Cheesy Kielbasa Pasta Supper

This is what I made last night, and the kids all loved it. I did not think to take a picture of it, because the idea for the blog didn't come to me until this morning, so you'll have to imagine it. With the cheese, kielbasa, and veggies it's very colorful.

Here is the original ingredient list:

6 oz. (about 2 1/2 cups) uncooked rigatoni
1 (1-lb.) package frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots
1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
3/4 cup milk
1/2 lb. kielbasa or polish sausage (halved length-wise & sliced) - you could also use turkey kielbasa if you want to be healthier
1 (2.5 oz) jar sliced mushrooms

Now, when I gathered all this together, I decided that I wanted to use the whole kielbasa, because if I didn't, it would go back in the fridge for a month or two and then get thrown away. But if you're going to add more kielbasa, you have to add more of some other stuff too. So I added:

an additional 6 oz. uncooked rigatoni
about 1/2 of another package of frozen veggies (what was left in the freezer from another meal)
another 3/4 cup milk
I didn't have another can of soup so instead I added a handful of shredded cheddar cheese (probably about 1 to 1 1/2 cups)
and of course the rest of the kielbasa.

I ended up NOT adding any mushrooms at all because my 10 year old doesn't like them right now. I say right now because he used to.

So, there you have the ingredients. Here's what you do with them:

In a dutch oven, cook rigatoni per package directions. According to the recipe you should add the frozen veggies 6 or 7 minutes before the pasta is done. If you like your veggies quite firm, that's what you should do. Me, I like them a little softer, because they're easier for my toddler to chew. Next time I'll add them at 10 minutes so they'll be plenty soft enough.
Once the pasta and the veggies are cooked, drain them and return them to the dutch oven. Stir in the soup, milk, cheese, kielbasa and mushrooms. Cook over medium heat until heated through. You'll want to stir it occasionally.
The only thing I didn't really care for about this recipe was the rigatoni. It's basically a pasta tube with ridges, and there's nothing really wrong with it, but I'm a rotini kind of person, so next time I'll use that instead.

I served this with garlic biscuits, which is simply a tube of buttermilk biscuits (the skinny tube with 10 biscuits in it), with each biscuit dipped in a melted butter/garlic mixture, and placed in a pan (I melted the butter right in the pan I planned to bake them in, which worked really well). They should all be touching. Top them with shredded cheese - doesn't matter what kind. I usually use cheddar, last night I used an Italian blend. If you feel like it, sprinkle some Italian seasoning or whatever suits you on the cheese. Pop them in the oven and bake according to the directions on the biscuit tube.

Hubby got home from work at about 10:30 and heated up a plate of the pasta supper and gave it positive reviews. He didn't get any biscuits, because they were deelish and we chowed them all down.

By doubling the recipe, I have enough left for hubby and me to take some in our lunches, or there was enough for another meal for me and the kids.