Zuppa Toscana

Zuppa Toscana (yes, the same one from Olive Garden)

1 pound bulk Mild or Hot Italian sausage (I use Hot, always)
1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (More to taste)
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
5 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
6 potatoes, cut small
1 cup heavy cream (or 1 cup milk + 1-2 TBS. Cornstarch)
1-2 Cups Kale, chopped.

My changes - replace Kale with 1 box of frozen spinach; reduce chicken broth in half; add one chopped red pepper; add 1 tsp basil

Cook the Italian sausage in a stock pot over medium-high heat until crumbled, browned, and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain, rinse (to remove excess oil) and set aside.
Saute the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Pour the chicken broth into the Dutch oven with onion mixture; bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, and boil until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the heavy cream, red pepper flakes, and the cooked sausage; heat through. Mix the Kale into the soup 5 minutes before serving.

This soup makes about 4-5 large bowls. It can be made vegetarian if you sub in Vegetarian Sausage Crumbles.

Summer Vegetables with Sausage and Potatoes

Lean Italian chicken sausage with summer bell peppers and zucchini sauteed with baby red potatoes and fresh herbs for a quick one pot meal.

I love a meal that only dirties one pot because although I may love to cook, I really don't love to clean! I labeled this as kid-friendly because my older one (the pickier one) loves this and my younger one will eat the sausage and peppers, but picks out the potatoes. Since every child is different I'll let you decide! This is also gluten-free for those of you with a gluten intolerance, dairy-free and egg-free.

You can use Italian chicken sausage or turkey sausage depending on what is available to you in your area. I've tasted several brands and really came to love Al Fresco's sweet chicken sausage and Premio's chicken sausage. My local health food store and Italian deli also carry their own homemade sausage which is wonderful. If rosemary isn't your thing, use fresh thyme instead.

Summer Vegetables with Sausage and Potatoes
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 4 • Size: little over 1 3/4 cups • Old Points: 7 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 326 • Fat: 11 g • Protein: 23 g • Carb: 33.5 g • Fiber: 5.3 g • Sugar: 5 g
Sodium: 897 mg

Ingredients:

• 1 lb baby red potatoes, cut in half or quartered
• 2 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• fresh cracked pepper
• 14 oz Italian chicken sausage, sliced 1-inch thick
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of the knife
• 1/2 orange bell pepper, diced 1-inch squares
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced 1-inch squares 
• 1 red bell pepper, diced 1-inch squares
• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary (or other fresh herb such as thyme)
• 2 cups zucchini, 1/2 inch thick and quartered

Directions:

Place oil and potatoes in a large, deep non-stick skillet with a tight fitting lid on high heat; season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. When the skillet gets hot and starts to sizzle, reduce heat to low and cook with a tight lid on for about 20-25 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to prevent the potatoes from burning. Remove from heat and let them sit 5 minutes without removing the lid.  Set potatoes aside on a dish.


Add the sausage to the skillet and saute on medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally until browned but not quite cooked through, about 10 minutes. Season chopped vegetables with salt and pepper. Add onions, peppers, garlic and rosemary to the skillet and mix. Continue cooking stirring occasionally until onions and peppers become slightly browned. Add zucchini and cook an additional 5 minutes, mixing as it cooks until cooked through.


Return the potatoes back to the skillet and mix well. Adjust salt and pepper as needed; cover and cook 5 more minutes.

Makes about 7 1/2 cups.

Notes:  Bill loved this.  I doubled the amount of peppers and onions.

Bow Ties with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream

Bow Ties with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream

Rated: Submitted By: Linda Caroline Photo By: Elijah Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Ready In: 45 Minutes Servings: 6

"Sweet Italian sausage is simmered with plum tomatoes, garlic, onion and heavy cream to create a thick, rich sauce that's served with bow tie pasta."

Ingredients:

1 (12 ounce) package bow tie pasta 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/2 cup diced onion

3 cloves garlic, minced 1 (28 ounce) can Italian-style plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Directions:

1.	Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
2.	Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Cook sausage and pepper flakes until sausage is evenly brown. Stir in onion and garlic, and cook until onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes, cream, and salt. Simmer until mixture thickens, 8 to 10 minutes.
3.	Stir cooked pasta into sauce, and heat through. Sprinkle with parsley. Tips: don't use olive oil.  Drain ALL oil prior to adding the cream to prevent greasy looking cream.

Printed from Allrecipes.com 11/29/2012

Baked Ziti

Submitted by: Colleen B. Smith Rated: 5 out of 5 by 3748 members

Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 35 Minutes

Ready In: 55 Minutes Yields: 10 servings

"A simple baked ziti strikes it rich with layers of sour cream, and three kinds of Italian cheese. Ready-made spaghetti sauce reduces the prep time, and ground meat is optional."

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound dry ziti pasta 1 onion, chopped 1 pound lean ground beef 2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce 6 ounces provolone cheese,

sliced 1 1/2 cups sour cream 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Changes I made: I sauteed the onion and about half a red pepper along with turkey sausage instead of ground beef. I also increased the mozzarella and added about a teaspoon of basil. I also tossed the cooked noodles with the sour cream to keep the noodles moist.

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
2.	In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
3.	Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
4.	Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2009 Allrecipes.com

Printed from Allrecipes.com 1/7/2009

Crock Pot Pizza Soup

From A Year of Crockpotting

--1 jar (14 oz) of pizza sauce
--3 empty jars full of water
--1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
--1/2 red onion, chopped
--1 cup sliced mushrooms
--1 cup baby tomatoes, cut in quarters (or 1 can diced tomatoes, drained)
--2 already-cooked Italian sausage (I used chicken Italian sausage)
--1 cup sliced pepperoni, sliced in quarters (Hormel turkey pepperoni is labeled gluten free)
--8 fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 1/2 T dried)
--1 T dried oregano
--1/2 to 1/3 cup of dried pasta (if your pasta is tiny, use 1/3 cup. if it's big, do 1/2. I used 1/2 cup Trader Joe's brown rice penne)
--shredded mozzarella cheese (to add later)

The Directions.

Use a 5 or 6 quart crockpot for this recipe. Serves 4 hungry adults, or 2 hungry adults and 2 kids with enough leftovers to feed them all again.

Wash and prepare veggies. Dump them into the crockpot. Cut up the sausage into small pieces--I sliced, then cut the pieces in fourths. Add to crockpot. Cut up the pepperoni, add it, too. Add basil and oregano. Pour in the pizza sauce, and follow with three empty jars of water.

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours. Everything in this is already cooked, so you are really only heating through and allowing the flavors to meld.

Thirty minutes before serving, add the dry pasta, and turn to high. My pasta only took 20 minutes to soften quite nicely.

Garnish/top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Note: I didn't add the pasta but I did add extra sausage and veggies but kept the liquids the same. Laura, Bill and I all liked this one.

Chicken Sausage, Apple and Cabbage Saut

Start to finish: 28 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

•2 teaspoons vegetable oil

•1 large onion (for 1 cup thin slices)

• 4 links (12 ounces) smoked chicken sausage, see cook's note

• 2 Granny Smith apples (about 112 pounds, for about 212 cups pieces)

• 1 1/2 pounds green cabbage (for 8 cups thinly sliced, loosely packed)

•1 cup water

•1 tablespoon butter

•2 tablespoons honey

•1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar, or more to taste

Cook's note: For testing purposes, we used Aidells Smoked Chicken and Apple Sausage. An equal amount of any smoked sausage or kielbasa can be substituted.

In a 12-inch, extra-deep skillet with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat. Peel the onion, and slice it into thin (18-inch thick) slices, adding to the skillet as you slice. Stir, and cook while slicing each sausage link into 12-inch pieces. Set the slices aside.

Core but do not peel the apples. Chop the apples into bite-size pieces. Add all of the apples and sausage slices to the skillet. Stir well. Continue to cook over medium heat. Meanwhile, thinly slice the cabbage (no larger than 14-inch-wide pieces for quick cooking), and add it to the skillet. Add the water, butter and honey, and stir to mix well. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover the skillet, and steam for 5 to 6 minutes. Uncover, stir, and toss well. Re-cover, and steam until the cabbage is crisp tender, about 5 to 6 minutes more.

Uncover the skillet, and sprinkle the pepper and vinegar over the cabbage mixture. Toss to mix. Taste, and add more vinegar, if desired. Serve at once.

Approximate values per serving: 321 calories (43 percent from fat), 16 g fat (6 g saturated), 102 mg cholesterol, 16 g protein, 33 g carbohydrates, 5 g dietary fiber, 708 mg sodium

•Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross are co-authors of "Desperation Dinners!" (Workman, 1997), "Desperation Entertaining!" (Workman, 2002) and "Cheap. Fast. Good!" (Workman, 2006). Contact them at Desperation Dinners, c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. Or visit the Desperation Dinners Web site at www.desperationdinners.com.