Running Mama Cooks

I love chorizo and when I saw it at Wegman's this weekend when picking up a few odds and ends, I had to grab it. I haven't done my big shopping for the week and didn't have a lot of food on hand, but I threw this together this morning and hoped for the best. The sauce was a bit thinner than I would have liked (didn't have tomato paste) but the flavor was awesome!

I made this in the morning and put it in the crockpot so that all I had to do was make the pasta when I got home, but it could just as easily simmer on the stovetop.

Chorizo Spaghetti

Ingredients:

4 Chorizo sausage links, sliced
olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 large onion, sliced
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup red wine
Dried basil
Italian blend cheese

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Add in the garlic and chorizo, cook until chorizo crisps up a bit. Place in the crockpot. Add in all the other ingredients, except the cheese. Cook on low for approx 6 hours.

Serve over pasta with a bit of Italian blend cheese.

ZACH'S RATING - ****

I'll admit I have never heard of a cassoulet before coming across this recipe, but maybe that is because I never really ate beans until recently! This recipe comes from the most recent edition of Fitness magazine. It was tasty and we enjoyed it, but it was missing something. Zach suggested adding a can of diced tomatoes next time, and I think he is right. It could use the extra liquid (some of the squash wasn't as tender as the rest) and tomato flavor would be a good compliment to this dish. I hope to revisit it soon.

Turkey Sausage Cassoulet
Slightly adapted from Fitness Magazine
Serves 4, 11 WW points plus per serving

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tbs olive oil, divided
2 shallots, minced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
pinch salt plus more to taste
4 uncooked turkey sausage links
3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbs fresh sage, chopped
1 16oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tbs grated Parmesan
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Heat a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Add 2 tbs of olive oil and the shallots, onion and pinch of salt to the pot. Saute 5 to 10 minutes and then turn off heat.

2. Remove casings from sausage and brown in a separate pan. Remove from pan and add to onion mixture.

3. Add the squash, broth, thyme, sage and beans to dutch oven; stir.

4. In a medium bowl, mix the panko with parmesan and remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle over the sausage mixture. Cover and back from 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

ZACH'S RATING - *** 1/2

I've had this recipe saved for awhile, and honestly I am not even sure what the source is. I liked how the pasta was layered on the bottom with the sausage and sauce on top, different than other baked pasta dishes. I wouldn't say it was an amazing dinner, but it was a tasty meal.

Upside Down Fettuccine & Sausage Bake

Ingredients:

8 ounces fettuccine noodles, freshly cooked
1/2 pound Italian turkey sausage, casing removed
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 - 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

Brown sausage in a medium skillet. Add onion during the last few minutes,. Drain off excess fat. Cook the fettuccine according to directions. Add entire can of tomatoes (including liquid) to the sausage mixture. Add the oregano and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese over tomato mixture.

Mix the eggs, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, butter, parsley and garlic powder together in a separate bowl. Toss the noodles with the mixture. Spread noodle mixture in a 10-inch quiche or cake pan. Pour the sausage mixture over the top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with additional cheese, if desired. Cut into wedges, serve.

For dinner tonight I had planned on making sausage and spinach penne skillet, but realized that I didn't have a few of the key ingredients. My spinach wasn't good anymore and I didn't have any sundried tomatoes. I still used the same process, but changed it up a bit to suit what I had on hand. Turned out really good!

Sausage & Broccoli Penne Skillet

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound Italian-style turkey sausage, casings removed
3 medium garlic cloves, minced finely
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 ounces (about 3 1/2 cups) penne pasta
2 broccoli crowns, florets removed and steamed (I used microwave)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot and add in the sausage. Cook until lightly browned and no longer pink about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir in the diced tomatoes, broth, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then add in the pasta. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook at a strong simmer, stirring often, until the pasta is tender and the liquid has thickened, about 15-18 minutes (if you find the liquid is absorbing too quickly and the pasta is still undercooked, add a bit more water in small amounts until the pasta is cooked thoroughly).

Stir in the broccoli. Take off the heat, stir in the cheese and pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

ZACH'S RATING - ****

I had high hopes for this recipe since I love pumpkin in savory dishes. While it was pretty good, I wasn't as impressed as I hoped to be. I did think that using cottage cheese for a low fat cream sauce was ingenious, so I will be using that technique again.

Creamy Pumpkin Penne
Recipe slightly adapted from Cara's Cravings by way Cook Pray Love

Ingredients:

8 oz whole wheat penne pasta
2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
about 2T chopped fresh sage
1 cooked chicken smoked sausage, sliced
1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese (1% milk fat)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup nonfat milk
pinch of nutmeg
5oz torn spinach, thick stems removed
grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese, optional

Preparation:

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook gently for about 10-15minutes, until softened and beginning to caramelize. Add garlic, sage, and chicken sausage; continue to saute.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.

In a blender, combine combine pumpkin, cottage cheese, and milk. Blend until no lumps are present. Add to sausage mixture in skillet and continue to cook over low heat. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.

Drain pasta and return to pot over low heat. Add sausage mixture and baby spinach, and toss together. Cover for a few minutes to let the spinach wilt. Serve with parmesan cheese, if desired.

ZACH'S RATING - ***

Tortellini Sausage Soup
Recipe slightly adapted from Our Best Bites

Ingredients:

4 links Italian turkey sausage
4 cloves pressed garlic
1 onion, diced
½ c. water
3 cups chicken broth
½ c. apple cider
1 16-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. sliced carrots
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 medium zucchini, grated
8-10 oz. package cheese tortellini
2 Tbsp. dried parsley

Directions:

If you're using link sausage, remove the casings and crumble into a large soup pot. To remove the casings, you can use a sharp knife to cut a slit down one side of the sausage and then peel back the casing.

Begin cooking sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently. If your sausage is pretty fatty, you'll want to drain it when it's about halfway cooked. Meanwhile, chop onions and garlic

and add to the sausage. Continue cooking until onions are translucent and your sausage is cooked. Your house will smell heavenly.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, juice, water, chicken broth, carrots, oregano, and basil. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour. Add parsley and zucchini

and simmer for another 15 minutes or so.

Add the tortellini

and cook until tender, and then serve with grated Asiago or Parmesan.

ZACH'S RATING - ****

So, I have been the worst blogger ever, but I guess I have a pretty decent excuse! Baby boy is due any day now and even though I have been cooking here and there, I haven't been making anything too blog worthy. We have been eating a lot of repeat recipes (taco mac, spinach tortellini salad, Chicken spinach wraps, French's Fried Onion pork chops).

This morning, Zach picked several really nice green peppers from our garden, so I defrosted some turkey sausage we had in the freezer and made sausage and pepper sandwiches. They were really yummy.


Italian Sausage and Peppers Sammies
A Running Mama Cooks Original Recipe

Ingredients:

6 mild Italian turkey sausage links
2 tbs Olive oil
3 medium green peppers
2 medium onions
4 garlic cloves
1 large can crushed tomatoes
Basil
Italian seasoning
crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
4 hoagie rolls

Directions:

Brown sausage on medium heat. Remove and set aside. Heat olive oil and saute garlic until lightly browned. Add peppers and onions and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.

Cut sausage into chunks and return to pan. Add crushed tomato and seasonings to taste. Simmer. Serve on lightly toasted hoagie rolls.

ZACH'S RATING - ****

Update - I ended up going into labor that night!!!

Homemade pizza is so good!! I used the recipe for pizza dough that is in this pizza pocket post, and it was just as good for a pie. I topped it with chopped up smoked turkey sausage, diced green pepper, caramelized onions, low fat mozzarella and cheddar cheese, and homemade sauce.

Cooked it in the oven on 450 for a half hour.

The whole pie:

ZACH'S RATING - ****

This crockpot meal was really easy to throw together, perfect for a night I was teaching some classes and couldn't be home to cook. It was tasty, a little spicy for Zach's taste, even though I cut down on the cajun spice (amounts I used noted below). Definitely has a kick to it! Loved the sausage and adding the rice during the last hour allowed it to cook perfectly without being mushy

Sausage Jumbalaya
Adapted from Kelly's Kitch

Ingredients:

1 lb cooked, smoked turkey sausage links, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lg can diced tomatoes (28 oz), undrained
1 tbsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp fresh thyme. chopped
1/2 tsp cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

Directions:

Spray slow cooker and combine all ingredients except rice. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Add the rice, mix well, and cook an additional 1 hour on low. Serve warm.

ZACH'S RATING - ***

On Monday, I had a craving for chicken cutlets, so I made a double batch. We had just enough left over to have Chicken Parmesan tonight! I also had a little frozen marinara sauce, so I defrosted it in my small crockpot. I heated up the cutlets, spread on some sauce and topped with Italian blend cheese. Popped it under the broiler and it was done!

On the side, I served spaghetti with a sausage marinara that I made fairly quickly. I was really happy with the end result.

This is the 2nd recipe from The Neely's that I've made and was definitely not disappointed. Easy and delicious. Here is the original recipe.

Pat's Smoked Sausage and Pepper Sandwich
Recipe courtesy The Neelys

Ingredients

1 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced into quarters then lengthwise (I used turkey)
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 orange bell pepper, sliced
2 medium yellow onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup beer
1/2 cup Neely's BBQ sauce
4 fresh hoagie rolls

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sausages and brown on all sides, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from skillet and reserve.

Add onions and peppers to the skillet and saute until tender and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste, beer, and BBQ sauce. Cook for a few minutes, then add the sausages back to the pan. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce is nice and thick, about 10 minutes.

Slice the bread open, put on sheet tray, and toast in the oven while the sausage is simmering. Remove the bread from the oven and fill with the sausages and peppers.

Transfer to serving dishes and serve.

I think I can officially add caramelized onions to my list of pregnancy obsessions. SOOO good. I prepared them before leaving the house for boot camp class tonight and the house still smelled amazing when we got back almost an hour and a half later!

We happened to have a half pound of turkey sausage on hand so I browned it up with some chili powder and cumin. Zach makes killer quesadillas, always crispy and perfect, so he prepared them using flour tortillas, cheddar cheese, salsa, sausage and onions. Definite winner!

Here's a look at the inside