Tagliatelle with Kielbasa Onions and Tomatoes

from ButterYum

serves 4-6

Ingredients

• • 1 pound Polish Kielbasa, cut into coins

  • 1 medium onion, "frenched" (sliced from pole to pole)

  • 2 large cloves of garlic, minced

  • 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes (chopped, diced, pureed all work too - I've even used Ro-tel tomatoes)

  • salt and pepper to taste (careful - Kielbasa can be salty)

  • 1 pound tagliatelle pasta, cooked al dente in well salted water

Directions

• 1. Heat a very large skillet over medium-high heat.

  2. Saute Kielbasa in batches until well caramelized on both sides (we like lots of brown color); remove from pan and reserve fat.

  3. Lower the heat to medium and in the same skillet, saute the onions in the rendered Kielbasa fat (my Kielbasa didn't render a lot of fat so I had to add a touch of olive oil to my pan), stirring frequently until they're translucent and begin to caramelize, about 15 minutes.

  4. Add the minced garlic and stir for a minute, then add the tomatoes and return the sauteed kielbasa to the pan.

  5. Simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over pasta.

Alternate slow cooker instructions (to feed a crowd, double the recipe): place sauteed kielbasa, caramelized onions, garlic, and tomatoes in slow cooker; cook on high for 1 hour or low for 2-3 hours. Stir in pasta just before serving. Hint: I cook my pasta in advance, drizzle with a little olive oil and toss it well so each piece is coated, then let it cool completely and transfer it to a large zipper bag until I need it.