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! 

Crock Pot Cheesy Potato Soup

Shout out to my friend and Twitter chef @Amydoubleyou for this great recipe. I made it in the morning, and I was to find out later in the day that the girls would be coming home early from school with lice. EEEEP. I was so glad to have dinner under control, and man was this scrumptious! Soups should really be an all year round sort of thing. So as I understand it, this is a relatively flexible recipe. Sub in chicken or carrots if it's what you have! Enjoy!

1 onion, diced
4-5 celery stalks, chopped
1 tbl butter
1 lb. country sausage
3 russet potatoes, peeled and roughly cubed
3 c. milk
3 c. chicken stock
salt & pepper to taste
dash of cayenne
1/2 c sour cream
1 c + shredded cheese

Brown and drain the sausage in a skillet. Add the onions, celery, & butter, sauté until slightly tender. Dump the contents of the skillet into your crock pot, (mine is the larger oval, and it was pretty full) pour in the milk, chicken broth, and add the potatoes. Season with the salt, pepper, and a hint of cayenne. Cook all day on low (about 7-8 hrs ish) 20 minutes before serving, with a potato masher, smoosh the bigger chunks of potatoes. Add the sour cream and cheese, stir around a bit. Serve topped with even more cheese, maybe some chopped green onion would also be a nice crunch.

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 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.