Tag Archives: sausage

Cheesy Sausage, Onion, and Pepper Breakfast Casserole

29 Jun

It has been a while since I’ve made a breakfast casserole. I’ve had the breakfast sausage for a while in the freezer, and while at the grocery store, my girls picked out red, orange, yellow, and green bell peppers. Along with an onion, milk, eggs, and Bisquick, I knew it would make a delicious breakfast casserole! Plus, it was really pretty too, very colorful!

Prepping the breakfast casserole

One great thing about a casserole like this, you can make it up ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours before baking it. So, you can make this the night before, wake up, take it out of the refrigerator, preheat your oven, and then bake it.

Also, if you are hesitant about bell peppers, substitute in other vegetables that you like! I would do this again with broccoli or spinach and mushrooms, maybe even spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Or, change out the sausage for bacon or ham. Whatever you would eat in an omelet or you like with your eggs, try in this casserole!

Cheesy Sausage, Onion, and Pepper Breakfast Casserole

Cheesy Sausage, Onion, and Pepper Breakfast Casserole

What you need:

1 pound breakfast sausage (if there are casings, remove them)
1 small red onion, diced
2 bell peppers, diced (I used 1/2 red, 1/2 orange, 1/2 yellow, and 1/2 green)
2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
1 1/4 cups baking mix, such as Bisquick
1 cup milk
9 eggs
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with olive oil or non-stick cooking spray.

In a large skillet, break up and brown the breakfast sausage. Add in diced onion and bell pepper. Cook until onions and peppers have softened. Drain the excess grease from the pan, and pour the sausage, onions, and peppers into the casserole dish. Spread the 2 cups of shredded cheese on top.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the baking mix, milk, eggs, paprika, salt and pepper. Pour evenly into the casserole dish.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown on top and a knife comes out clean from the center.

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Spaghetti Squash, Leek, Sausage, and Egg Bake

14 Aug

Yes, I really just put all those ingredients together in a sentence!  A little over a month ago, remember how excited I was to have a new favorite, Summer Squash, Sausage, and Egg Bake?  I’ve made it a few times since then, using just zucchini, and my family loves it so much, there are never any leftovers.  Well, my FarmBox has been offering spaghetti squash, which we love, and I wanted to try something new with it.  This worked perfectly.  Instead of sauteing zucchini and yellow squash, I roasted the spaghetti squash in the oven, then added it to the browned sausage and leeks.  Yes, leeks.  We have been buying leeks at the Farmer’s Market, and are tired of Potato Leek Soup, so I used one in this casserole.  Fabulous!  Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of this one, we ate it as soon as it was ready, so you will have to use your imaginations.  But, I promise, it is fabulous!

Spaghetti Squash, Leek, Sausage, and Egg Bake

What you need:

1 pound sausage, Italian sausage or breakfast sausage
1 small leek, sliced as done here
1 medium size spaghetti squash
3 large eggs, well beaten
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with olive oil or non-stick cooking spray.  Cut spaghetti squash in half, and scoop out the seeds and innards.  Place the cut side down on the baking sheet.  Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until soft.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then use a fork to pull the flesh away from the peel.  Pictures on how this is done are here.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown sausage.  Do not drain fat.  Add leeks, and cook until soft and translucent.  Stir in the cooked spaghetti squash and remove from heat.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together eggs, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese.

Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Pour the squash/sausage mixture into the dish.  Mix in the egg and cheese mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until sides are bubbling and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

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Summer Squash, Sausage, and Egg Bake

26 Jun

This time of year, summer squash, like zucchini and yellow squash, seem to be in abundance.  One of my all time favorite dishes to make is Italian Zucchini Crescent Pie, either with just zucchini or a mix of zucchini and yellow squash.  However, my husband isn’t real fond of the crust.  So, I had experimented with a mashed potato crust, but still got mixed reviews from the family.  So, I decided to make it crust-less, using this recipe for inspiration.  I decided to use different cheese and not any additional seasoning since I added sausage.  We loved it!  Plus, I’m already working on other variations, no sausage, possibly ground beef, use oregano and basil to season, try out different cheeses.  It’s very versatile to be able to use what you have on hand!  I will hopefully update on my future combinations, but for now, here is the one I made last night.

Summer Squash, Sausage and Egg Bake

 

Summer Squash, Sausage, and Egg Bake

What you need:

1 pound sausage (I used Johnsonville Mild Italian Sausage)
1 small onion
1 medium size yellow squash, cut into thin slices
1 medium size zucchini, cut into thin slices
4 oz cream cheese, softened
3 large eggs, well beaten
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a large skillet, brown sausage.  Do not drain fat.  Add onions, yellow squash, and zucchini, and cook until soft and translucent.  Stir in cream cheese until well blended.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together eggs, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese.

Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Pour the squash/sausage mixture into the dish.  Mix in the egg and cheese mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until sides are bubbling and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

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Sausage and Chayote Stew

2 Mar

In last week’s Bountiful Baskets Mexican themed veggie pack, there was a chayote:

Chayote

 

I had gotten these before in another Mexican themed pack a while back, but this pack only had one.  However, there was zucchini as well, and since chayote is also a member of the gourd family, they both go well in this stew.  Normally, I would put tomatoes in as well, but my husband requested no tomatoes, so I left them out.  This is also similar to the Sausage, Zucchini, and Tomatoes over Rice, but adds a few more ingredients.  I would also suggest serving this over Cilantro Lime Rice, which I didn’t get a chance to make because we had to get to a meeting this week.

Sausage & Chayote Stew

 

 

Sausage and Chayote Stew

What you need:

1 pound Italian sausage
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 chayote squashes, seeded and chopped (I used 1 chayote and 1 zucchini)
3 green chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced
3-4 tomatoes, cores and seeds removed, diced (about 2 cups diced tomatoes)
1 can black beans, drained
1 cup frozen corn
Salt and pepper to taste

How to make it:

Place a large pot over medium-high heat.  Remove casings from sausage, crumble, and cook in the skillet until browned.  Add the onion and garlic to the skillet.  Cook and stir until the onions are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chayote squash and green chiles.  Cook and stir until the squash begins to soften, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, black beans, and corn.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until completely heated through, about 10 minutes more.  Remove from heat and serve over rice.

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Variations on Potato Leek Soup

2 Mar

After ending up with plenty of leeks and gold potatoes after Bountiful Baskets last week, we’ve been enjoying plenty of Potato Leek Soup.  However, my husband complains about the lack of meat.  So, I tried a couple different variations this week, and they were great!

Potato Leek Soup with Sausage:  While soup is cooking, crumble and brown 1 pound of Italian sausage.  Drain excess fat.  Stir into finished soup.

Potato Leek Soup with Sausage

 

Potato Leek Soup with Ham: After soup has finished cooking, add in 2 cups of fully cooked ham (such as Zaycon Foods ham)

Potato Leek Soup with Ham

 

I will update the original post for Potato Leek Soup with these variations as well!

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Sausage, Spinach, and Rice

7 Jan

Sausage, Spinach, and Rice

One of my favorite dishes I make at Thanksgiving is Wild Rice & Sausage Casserole.  And, while it’s great, it’s a little time-consuming considering it has to go in the oven.  So, I decided to try a little variation, use Italian sausage in place of breakfast sausage, add spinach, and do it in the skillet.  Turns out, this makes a nice, quick standalone meal!  The Italian sausage has enough spices that you don’t really need to add any more seasoning.  My kids both gobbled it down!

Sausage, Spinach, and Rice

What you need:

1 pound Italian sausage, hot or mild, casings removed
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 pound fresh spinach, chopped
2 cups cooked rice, wild, brown, or white, your choice
Grated Parmesan cheese

How to make it:

Break up and brown sausage in a large skillet.  Add onions, and continue to cook until onions are soft and translucent.  Add spinach, and cook until wilted.  Stir in rice and cook over medium heat for a few minutes.  Serve into bowls and sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese onto each serving.

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Sausage Spinach Crescent Calzones

16 Dec

Sausage Spinach Crescent Calzones

 

I had no idea or plan for dinner last night, which seems to be happening all too often for me lately!  So, I had gotten spinach from Bountiful Baskets in the morning, and wanted to incorporate that in somehow.  Then, I remembered I had 2 cans of crescent rolls about to expire, so, I thought I could use them calzone style with spinach, Parmesan, and mozzarella.  But, my husband would complain there was no meat, so I decided to use sausage, which I luckily have a stock of in my freezer ($2.99 at the commissary plus $.50 off 1 coupon = excellent price for Johnsonville Italian sausage!).  These turned out really great, and you could still them with a variety of meats, veggies, and cheeses.  Yum!

 

Sausage Spinach Crescent Calzones

What you need:

1 pound Italian sausage
2 cans crescent rolls
1 cup chopped spinach
1 cup shredded mozzrella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Olive oil
Italian blend seasoning

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Brown the sausage in a large skillet; drain fat.

Open crescent roll cans and unroll, leaving as rectangles.  You will get 4 rectangles per can.  Lay crescent roll out on a baking sheet and press the diagonal cut to seal it.  Add sausage, spinach, and cheeses to one half.  Fold the other half over the filling and press edges to crimp and seal.  Repeat for remaining crescent rolls.  Brush or spray tops with olive oil and sprinkle with Italian blend seasoning.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.  Serve with warm pizza sauce, if desired.

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Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms and Crescent Rolls

4 Dec

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms and Crescent Rolls

 

After attending the Taste of Home Cooking School show and watching these being made, I have wanted to try this out.  The stuffing is all ingredients I tend to always have on hand, and then when I got mushrooms in this week’s Bountiful Baskets, I knew it was time to make them!  I only had 3 packages of mushrooms and ran out of mushrooms before running out of stuffing.  I had thought this stuffing would go great in crescent rolls too, so I got out a can of crescent rolls to finish up the stuffing.  Both were great and well received by my family (minus my 3-year-old who did not eat any because she is sick).

 

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Original recipe from Johnsonville

What you need:

48 mushrooms or 24 crescent rolls (3 cans)
1 package Italian sausage
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Line 2 baking sheets with foil.

Remove sausage from casings.  Place in a skillet over medium heat and crumble.  Cook until no longer pink and drain.  Stir in bread crumbs.

While sausage is cooking, mix together cream cheese, parsley, lemon juice and garlic.

Add sausage mixture to the cream cheese mixture.  Fill each mushroom or crescent roll with the stuffing.  Lay out on the baking sheets.  Sprinkle with the grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender and lightly browned, or until crescent rolls are golden brown.

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Stuffed Acorn Squash

13 Jun

 

I feel like this is more of a fall dish than a summer dish, but when I got acorn squash from Bountiful Baskets this week, I knew this was what I wanted to make.  I first tried this in 2010, in my first few months of participating in Bountiful Baskets.  I can’t remember where I got the idea to stuff them, but I wanted something that would be a meal all in one.  I combined a few ideas from recipes online for this, and I really am pleased with the final product.  This time around, it’s also given me a chance to use some of my fresh herbs from the pack I got a couple of weeks back.  My kids like the stuffing, but weren’t fans of the squash tonight.  Oh well, more for me and my husband!

 

Stuffed Acorn Squash

What you need:

3-4 acorn squash
1 cup wild rice blend
2 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
4 fully cooked turkey sausage patties
1/2 cup onion
2 tablespoons butter
1 small Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
How to make it:

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Put wild rice blend, chicken broth, sage, and thyme in a pan and cover with a tight lid.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer for 50 minutes, or until fully cooked.

Meanwhile, cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out seeds. Also, cut a small part off the outside so squash will sit flat. Spray a baking sheet and place squash so the cut insides face down and bake for 30 minutes.

Prepare sausage patties according to package directions. After heated through, chop up and set aside (this can be omitted if making vegetarian)

Using the same pan from the sausage, saute onion in butter until translucent. Add in chopped apple, cooking until tender. Remove from heat. Mix in sausage and rice.

Flip the acorn squash over and fill with the wild rice mixture. Place back in oven and cook for 20 minutes.

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Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

20 Mar

This is one of my favorite soups.  I haven’t made it for a while, but with the recent cold snap in the weather here, I thought it would be perfect for dinner.  I served it with roast beef and swiss on sourdough melts.  Delicious!

Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana
Serves 8 as a side, 4 as a meal
Original recipes here and here

What you need:

1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 tablespoons bacon bits, optional
2 cans (or 4 cups) chicken broth (I used my Homemade Chicken Broth)
4 cups water
1 pound potatoes, cut in 1/4 inch round slices
2 cups chopped kale or chard (or another leafy green, like salad savoy)
1 cup heavy whipping cream or half and half

How to make it:

In a large pot, break up and brown sausage.  Remove from pot and set aside.  Put onion, garlic, and bacon bits in the pot, cook until they have softened.   Pour in water and chicken broth, then add potatoes.  Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.  Add sausage, kale and cream or half and half.  Heat through, do not boil.

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