Pasta with Chard and Sausage

This was a delicious and creamy pasta dish, without the added fat and calories of cream.

Ingredients:

8 oz. pasta (penne or linguine)

4 cups chopped Swiss chard leaves

1 c. diced Italian sausage

1/2 c. finely chopped shallot

2 T. butter

1 T. chopped fresh sage

2 T. flour

2 c. nonfat milk

1 c. grated Pecorino cheese

Red pepper flakes for garnish

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions.

While the pasta is cooking, heat some olive oil in a pan. Add the chard and cook until wilted. Set aside.

In the same pan, melt the butter and saute the shallot. Add the sausage and cook until the sausage is cooked. Add the sage and sprinkle the pan with the flour. Cook for about a minute, making sure the flour is all incorporated. Whisk in the milk and cook until it begins to thicken. Return the chard to the pan and mix well.

Add the cheese and cook some more until the cheese melts and the sauce is nice and thick.

When the pasta is done, add it to the pan with the sauce. If the sauce is a bit thick, thin with some of the pasta water. Mix it well and serve hot with more cheese on top.

 

Sausage with Fennel & Peppers

Another one sheet meal that was healthy and delicious!

Ingredients:

1 fennel bulb, cored and sliced into thin slices

1 red pepper, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

1/2 c. yellow onion, diced

1 T. garlic, minced

1 T. balsamic vinegar

2 t. Dijon mustard

Olive oil

Red pepper flakes

3/4 lb. cooked Italian sausage, cut into slices

3 T. Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425.

Combine the fennel, peppers, onion and garlic in a large bowl. In another small bowl, combine 4 t. olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir well. Pour this mixture into the vegetable bowl and mix well. Add the sausage and stir to combine. Lay this out on a sheet pan in a single layer.

Roast, covered, for 15 minutes. Uncover and roast for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes, making sure the vegetables are soft and slightly brown.

Sausage and Vegetables

This is so simple, but yet so tasty! It’s a perfect outdoor cooking event!

Ingredients:

2 sausages

1 red pepper, sliced into thin rings

1 green pepper, sliced into thin rings

1 yellow onion, cut into rings

1 fennel bulb, sliced

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Grill the sausages until done. Slice into bite size pieces.

Coat the vegetables with olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Grill the vegetables. We used a grill basket for the onions and fennel so that they wouldn’t fall through the slats. When done, cut them into smaller pieces.

Mix everything together and serve.

Shrimp & Sausage Bowl

This was good – a bit plain, but tasty enough. It’s pretty healthy, too! This would be good served over some noodles or rice as well.

Ingredients:

1 lb. shrimp

3 Italian sausages, cut up

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 zucchini, chopped

1/4 c. chicken broth

2 garlic cloves, minced

Red pepper flakes

Dash of seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay

1 T. chopped parsley

 

Cook the sausage until cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add some olive oil to the pan. Season the shrimp with the seafood seasoning. Cook until opaque and pink. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add more olive oil if needed. Cook the peppers and onions until soft. Season with salt & pepper. Add the sausage and zucchini and cook until the zucchini softens. Add in the garlic. Return the shrimp back to the pan. Add the chicken broth and red pepper flakes and parsley. Stir well to combine.

Chicken and Sausage

This was a great way for me to use up a lot of the leftover ingredients I had in my refrigerator from last week’s paella making adventure!

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces

1-2 chorizo sausages, skinned and chopped

1 bunch kale, center rib removed and chopped

1/2 marinara sauce

Polenta, cooked according to package directions

Directions:

Saute the chorizo and chicken breasts in some olive oil. Once browned, add the kale and the marinara sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until everything is cooked through and the kale is softened.

Serve over polenta!

Baked Pasta with Sausage

This is always a favorite at my house – and we call it “crunchy pasta”. We have lots of ways to make it, and this way with sausage was really good.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. sausage, casings removed

1 medium onion, chopped

1 c. marinara sauce

1/2 lb. penne or similar

Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

Preheat the broiler.

Cook the pasta.

In the meantime, sauté the onions in some olive oil. Add the sausage and cook until it is cooked through. Break it up into small pieces. Add the marinara sauce and cook until well heated through. Set aside until the pasta is done.

Drain the pasta and add the sauce. Mix well.

Grease a casserole dish. Pour in the pasta and spread out evenly. Top with the cheeses.

Broil until the top turns brown and starts to get crunchy.

 

Penne with Sausage & Radicchio

This was definitely a crowd pleaser, and best of all, it’s a one-dish meal! I even used Tru Roots Ancient Grains pasta, to make it even healthier!

Ingredients:

12 oz. Tru Roots Ancient Grains penne pasta, cooked

1 onion, finely chopped

3 Italian sausages, casing removed and chopped

1 small radicchio, thinly sliced

1/2 c. Prosecco

1 t. curry powder

2 T. heavy whipping cream

1 t. chopped parsley

Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Salt & pepper

Butter and oil

Directions:

Boil the pasta in salted water until cooked al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil and butter in a frying pan.

Add the onions and cook until translucent.

Add the sausage, breaking it up with a potato masher until cooked through.

Add the radicchio and cook until wilted.

Season with salt, pepper and curry. Simmer for a few minutes. Stir in the cream and mix.

Remove the pasta from the water with a slotted spoon and add it to the sauce pan.

Add the parsley and mix it altogether.

Pour the pasta in a casserole dish. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top.

Cook in the broiler until brown and crunchy.

Polenta Topped with Sausage & Leeks

This is more of a hearty winter meal, but it still sounded good in summer! Make sure you salt your polenta water well – I didn’t and it was a bit “boring”… Also, make the polenta ahead of time so that it hardens a bit and you can cut it into slices. If it’s cold, warm it up either in a frying pan or in the microwave.

Ingredients:

3 cups water or broth

1 cup polenta meal

4 Italian sausages – cut up into bit size pieces

2 minced garlic cloves

3 leeks, cleaned and white part finely chopped

Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

Combine water (or broth), polenta and salt into a pot. Bring to a slow boil, stirring constantly. Cook until done, about 25 minutes.

While the polenta is cooking, put some hot water in a loaf pan.

When the polenta is done, remove the water from the loaf pan and pour in the polenta. Top with some grated Parmesan cheese. Let it sit in the loaf pan while you make the sausage.

In a frying pan, add some olive oil. Add the cut sausage, garlic and leeks. Cook until the sausages are cooked and the leeks are soft. Season with salt and pepper.

Turn the loaf pan with the polenta onto a plate so that the polenta slides out. Cut the polenta into slices and arrange them on a plate.

Top with the sausage mixture and finish with some grated Parmesan cheese.

 

Sausage and Swiss Chard Soup

Here’s a hearty soup that can be eaten as a light meal or as a starter. It is full of flavor from the sausage and healthy!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. Italian sausage (either mild or hot – your preference) – sliced thin

1/2 chopped onion

1/2 chopped red pepper

1 bunch of swiss chard – leaves chopped small

6 cups water

2 T. Better than Bouillon Chicken flavored

1 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. Italian seasoning

Salt or salt substitute

Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook the sausage in a sauce pan until they are browned on all sides. If there is an excess of fat, drain it before proceeding.

Add the onions and red pepper and sauté until they are cooked and browned.

Pour in the water, bouillon, garlic powder, and seasonings. Add the swiss chard. Cover and boil until the chard is tender.

Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.