Kielbasa and Cabbage Noodles

Prep pasta water. Bring a large stockpot of generously-salted water to a boil.

Cook the bacon and kielbasa. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick sauté pan, fry the bacon over medium-high heat until lightly crispy. Transfer the bacon with a slotted spoon to a clean plate and set aside. Add the kielbasa to the pan and sauté in the remaining bacon grease, flipping and tossing occasionally, for about 5-7 minutes or until it is lightly browned on all sides. Transfer the kielbasa with a slotted spoon to the plate with the bacon and set aside.

Cook the onion. Add the onion to the pan with the remaining bacon and sausage grease and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.

Add the noodles. Add the egg noodles to the water and cook according to package instructions, stirring occasionally, until just barely al dente. (Don’t overcook!) Drain.

Cook the cabbage. While the noodles are cooking, add the cabbage, garlic, tomato paste, smoked paprika, caraway seeds (if using) and a generous pinch of salt and pepper to the onion. Sauté, waiting 2-3 minutes between stirs so that the cabbage on the bottom can lightly brown and caramelize, for about 8 minutes or until the cabbage is tender and caramelized to your liking. Add the chicken stock and vinegar and stir to combine.

Combine. Once the noodles are ready to go, add them to the sauté pan (or if that pan isn’t large enough, you can combine everything instead in the stockpot) and gently toss to combine. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.

Serve. Serve immediately and enjoy!