Kielbasa, Cabbage, Potato & Onion Diversity Casserole - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb Polish sausage, sliced (Hillshire Farm's Polska Kielbasa or other smoked sausage)
1/2 cup butter, plus
extra virgin olive oil, for pan
1 1/2 large onions, sliced
2 carrots, diced
2 russet baking potatoes, peeled, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 head green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package onion soup mix, dry
1 2/3 cups milk or 1 2/3 cups half-and-half
2 tablespoons cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1 tablespoon sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups Ritz crackers, crushed (or Keebler Club or Wheat Thins)
1 tablespoon caraway seed

Preparation

Heat oven to 325\u00b0. Butter or spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with Pam.
In a large Dutch oven on medium/high heat, saute sliced sausage in a bit of olive oil until browned. Remove to a bowl.
Reduce heat to medium and add butter. Saute onions, carrots, potatoes, bell pepper, and cabbge until lightly caramelized - about 20 minutes. Add salt, pepper and onion soup mix. Stir in milk, vinegar, and sugar. Add sausage and drippings. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer for 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let cool slightly, then gently stir in eggs.
In a large zip-lock bag, crush crackers with caraway seeds. Into the pot of veggies and sausage, add 1/2 of the cracker mixture. Pour into prepared casserole dish. Dust top evenly with remaining crackers. Bake at 325\u00b0 for 45 minutes, or until heated through and top is golden brown.