Pesto Sausage Pasta w/ Brussels Sprouts

It is with only the humblest amount of pride that I admit to this one thing: my girls love (and I mean LOVE) to eat vegetables in any form. Go ahead, throw those tomatoes. Rest assured, the youngest contingent of my brood will never let a vegetable, and some fruits cross his lips. I have to make too many a shady deal/bribe to even coax him to take a bite. So, we're *kinda* even.

In any event, this recipe turned out simply marvelously. I just have a few tweaks. It also doesn't reheat very well at all, so just stick to a portion your family will consume entirely. I also swapped out the orreciette pasta, because it's the worst pasta ever- hands down. Shaped like plates that STACK TOGEGHER, and hold all the pesto in, depriving the rest of the dish and leaving a too-pesto-y bite once in a while. Really any pasta would do. I used a fancy S shaped tube pasta that I found literally right next to the orreciette on the shelf. Penne would be absolutely fine. 

1 lb fresh Brussels sprouts, ends cut & chopped in half

3 tbl olive oil, divided

1/2 tea sea salt/kosher/whatever

1/2 tea pepper

1 box (14-16 oz) dry pasta

1lb sausage

5 cloves garlic- finely sliced- or diced (I use the pre-bottled kind)

1/3 c pesto

Parmesan cheese (for serving)

Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl, toss the sprouts in 2 tbl olive oil, and some salt & pepper.

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil & arrange the Brussels sprouts evenly. Bake for about 20-30 mins, depending on size, stirring once in between. (I don't stir them because I'm lazy) Remove and set aside.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet, over med-high heat. Toss in the sausage & cook until browned, about 6 mins. Then add the garlic and brown for 1-2 mins. 

Cook the pasta according to the box directions. Once cooked, drain the water & reserve a bit of pasta water for later. (About 1/4 c)

Toss together the sprouts, pasta, and sausage. Add the reserved water if it's too dry. Sprinkle parm on top and serve! 

One Pot Cheesy Sausage Pasta

I'll be posting a few one pot recipes that we tried last week. Both were big hits. This was my husband's favorite, probably due to Husband's love of sausage. The leftovers are so much better, as the best recipes usually are. I should mention that I used turkey sausage and Husband did not even realize it. So sneaky bonus points for that.

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1 tbl olive oil
1 lb Smoked Turkey Sausage, sliced
1 c diced onion
1 tbl minced garlic (about two fresh cloves)
2 c chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/2 c milk or heavy cream (I used whole milk)
8 oz dry pasta (any small pasta will do)
1/2 tea salt and pepper, each
1 c shredded cheese
1/3 cup chopped green onions, for garnish

Heat up the olive oil in a pot, toss in sausage and onions, cook to light brown. Add the garlic for about 30 seconds until aromatic. Add the broth, tomatoes, milk, pasta & salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for about 15 minutes, until pasta is tender. 

Turn off the heat and stir in half the cheese until combined. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and cover to melt. Top with green onions & Serve. Come to think of it, this would be awesome with some sliced black olives. Black olives for everything! 

Easy Calzone Rolls

Made these for dinner on a whim. I needed something relatively quick, but less than boring. And whoo boy, it was delicious! I substituted the sliced hard salami for regular old pepperoni because I was wary the little ones would balk at salami. Worked just fine. Though I would use pizza sauce for the dip instead of marinara to give it more kick.

Source: family.go.com via craftyashley on Pinterest

Ingredients: 

2 loaves thawed frozen bread- like Rhodes.

1/2 lb. sliced ham

1/2 lb. sliced hard salami (or pepperoni)

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 c. jarred marinara sauce (or pizza sauce)

Roll each loaf into a rectangle about 8 x12. 

Layer ham, then pepperoni and cheese on top.

Tuck the short sides in and roll from the long side in. Pinch the ends well and place on a baking sheet seam side down. 

Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, or until browned. 

Move to a slicing block and slice- serve with dipping sauce. 

Meatball Subs & Sauce

Meatballs:
1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs or crushed saltines
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan or mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 pounds ground beef or ground turkey

To dredge the meatballs:
1 1/2 cups flour in a shallow baking dish

In a large bowl, mix all of the meatball ingredients together EXCEPT the meat. Let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes so the breadcrumbs/crackers can soak up the liquid a little bit. Add the meat and mix well with your hands until all the ingredients are combined.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease the foil. Form golf ball-sized meatballs and dredge them in the flour until lightly coated. Place the meatballs on the baking sheet about one inch apart. Bake for 20 -25 minutes until the meatballs are completely cooked through.

When the meatballs come out of the oven, let them sit for about 15 minutes. Gently scrape off any fat and place the meatballs in a 9X13-inch baking dish (or similar size). Pour the hot tomato sauce over the meatballs.

Sauce:
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (or tomato sauce)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon sugar (this helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a low simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes on low. Keep warm until the meatballs are finished baking.

To assemble the sandwiches, slice the buns in half. Place 3-4 meatballs on each bun and cover with desired amount of sauce, top with Mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded. Serve immediately with lots of napkins.

*Note: When I make these, I often prepare and bake the meatballs earlier in the day. To reheat, I place the meatballs in the pot with the simmering sauce and let them warm up together. And since I know someone will ask, the meatballs freeze great. Freeze them, unbaked, on a baking sheet. Once frozen, they can be placed in a freezer-safe ziploc bag. Bake them (without thawing first), adding 6-7 minutes to the baking time. Incidentally, they also freeze great after they have been baked. Freeze them in a freezer-safe ziploc bag and reheat them in the simmering sauce until they are warmed through.

Taco Stuffing

2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups water
1 cup rice (white or brown)
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

In a large pot, brown the ground beef or turkey with the onion and garlic and cook until the meat is no longer pink and the onions are translucent. Drain any accumulated grease. Add the water, rice, seasonings, tomato sauce, tomato paste and beans. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmeruncovered for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, watching to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot (if you are using brown rice, it may need to simmer for up to 60-70 minutes). The mixture will seem very watery at first, but after simmering, it will thicken to perfection as the rice absorbs water and all the ingredients meld together.

Serve as the filling in a taco, ontop of a taco salad, dip with tortilla chips, sloppy joes, or freeze the leftover meat/rice mixture to defrost and reheat later.

Italian Stuffed Peppers

2 large green peppers
1/2 pound ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce, divided
1 cup cooked rice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds. Place peppers in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil; cook for 3 minutes. Drain and immediately place in ice water; invert on paper towels.
In a small skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Remove from the heat. Stir in 1 cup tomato sauce, rice, salt, garlic powder and pepper. Spoon into peppers.
Place in an ungreased shallow 2-qt. baking dish. Drizzle with remaining tomato sauce. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until peppers are tender.

Note: Obviously this is for two people, but you can easily double the recipe!

Ravioli Lasagna

I love this recipe because it has directions if you freeze it!

26-oz jar marinara or pasta sauce
Two 13-oz packages cheese ravioli
1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1. Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce in the bottom of a foil baking pan. Spread 1 package of ravioli in a single layer on sauce. Top with 1 cup of sauce and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Layer the second package of ravioli on top, then 1 cup sauce and 1 cup mozzarella. Cover pan with foil and freeze until ready to use, or bake covered at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes.

To bake frozen lasagna: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake, covered, for 1 hour. Remove foil and continue baking until cheese is melted and starting to brown, and inside middle is hot, about 25 minutes more.

Easy Ziti

1 lb. italian sausage
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. sliced bell pepper
1 jar (Prego) 3 Cheese Pasta Sauce
4 1/2 c. hot, cooked penne

In skillet, over med-high heat, cook sausage, onion, and pepper until sausage isn't pink and pour off fat.
Add pasta sauce, heat to a boil, serve over penne.

Italian Turkey Wrap

I'm already thinking about all the leftover turkey. So for the next few days, I'm posting some scrumptious turkey options!


Ingredients

* 1 large (10-inch/25-cm) flour tortilla, regular or flavored
* 1 tbsp. (15 mL) mayonnaise
* 1 tbsp. (15 mL) grated Parmesan cheese
* handfull coursely diced turkey
* 1 tbsp. (15 mL) chopped red onion
* 1/4 cup (50 mL) baby spinach leaves
* 1 oz. (28 g) sliced Provolone, Swiss or Cheddar cheese
* 2 thin slices tomato
* salt and pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese. Spread over tortilla to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of the edges. Top with sliced turkey, red onion, spinach, sliced cheese and tomato slices, layered in the order listed in a row along the center one-third of the tortilla. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Roll the tortilla up tightly to enclose the filling, then cut in half crosswise. Eat immediately or wrap both halves in plastic wrap and pack in a lunch bag.

Crock Pot Lasagna

Yay! No cooking those huge lasagna noodles!

12 lasagna noodles- uncooked
2 lb. ground beef, browned & drained
1 1/2 tea. italian seasoning
1 jar (28 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup water
1 carton (16 oz.) cottage cheese
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Put half noodles in crock pot, break to fit. Stir italian seasoning into meat & spread half meat mix over noodles. Then pour the water, 1/2 sauce on top, 1/2 cottage cheese, 1/2 shredded cheese. Repeat the layers in that order. Cover & cook on low for 4-5 hrs. Do not cook more than 5 hrs.

makes 6-8 servings

Pita Pizzas

These are great for kids and parties! So easy, I could eat one every day. I make singles in our toaster oven for lunch sometimes.


Pitas
pizza sauce
mozzarella cheese- shredded
toppings- pepperoni, ham, chicken, olives, onion, green pepper, pineapple chunks, mushrooms, etc.

Preheat oven to 350, make up your own pita pizza and arrange them on cookie trays. Cook in the oven for 10 mins, until cheese is melted and golden.

Italian Burger Melt

1 lb. ground beef (or frozen beef patties for the lazies- like me)
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 tea. Italian seasoning (or more to taste)
1/4 c. water
1 slices mozzarella cheese
4 buns, toasted

Shape beef into 4 patties (skip this if you do frozen patties). In skillet on medium-high heat, cook patties until browned. Set aside and pour off the fat. Add soup, water, & italian seasoning. Add patties, cover & cook 10 minutes. Melt cheese on top and serve on toasted buns.

Makes 4 burgers