27Dec / 2012

Sausage-Apple Slow Cooker Stuffing

Ok, so maybe I’m a month late to the game on posting this one, but better late than never right? I figure stuffing is pretty versatile and you don’t necessarily need to wait until next Thanksgiving to make. Serve it up with some pork chops or stuff it inside some chicken breasts. The way I see it, you can’t go wrong with stuffing, ever. Hopefully everyone had a fantastic holiday filled with lots of fun, food and family. See you peeps in 2013! Cheers!

Sausage-Apple Slow Cooker Stuffing

1 bag of seasoned croutons
1-1/2 pounds spicy chicken sausage, casings removed, browned and drained
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 Granny Smith apple, diced (no need to peel) you could also use 1 cup of craisins
2 small onions, diced
4 celery ribs, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups chicken broth

Brown the sausage on the stovetop and drain. (I browned the sausage and chopped all the other ingredients the night before.) Toss the croutons and sausage together in your slow cooker, and pour in the melted butter. Add apples, vegetables, and seasonings. Use two large spoons to toss the ingredients and disperse the spices. Pour in the chicken broth, and stir gently to coat bread and veggies with broth. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 3 hours, checking occasionally. Stir well, and keep on the warm setting until meal time.

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21Nov / 2012

White Bean Soup with Sausage and Collard Greens

It’s been getting pretty chilly in Buffalo (queue the snowing in July jokes) so, oh baby, does this soup hit the spot on those frigid days! The white wine and spicy chicken sausage really help to pack a flavorful punch into each bite. It’s so hearty that it’s more like a stoup (stew + soup), rather than a soup, but we’ll keep it simple for now and stick with calling it a soup.

White Bean Soup with Sausage and Collard Greens

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound spicy chicken sausage, casings removed
1 onion, diced
3/4 cup carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 potatoes, halved and sliced with skins on
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 cup dry white wine, Chardonnay
1 16 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups finely chopped collard leaves, thick stems removed
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add sausage. Using a wooden spoon or similar, break it up into smaller pieces and cook until no longer pink. Add in the onions, carrots, celery and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the potatoes and rosemary. Add the chicken broth, water and white wine and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the cannellini beans, collard greens, salt and pepper. Simmer covered for 30 more minutes.

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07Nov / 2012

Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Sausage, Quinoa and Apple

Service for 10!

The menu!

The gorgeous group of attendees!

I mentioned last week that I hosted my first-ever Supper Club. As the host, I was responsible for the main dish and everyone else brought sides that went with our theme for the month, Fall. I decided to go with stuffed acorn squash because I could make all the ingredients the night before and just reheat the day of. I’d say it worked out pretty well. So well that we ate and drank ourselves into mini food comas and we even had leftovers for a few days. Bonus!

Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Sausage, Quinoa and Apple

6 acorn squash, rinsed
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1-1/2 pounds spicy chicken sausage, casings removed
2 Fuji apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 small green pepper, diced
1 small jalapeño, minced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut each squash in half crosswise; scoop out seeds and save for Roasted Acorn Squash Seeds. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each half so they can stand upright. Season the inside of each squash well with some of the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place each half, cavity side down on a cookie sheet and bake until tender when pierced, about 45 to 50 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add remaining olive oil, chicken sausage, apples, peppers, jalapeño, onions, garlic, shallots, salt and pepper. Stir often until apples are tender when pierced, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cook quinoa according to package directions, substituting the chicken broth for water. When cooked, add quinoa to the apple-sausage mixture. Fill each squash equally with sausage-quinoa-apple mixture and bake, uncovered, until filling is slightly browned on top, about 15 minutes longer.

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24May / 2012

Grilled Sausage and Summer Vegetable Pasta

This is another one of my go-to weeknight recipes. While I’m in the kitchen prepping the stove top ingredients, my husband is manning the grill outside. I’ve also made this before in the winter, but instead of grilling the sausage I’ve cooked it in a pan. The nice thing about this tasty pasta dish is that you can use whatever veggies you like, especially if you have a picky eater in your house.

Grilled Sausage and Summer Vegetable Pasta

1 package (16-ounce) penne or bowtie pasta
4 hot Italian poultry sausages
Frozen or fresh grilled summer vegetables (such as asparagus, zucchini, bell peppers, eggplant, green beans, etc.)
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Crushed red pepper flakes
Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. Meanwhile, grill sausage over medium heat until cooked through. Remove from heat and slice into bite sized pieces, then set aside. On the oven, add vegetables, garlic, oil, salt, pepper and pepper flakes to a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute until vegetables are tender then add cooked sausage and pasta to skillet. Stir until well incorporated and warm. Serve Parmesan cheese and additional red pepper flakes.

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24Jan / 2012

Penne alla Vodka

I know, my stove is really gross and I could stand to purchase a new set of pots and pans. Don’t judge me.

Forgive my yellowy iPhone picture, as it makes the pasta almost look like cheeseburger helper. It’s actually more of a pale pink, rather than orange.

This is one of those dishes I make when company comes over or on a busy weeknight. I just kinda eyeball everything and it can be easily customized to whatever your taste buds desire.

Penne alla Vodka

2 tablespoon unsalted butter (not needed if adding sausage)
1 box of penne pasta
3-6 links hot or mild poultry sausage, casing removed
1 cup light whipping cream
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/3 cup mid-grade vodka, plus 2 tablespoons (such as Skyy, Svedka, Smirnoff, Absolut or Stolichnaya. DON’T USE CHEAP VODKA!)
2 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried
red pepper flakes, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

Since I’m adding sausage which typically has enough fat in it, I’m omitting the butter, but if you intend on making it without sausage make sure you add butter. Brown sausage in a large pan over medium until cooked thoroughly. Add cream, tomato paste and vodka, stirring until combined. Add basil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Simmer over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes or until sauce coats the back of a spoon. Cook pasta simultaneously according to package directions. Drain and add pasta to sauce. Season with Parmesan cheese and additional red pepper flakes. Yum!

Some variations would be to add shrimp or chicken, fresh or frozen broccoli florets or serve it as a side dish without a protein added. I’ve also made it with spaghetti before, but the penne seems to be the best option because it holds the sauce really well.

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Tag Archives: sausage

Sausage-Apple Slow Cooker Stuffing

White Bean Soup with Sausage and Collard Greens

Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Sausage, Quinoa and Apple

Grilled Sausage and Summer Vegetable Pasta

Penne alla Vodka

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