Winter Recipe Ideas to Warm You Up | I am the Maven® says:
    at

    […] 10. Crock Pot Meatball Beef Stew | Crock-Pot Ladies 11. Roasted Chicken | Swanky Recipes 12. Runza Casserole with Polska Kielbasa | Living a Sunshine Life 13. Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Balsamic Sauce | The Foodie and […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Mary. Positive inspiration lifestyle blogger living in Nebraska. Check out the blog, get to know us, and find a little inspiration along the way. Please comment on the blog posts or shoot me an email if you have anything to share. We'd love to get to know you too! You can send an email to Mary@livingasunshinelife.com

Affiliate Marketing Course Review

Check out our homeschooling blog!

Footer

About Us

About Living a Sunshine Life
Meet the Family
Terms of Service/Privacy Policy
Disclosure
VIP Facebook Group
Contact Us
Subscribe

Copyright © 2021 · Foodie Pro & The Genesis Framework