Kielbasa and Onion Zapiekanka

Prep: 5 Minutes | Cook: 30 Minutes | Total: 35 minutes

Makes 2 Servings

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Ingredients

1 Baguette (or other long bread roll)

1 Sweet Onion, minced

1/2 C Kielbasa, chopped 

1/4 stick of butter 

Grated Cheese (enough to cover the sandwich with a thin layer) 

Spicy Ketchup

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Recipe Summary

1. Prepare your onions and kielbasa. Cut your baguette in half lengthwise.

2. Sauté your onions and cook until lightly brown.

3. Sauté your kielbasa until brown crust forms

4. Place sauteed kielbasa and onions on the baguette. Layer cheese on top.

5. Bake zapiekanka to melt the cheese and toast the bread.

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Recipe 

1. Cut your baguette or other long bread in half lengthwise.

2. Mince your onion and set aside. Cube your kielbasa and set aside.

3. In a frying pan on medium heat add butter and allow to melt. Once melted add onions and cook until light brown colors form. Add kielbasa to the pan and cook until nice brown crust forms.

4. Spoon kielbasa and onions onto the baguette. Sprinkle a healthy layer of cheese on top of the Zapiekanka to fully coat it.

5. Put Zapiekanka in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees to melt cheese and toast bread.

6. Serve with Spicy Ketchup.

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Why the Recipe Works

Zapiekanka is a popular Polish street food called “Polish Pizza” because of it’s composition - toasted bread, meat, and cheese. Topped with spicy ketchup, it somewhat resembles pizza and is extremely representative of the open faced sandwiches popular to Polish cuisine.

The traditional zapiekanka is has mushrooms instead of kielbasa originating from the lack of resources in Poland during the 80’s (when the dish gained popularity), but the kielbasa version is another favorite version of the street food.

By sauteeing the onions for a long time, they become soft and tender. They also develop a slight sweetness and lose the harsh bite characteristic of their raw form. Sauteeing the kielbasa and will also add to the texture by helping it develop a crust that will improve the mouthfeel against the soft onions, melty cheese, and the soft and crunchy baguette.

Using spicy ketchup as a topping is my preferred way to eat Zapiekanka, however regular ketchup can be used as well. Either version adds a little bit of sweetness and tartness that adds to the layers of flavor in the simple dish.