Cassoulet-Style Sausage and Beans

Tags

beans, French, garlic, sausage, tomato, wine

So apparently we’re in for 6 more weeks of winter… I’ll believe that when I see it because so far we haven’t even had much of a winter! But my body knows what time of the year it is, and I therefore must cook accordingly. It’s time for soups and casseroles and comforting foods.

This dish is a quicker version of a French cassoulet, which is a slow-cooked stew or casserole with beans and meat. I don’t believe I’ve ever had a real cassoulet, but it’s okay because this dish can fill that void! All the flavors meld wonderfully, and the breadcrumbs add a nice crunch along with an extra garlic kick. Sausage and beans pair perfectly! I have Julia Child’s cookbook with a real cassoulet recipe in it, so maybe I’ll make it one day, but in the meantime I’ll stick with this tasty twist on sausage and beans! Cassoulet-Style Sausage and Beans
Yield: 4 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
4 garlicky pork sausages
5 cloves garlic, minced, divided
¾ cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons chopped parsley, divided
1 teaspoon dried thyme, divided
2 slices of thick-cut bacon, diced
½ onion, diced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
⅓ cup dry white wine
⅔ cup chicken broth
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat until shimmering; add the sausages. After about 5 minutes, add the bacon to the sausages and sauté until bacon is golden brown and sausages are thoroughly browned on both sides. Remove sausages from the pan; set aside.

Meanwhile, make the breadcrumb mixture. In a small bowl, combine Panko, 1 minced clove of garlic, 1 tablespoon parsley, and ½ teaspoon thyme; season with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoons olive oil, stirring to evenly coat the breadcrumbs; set aside.

Lower the heat to medium-low and add the onion; season with salt and pepper. Sauté for about 5 minutes, or until onions start to turn translucent. Add the garlic and sauté another 2 minutes then add the tomatoes. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook until the liquid has evaportated and the tomatoes are just beginning to catch on the pan. Add the wine and cook until the liquid has evaporated again. Add the chicken broth, beans, 1 tablespoon parsley, and ½ teaspoon thyme. Cook for 1 minute, until the broth is bubbling.  Transfer the bean mixture to a wide, shallow baking dish and arrange the sausages on top. Top with the breadcrumb mixture and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the sides of the pan are bubbling and the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Serve hot with a green salad.

Source: Adapted from French Revolution, as seen on Lilacs in May

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Lasagna Soup

Tags

cheese, Italian, mozzarella, pasta, ricotta, sausage

I’ve recently discovered Google Reader and it has since become one of my favorite websites/phone apps. It makes it so easy to keep up on all the blogs I follow! I was reading through some of the blogs I follow and over my shoulder I hear, “Ooo, I want that!” Apparently my husband was looking over my shoulder and had seen the words lasagna and soup. That was all he needed and he wanted some! He loves soup, and he loves the meat-pasta-cheese combo so this soup was perfect for him. And I must say, he made a great decision in picking this soup! I had most of the ingredients on hand so I just needed to grab a couple other things and I was ready to go. This soup was amazing, and perfect comfort food! The taste is very similar to skillet lasagna, which is another tasty and easy lasagna alternative. Stirring cheese into the soup broth makes it creamy and reminiscent of the layers of lasagna, where sauce and cheese and meat all meld into one delicious flavor. Top if off with a nice ricotta mixture, and you have yourself and quick and easy lasagna, but in scrumptious soup form! Lasagna Soup

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
½ tablespoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 – 8 ounces spiral or curly pasta
½ cup chopped fresh basil
⅓ cup plus 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, plus more for topping
½ cup lowfat ricotta

In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the sausage, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is crumbled and browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, oregano, salt, and crushed red pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended, about 20 minutes. Add desired amount of noodles; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in mozzarella, basil, and the 3 tablespoons Parmesan.

While the pasta cooks, thoroughly mix ricotta with ⅓ cup Parmesan. Serve each bowl of soup topped with a few tablespoons of ricotta mixture. Garnish with additional mozzarella cheese.

Source: Adapted from Spiffy Cookie

Zuppa Toscana

Tags

kale, potato, sausage, soup

Olive Garden used to be one of my favorite Italian recipes. I loved their minestrone and salad, and most of all, their bread sticks. Somehow, I never really payed attention to their Zuppa Toscana, a creamy sausage and potato soup. Maybe because back then, I wasn’t a big fan of potatoes. But now that I am, I knew this was a soup I had to try. I searched online and found a lot of copycat recipes, most of which included bacon. While that might make for a better duplicate, I’m not a big fan of using bacon for flavoring in soup. I do love bacon, but I only want to use it if it will be a dominant flavor, not just a hidden component.

I settled upon these two recipes, and tweaked from there. I’ve made multiple batches of this soup over the last few months, making small changes here and there to make it exactly how I want it to taste. My biggest change was adding more potato… you can’t go wrong with more potato!

On a side note, I realize this isn’t an ideal summer recipe. But it’s a great comfort food. And despite the weather, sometimes I just crave soup! Besides, I read somewhere that when it’s hot out, you’re supposed to eat hot food to make you sweat, thus helping to cool you. So I’m helping you, and me! 🙂Zuppa Toscana

1 pound ground Italian sausage
1 large onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ cup white wine
3 cups water
3½ cups chicken broth
2 pounds Russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
3 cups fresh kale (about ½ a bunch) chopped
1 cup heavy or whipping cream

In a large pot over medium heat, cook the ground sausage until browned, crumbling with a spoon as it cooks. Remove the cooked sausage with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside. Add the diced onion to the pot and cook until soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for about a minute, or until fragrant. Add the wine to deglaze the pan, stirring to loosen any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken broth, water, potatoes, and kale to the pot. Return the sausage to the pot. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cover and let simmer for about 20-25 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Source: Adapted from Annie’s Eats and Tuscan Recipes

Spinach-Potato Hash

Tags

egg, potato, sausage, spinach

I never used to be a fan of potatoes. I had nothing against them, I just preferred pasta, or even rice, over potatoes if given the choice. Needless to say, this disappointed some of the people who would enjoy the meals I cooked in college, but they learned to deal with it. If they could only see me now… or eat with me!

I actually have cravings for potatoes now. A lot of times, it’s for potatoes and cheese, but lately I’ve been all about potatoes and eggs. I was craving potato hash so badly that I made do with what I had on hand…. tater tots, cheese, salsa, and eggs. Yeah, it was kind of a desperate attempt to use whatever I had on hand to achieve my ultimate goal.Granted, it didn’t satisfy my craving so I went online then went to the store after I found this recipe. It combines normal hash ingredients with spinach, for an extra yum-factor that makes it unique.

Spinach-Potato Hash
Note: Can also be served on a tortilla with salsa and scrambled eggs as a breakfast burrito.

1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite-size chunks
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
8 ounces ground sausage
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups baby spinach leaves
2 to 4 eggs, fried to desired doneness

Preheat over to 400 degrees F. Place diced potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss to coat then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake potatoes for 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through and tender when poked with a fork.

While potatoes are baking, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the ground sausage and cook until browned, crumbling with a spoon as it cooks. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside. Add onions to the pan and cook until softened and browned. Add the Italian seasoning, and season with salt and pepper as it cooks. Add the minced garlic, and cook for 1 minute more.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the cooked sausage back to the pan. When potatoes are done roasting, remove from the oven. Add the potatoes to the pan with the sausage and onions; fold to incorporate. Add the spinach and toss to combine and to slightly wilt the leaves.

Transfer the hash to a serving dish.  Season with salt and pepper as necessary.  Fry as many eggs as you’d like and serve over hash.

Source: Adapted from Joy the Baker

Penne with Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Tags

artichoke, Giada, mozzarella, pasta, sausage, sun-dried tomato

I love pasta. My husband loves pasta. When it comes time to figure out dinner, a typical conversation is as follows:
I ask, “What do you feel like for dinner?”
He responds, “Um, pasta.”
“What kind of pasta? “
“Pasta with meat.”
Never anything specific, he just wants meat and pasta. But at least we both love it, so we have a very high carb intake. This pasta is one of our favorites. It comes together pretty quickly and has a lot of different components that blend together to make a delicious meal. The mild sweetness of the tomatoes mixes perfectly with the saltiness of the sausage and the nuttiness of the artichokes and Parmesan. I use whole wheat pasta because it really holds its own among the other ingredients, but regular pasta would work just as well.

Penne with Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

¾ cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, sliced, 2 tablespoons of oil reserved
1 pound ground italian hot sausage
2 (13.75 ounce) cans artichoke hearts, drained
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1¾ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
13.25 ounces whole wheat penne
½ cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
⅓ cup chopped fresh basil
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, drained and cubed

Heat the oil reserved from the sun-dried tomatoes in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until brown, breaking up the meat into bite-sized pieces, about 8 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a bowl, reserving the oils in the pan. Add the artichoke hearts and garlic to the skillet and saute over medium heat until the garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, wine, and sun-dried tomatoes. Boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces slightly, about 8 minutes, then remove from heat.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Stir often to prevent the pasta from sticking together, until tender but firm to the bite. Drain the pasta, but do not rinse. Add the pasta, sausage, Parmesan cheese, basil, and parsley to the artichoke mixture. Toss until most of the sauce has been absorbed by the pasta. Stir in the mozzarella. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then serve.

Source: Slightly adapted from Giada’s Family Dinners