Kelly's Kielbasa

It seems like it’s a lifetime ago, but I was once single and rented a room from a high school pal named Kelly.We ate a lot of toast and drank a lot of Coors Light back in those days, but we were also in the infant stages of trying to actually cook – and Kelly came up with a recipe that I loved (I think she found it on the back of the kielbasa package).When I was trying to figure out something different, easy, and perhaps even tasty for my kids, I remembered the dish fondly…. It had rice, and cheese, and kielbasa and cream of celery soup.I googled the ingredients and came up with a close match – it calls for mushrooms which would be a deal breaker among my kids – so I just omitted them.I cooked it in one pan and watched as the pickiest among us ate around the peas, but my husband (who, as I’ve mentioned it the fourth, and in many ways, the largest picky eater) took seconds and dare I report, thirds?(It was probably the cheese).In the interest of health and my new found commitment to watching what I eat, I used turkey kielbasa with no loss of flavor… and I used Swiss cheese because that’s what Kelly did.

Kelly's Kielbasa
1 can condensed cream of celery soup
1 1/2 c. water
1 lb. fully cooked Turkey kielbasa cut into 1/2" chunks
3/4 c. long grain rice
10 oz. frozen peas
1 (4oz) can mushroom stems and pieces (did not pass the picky kid test)
4 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (I use Swiss)

In a deep skillet (one with a lid), combine soup and water, bring to a boil.
Add sausage and rice
Reduce heat; cover and simmer about 18 minutes or until rice is almost tender
Stir in peas and mushrooms
Cover and simmer 15 minutes more, or until rice is tender and peas are heated through
Sprinkle with cheese and cover
Let stand (off heat) until cheese melts.