Today, I want to share a mash-up recipe. If you have been a regular follower, you have seen kielbasa and macaroni and cheese show up a few times.  Well, they are easy meals to prepare and are some of the comfort foods that many people like. So, I figure if you are going to cook, you should cook what you like to eat, right?  And what better way to satisfy your hunger than by combining two items you like to make a third. This recipe uses the Macaroni and Cheese recipe from earlier this week, adds fried kielbasa and frozen green beans, packs it into a small casserole dish, and bakes it with a panko crust. How easy is that?  Just think, with a few quick changes we have a full meal and we have avoided falling into the rut of making the same dishes for dinner!

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare the Mac and Cheese per this [url:2]recipe[/url], except substitute the kielbasa for the bacon. Combine the green beans with the kielbasa/macaroni and cheese mixture.

Spray a small (3 cup – 750 ml – 7x5x1.5) casserole dish with cooking spray. Pour the mac and cheese mixture into the casserole dish. Spread the panko crumbs over top. Place the casserole dish on a rimmed baking sheet (lined with foil for easy cleanup) and bake for 20 minutes on the next to the lowest rack.

To brown the top, switch to the broiler on High and check every 5 minutes (it may take 10 – 12 minutes to get the desired browning). Sprinkle with paprika or finely diced red peppers, if desired. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Don’t add the diced red peppers before baking like I did… or else you will get little blackened pepper bits!  They don’t impact the flavor, but they don’t make for a visually appealing dish.

Try it… it is delicious!

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