Roasted Potatoes, Chicken Sausage and Peppers

My cute Mother-in-law gave me this wonderful recipe from skinnytaste.com. I love that it only uses one pan and it could be a meal all by itself. I have served it with a green salad or with a slice of french bread, but it's hearty and filling enough to stand alone as well. I used the Aidell's Chicken & Apple sausage that I can find at Costco.

• 1.5 pounds (about 3 large) potatoes, russet or new (I used Yukon Gold)
• 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered, layers separated
• 2 red bell peppers, seeds removed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp. chopped rosemary (fresh or dry)
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• olive oil spray
• 1 pound Italian chicken sausage, each link cut into 6-7 slices (I used Aidell's Chicken & Apple Smoked sausage)

Cut the potatoes into small 1" x 1/2 inch pieces. These take the longest to cook so cutting them small ensures everything cooks evenly. Preheat oven to 375°. Spray one large non-stick baking sheet, or two small ones with olive oil spray to prevent the potatoes from sticking.

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, onions, peppers, olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary and garlic powder. Mix well to be sure everything is coated with oil and seasoned evenly. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet and place in the center of the oven; bake for 15 minutes.

Use a spoon to toss so nothing sticks or burns.

Add the sausage to the baking sheet with the potatoes and vegetables and bake, tossing once or twice for 25-35 minutes, or until your potatoes are cooked through. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your potatoes and sausage, keep an eye so they don't burn.

4 servings: 324 calories per serving, 11.4 g. fat, 23 g. protein, 33 g. carbohydrate, 4 g. fiber

WW Points +: 8

Baked Ziti with Turkey Sausage

HAPPY 2013!!!!!!!!

With each New Year so many people focus their efforts on eating healthy and getting or staying in shape and our family is doing the same! I made some delicious and HEALTHY recipes over the holidays that I can't wait to share with you this week! This is a Weight Watcher's recipe, but you'd never know it. My daughter asked me when she took her first bite, "Mom, did this food fall from heaven?" 

Recipe adapted from Weight Watchers.com

3/4 pound(s) uncooked turkey sausage, casings removed (I used Jimmy Dean reduced-fat pork sausage)
1 medium uncooked onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
10 oz. frozen green peas, thawed
2 Tablespoon canned tomato paste
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. fennel seed
1/2 tsp. table salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
12 oz. uncooked whole-wheat pasta, ziti, cooked according to package directions (I used Dreamfield's low-carb penne pasta)
6 oz. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Crumble the sausage meat into a large saucepan and brown over medium heat, stirring often, about 4 minutes.Drain off any fat, then add the onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes, peas, tomato paste, oregano, basil, thyme, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook uncovered 5 minutes, stirring often.

Stir in the cooked pasta and half the cheese. Spread evenly into a 9- X 13-inch baking pan. Top evenly with the remaining cheese.

Bake until the cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature before serving. Serves 8.

Weight Watcher's Points Plus value: 8 points per serving

Fresh Tomato, Sausage, and Pecorino Pasta

My oldest daughter has been on a major pasta kick lately and every time I ask for her input on dinner, she says, "pasta!" This recipe has been on my Dinner Ideas board on Pinterest for a few weeks and it was A.MAZ.ING! Recipe from Cooking Light, September 2009. Recipes says it serves 4 (2 cup servings) but it easily fed my family of 5, with leftovers:)

8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
8 ounces sweet Italian sausage (I used lean Jennie-O Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup onion, vertically sliced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/4 pounds tomatoes, chopped
6 tablespoons grated fresh Pecorino Romano cheese*, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Remove casings from sausage. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add sausage and onion to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring to crumble sausage. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 2 tablespoons cheese, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and basil.

*NOTES: Pecorino Romano is a hard Italian sheep's milk cheese with a sharp, salty flavor. I used it and really liked the flavor. You could substitute Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan) or Romano cheese (made from cow's milk).

Per 2 cup serving: 389 calories, 10.7 g fat, 21.6 g protein, 4.5 g. fiber, 53.5 g carbohydrate, 595 mg sodium.

Baked Ziti

I made this for my kids and my friend who stayed with them recently when my husband and I went out of town. Since both my friend and my kids raved about it, I had to make it again so I could try it! The verdict... DELICIOUS! I found it when searching for "freezer meals" and it makes a lot, so it would be perfect to split it into 2 square pans and cook one that night and freeze the other for a later dinner. Source: adapted by Annie's Eats from Cook’s Illustrated, March & April 2009

1 lb. (16 ounces or 2 cups) cottage cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 oz. grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 cups), divided

salt

1 lb. (10 ounces) ziti pasta*
1 Tbs. olive oil
20 oz. turkey Italian sausage
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 (28 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves, divided
1 tsp. sugar
ground black pepper
3/4 tsp. cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)
8 oz. low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F. Whisk cottage cheese, eggs, and 1 cup Parmesan together in a medium bowl; set aside. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta; cook until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Drain the pasta and leave in colander.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Crumble in the turkey sausage and cook until nearly browned. Add in the onion and garlic and continue to cook until the onion is softened and the sausage is completely browned. Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and oregano; simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Off the heat, stir in 1/2 cup basil and the sugar, and season with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and heavy cream. Transfer the mixture to the now-empty stockpot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add the cottage cheese mixture, 1 1/2 cups of the tomato sauce and 3/4 cup mozzarella. Stir to combine. Add the pasta and toss to coat thoroughly with the sauce.

Transfer the pasta to a 9×13″ baking dish and spread the remaining tomato sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan over the top. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil from the pan and continue to cook until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer. Cool for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons basil and serve.

*NOTE: If you can't find ziti pasta, try penne instead. Penne is much more common in stores.

Suzanne's Tortellini Soup

TORTELLINI SOUP

½ lb. Italian sausage, cooked

2 tsp. olive oil

½ c. chopped onion

2 cloves minced garlic

¼ c. chopped carrots

1-2 small zucchini, sliced

2 c. fresh spinach or 1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen spinach

4 (14 oz each) cans chicken or vegetable broth

1 can diced tomatoes with juice

(or 1 can whole tomatoes, pureed)

1 ½ tsp. dried basil

1 Tb. sugar

1 (9 oz) pkg. Butoni 3-cheese tortellini

Grated Parmesan cheese

Sauté onion, garlic and carrots in olive oil in a stockpot. Add broth, tomatoes and basil. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Add zucchini, spinach and tortellini and simmer for 7-9 minutes (according to pasta cooking directions). Add sausage. Serve with Parmesan cheese. Serves 8-10.

Sausage Breakfast Casserole

This is such a classic casserole that my Mom made for us. We love it for breakfast, brunch or even for dinner! 

Ingredients:

8-10 slices of bread- crust removed & broken into pieces

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1-1 1/2 lb. sausage (cooked & drained)

4 eggs

2 1/2 c. milk

3/4 tsp. dry mustard 

Sauce: 

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 c. milk 

Directions: Place bread pieces in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Top with cheese and sausage. In separate bowl combine eggs, milk and dry mustard; pour over bread and sausage. Cover and let set overnight in the fridge. Top with sauce right before baking at 300 degrees F. for 1 1/2 hours. 

Sausage Quiche

* From Nancy Miller

12 oz. sausage browned 

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/3 c. green pepper

1 1/2 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 Tb. flour

1 Tb. parsley flakes

3/4 tsp. season salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. garlic salt

3 eggs beaten

1-1 1/2 c. evaporated milk

Cover edges of a 9 inch pastry crust and bake 10 minutes. Allow to cool. 

Meanwhile, brown sausage in heavy skillet. Reserve 2 Tbs cooking fat and use to sauté the onion and pepper. Combine eggs and evaporated milk. Combine all other ingredients and put into cooled crust. Poor egg mixture over other ingredients. Bake @ 350° F. for 45-55 minutes.