Cheesy Sausage Potato Soup

Soup is always a big hit around here, year ‘round. Well...except for #1 Son who’s not a fan. He says “I don’t like to drink my dinner”. Whatever, man. You don’t live here anymore! Now IT Guy, he IS a fan of soup and was a HUGE fan of this one. Filled with tasty goodness this is a family pleasing soup for sure!

Cheesy Sausage Potato Soup

1 small onion ~ diced

2 stalks celery ~ diced

1 pound Italian sausage

4 cups frozen diced hash browns

1 32-ounce container chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large dutch oven, saute onion and celery in a little olive oil for a few minutes, until tender.

Add sausage and cook until sausage is done.

Add the chicken stock, salt and pepper.

Add the frozen diced hash browns and and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add cream and grated cheese. Stir to combine and melt cheese.

Serve!

Tomato Cream Sauce with Sweet Sausage

I ran across some fun pasta the other day so I had to come up with a way to serve it. I kind of think of Italian food like I do Mexican food...there’s a ba-jillion ways to serve the same ingredients. But, it doesn’t make me love either one any less. Love, love, love them both. So making this tomato cream sauce to go with our new pasta was like eating something brand new! This is super good, comes together in a flash and the leftovers are great!

Tomato Cream Sauce 

with Sweet Sausage

1 14-ounce can petite diced tomatoes (do not drain)

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

1 pound Italian sweet sausage ~ casings removed

1 medium onion ~ diced

2 cloves garlic ~ minced

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt & pepper to taste

8 ounces pasta (I used calamarata) ~ cooked and drained. 

In a large skillet, cook the sausage until done. Remove to a plate. 

In the same skillet, saute the onion and garlic for 10 minutes. 

Pour in the chicken stock to de-glaze the pan. 

Add the canned tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil and red pepper flakes.

Allow to cook for about 10 minutes. 

Stir in the cream then add the cooked sausage. 

Allow to heat through then serve over pasta.

The line-up!

Brown the sausage then remove to plate. Brown the onion and garlic in the pan.

Add the chicken stock. Then add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil and red pepper flakes.

Add the cream and allow to cook for about 10 minutes.

Then add the cooked sausage to the cream mixture and heat through.

Serve over pasta and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

Jambalaya is so good....I love it. I think when you add smoked sausage or kielbasa to a dish it just flavors the whole thing. I love that stuff. Now if I wasn't living with a bunch of seafood haters, I would have added some shrimp to this but since no one likes it except me, I left it out. But if you have a NORMAL family, then by all means, add some shrimp about the last 30 minutes of cook time. Anyway...this is some good stuff right here. And making it your slow cooker makes it easy-peasy. Just throw everything in except the rice and give it stir or two during cooking! Serving it with some crusty bread just tops it off.

Slow Cooker Jambalaya



1 pound chicken boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
1 pound smoked sausage ~ cut into 1/4 inch coins

2 cups chicken stock
1 10-ounce can Rotel tomatoes
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 onion ~ diced
1 green bell pepper ~ diced
3 stalks of celery ~ chopped
4 garlic cloves ~ minced
3 tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 cup rice ~ cooked on the stove top according to package directions

Place chicken and sausage into the bottom of the crock pot.

Add the bell pepper, onion, and celery.

Mix remaining ingredients together EXCEPT THE RICE, and pour over the entire mixture. Stir gently.

Cook on high for 4 - 6 hours until chicken is done.

Gently shred the chicken.

Stir in the cooked rice and serve!

 

Let's go!

 

Place the chicken and sausage 

in the bottom of the crock pot.

 

Add the chopped veggies.

 

Stir together the tomatoes, the 

tomato paste and the rest of the 

ingredients EXCEPT THE RICE 

in a medium bowl.

 

Then pour over the stuff 

in the crock pot. Gently stir.

 

Allow to cook then stir in 

the cooked rice and serve!

 

Delicious!

Breakfast Tacos

These breakfast tacos are super easy to make. If you're not a chorizo fan, like me, then leave it out and use all breakfast sausage. IT Guy loves chorizo so he really liked these. Not only do they make a great breakfast, but they're yummy for dinner too! Also if you've got any leftover, wrap in a tortilla for a burrito!

Breakfast Tacos 



1 9-ounce package chorizo sausage
8 ounces breakfast sausage
8 eggs
1/4 cup milk
Grated Monterey Jack cheese ~ about 1 cup or so
8 - 10 flour tortillas
Salsa

In a large skillet, cook both sausages until done. Remove to a plate.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Salt and pepper if desired.

Pour eggs into the skillet and scramble until almost done.

Add the meat back into the skillet with the eggs and cook and stir until done.

Heat flour tortillas in the microwave.

Place a small amount of grated cheese into the tortillas, then some of the egg mixture. Top with salsa.

Serve!

 
Here's whatcha need.

 
Brown the chorizo and the 
sausage then remove to a plate.

 
The scramble the eggs with the milk.

 
When the eggs are almost done, 
add the cooked meat to the skillet 
and continue cooking until eggs are done.

 
Like this!

 
Then assemble the tacos!

Sausage Breakfast Hash

Back in December, IT Guy and I had our 40th wedding anniversary. I know what you're thinking....how on EARTH can someone put up with the likes of me for that long. The struggle is real...but he's managed. Anyway...we went to Ashville, NC to the Biltmore for a couple of days, thanks to our kids who combined their efforts and gave us that nice gift. The hotel where we stayed had a breakfast buffet which IT Guy thoroughly enjoyed and I tolerated since I'm not a big breakfast eater. One thing that was served was a really good hash type dish. I told IT Guy that I was going to go home and recreate it and I just now got around to doing it. Now, I don't know how the hotel made theirs, but mine was delicious! Not only was it good but it was so easy to make! Of course, we had ours for dinner, but this is so simple to make that fixing it for a Saturday morning breakfast would be nooooo problem. We had some leftover so I threw a little in a flour tortilla with some cheese and salsa for IT Guy to take to work! Give it a try...I think you'll really enjoy it!

Sausage Breakfast Hash



1 pound breakfast sausage
3 cups frozen southern style hash browns
1 medium onion ~ diced
2 bell peppers ~ diced
Olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

In a large skillet, cook the sausage in a little olive oil until done. Remove to a bowl.

In the same skillet, add a little more olive oil then add the hash browns, onion and bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper then cook until hashbrowns are done and veggies are tender/crisp...about 10 minutes.

Stir the sausage back into the skillet with the hashbrown mixture and warm through.

Serve with eggs cooked any style!

 
Okay...let's go.

 
Cook the sausage then remove 
to a bowl. Then cook the veggies 
and potatoes in the same pan 
for about 10 minutes.

 
Stir the sausage back into the veggies mixture.

 
Serve with eggs for a great meal!

Sausage & Gravy Breakfast Casserole

As you may....or may not know, breakfast isn't my thang. At least in the morning. I don't really like any food in the morning. Breakfast for dinner is fine, though. Now IT Guy, he's a different kettle of fish except he doesn't like fish...but I digress. Not only do I not like to eat in the morning, I'm not that keen on smelling it either. I know...it's weird, huh? Before you get all up in arms and think I don't cook breakfast for my husband, let me tell you I do.

Sometimes.

Maybe once a week.

Or once a month.

Fine. I hardly EVER cook breakfast for him, okay?

But he LOVES breakfast...LOVES. If I would get up at the crack of darkness and cook him eggs and bacon and whatever else...he would...well, he'd be in breakfast heaven. But guess what? That ain't never happened and it isn't GOING to happen. I like to cook breakfast about 10:00 am on a Saturday after I've slept in. Or cook it for dinner. Which is what I did with this dish. I saw a picture of this type of casserole run through my Pinterest the other day and I knew IT Guy would fall in love with me all over again if I made this. And I was right. I used canned biscuits but if you're adverse to using the canned kind, then by all means make your own. Homemade sausage gravy is the only way to go here and don't worry...it's really easy! This casserole would be wonderful for breakfast...I guess, but we loved it for dinner and the leftovers heat up great so you can have yourself a quick snack as you're running out the door in the morning. Super good, guys!


Sausage & Gravy 
Breakfast Casserole



1 12-ounce container buttermilk biscuits
6 eggs
Sausage gravy ~ recipe follows
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Sausage Gravy

1 pound breakfast sausage
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
Pepper to taste

In a large skillet, cook the sausage until done.

Using a slotted spoon, remove sausage to a bowl leaving the fat in the skillet. You may need to add a couple of tablespoons of butter if you're sausage didn't render enough fat.

Whisk the flour into the fat and cook and stir about 1 minute.

Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil.

Simmer for a couple of minutes then stir in the sausage. 

For the casserole: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.

Cut biscuits into 1-inch pieces and arrange in the bottom of the prepared pan. The pieces don't need to be toughing. They will expand when cooked.

Sprinkle sausage over the top of the biscuits then scatter cheese on top of sausage.

Whisk eggs and milk together with the salt and pepper and carefully pour over mixture in the pan.

Pour sausage gravy over everything and bake for 45 minutes until eggs and biscuits are cooked through. 

 

Here's what you'll need.

 

Place the cut up biscuits in the pan. 

Don't worry if they're not touching.

 

Cook the sausage then 

remove to a bowl. Add 

the flour to the drippings 

in the pan. Add some 

butter if you need to.

 

Then add the milk and salt 

and pepper and cook until thick.

 

Sprinkle the cooked sausage on the biscuits.

 

Then comes the cheese and eggs.

 

Lastly spread the gravy over the top.

 

Bake it up for breakfast or dinner!

Italian Sausage Potato Bake

This dish reminds me of one similar that I make using kielbasa...one of our favorites. I had a big package of Italian sausage links I needed to use and with the potatoes and bell peppers I had on hand, this delicious dish was made. You can use just about any veggies YOU want or stick with these and add what you like. Mushrooms would be great....cherry tomatoes...zucchini...whatever! It's so simple....throw everything in a pan and bake it up!

Italian Sausage Potato Bake



1 pound mini Yukon Gold potatoes
2 bell peppers ~ large diced (I used one yellow and one green)
1 medium onion ~ large diced (I used a yellow one, but a red one would be yummy)
5 or 6 Italian sausage links
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.

Place diced veggies in the prepared pan.

Drizzle some olive oil, 2 - 3 tablespoons, over veggies then salt and pepper to taste.

Place sausage links on top of veggies and cover with foil.

Bake for 1 hour.

Remove foil and bake another 30 - 45 minutes until sausages begin to brown.


 

The line-up.

 

Dice the veggies into big chunks.

 

Then lay the sausage on top.

 

Cover with foil and bake. Then 

remove the foil and cook until 

the sausages are browned.

 

Yummy!

Margherita Pizza

Is everyone ready for Halloween and all the treats that will be making it into your house? After all that candy is devoured, you'll need some real food to get back on track. How about some pizza? Made with fresh ingredients, pizza can be quite nutritious. And this Margherita pizza is perfect! Did you know that  Margherita pizza was named for Queen Margherita of Italy in the late 1800's? There you go...random fact of the day. A traditional Margherita pizza only has basil, white cheese like mozzarella and red sauce on a thin crust to emulate the colors of the Italian flag. But because the SFFS house is a house of meat eaters, I added sausage. You can totally leave it off though, if you're a purist. This great pizza starts with a yummy thin crust from Mama Mary's. Then sliced mozzarella and basil and some Roma tomatoes....oh yeah! Marinating the tomatoes is one of the keys to making this extra yummy and the ease of prep because of Mama Mary's pizza crust is the best of all! 

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Margherita Pizza



1 Thin and Crispy Mama Mary's pizza crust
1 cup pizza sauce
3 roma tomatoes ~sliced
8 ounces mozzarella cheese ~ thinly sliced/grated
1/2 pound cooked sausage (optional)
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves ~ rough chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt

Place tomatoes in a small bowl. Sprinkle with sea salt then pour in the olive oil. Allow tomatoes to marinate for 15 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Remove tomatoes from the oil. Brush crust with oil then spread the pizza sauce over crust.

Arrange thinly sliced cheese over the sauce.

Top with marinated tomatoes, basil and sausage, if using.

Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is hot and bubbly.

 
Let's go! This is easy peasy!

 
Marinate the tomatoes.

 
Then build your pizza....

 
...and bake! So delicious!

Sweet Sausage Pasta with Peppers

When I'm not in the mood to heat up my kitchen, but still want something filling, I turn to pasta. Other than the noodles and the sausage, this little dish doesn't require any cooking. At least not OVEN cooking. Easy and delicious, this warm pasta dish is a great family meal!

Sweet Sausage Pasta with Peppers



12 ounces bowtie pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 sweet peppers ~ red, yellow and orange, large dice
1 small red onion ~ large dice
2 cloves garlic ~ minced
1 pound sweet Italian Sausage ~ cooked and sliced into "coins"
1/4 cup fresh basil ~ chopped

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. 

Cook sausages until done. Remove to a plate and allow to cool to the touch. Slice into "coins".

Add the diced peppers, onion, salt and pepper to the pan and cook until tender/crisp.

Add garlic, stir and cook a minute or so.

Add cooked, sliced sausage and heat through.

Stir in cooked pasta  and chopped basil.

Serve hot.

Okay....let's get going!

Cook the sausage in a large skillet.

Chop the veggies.

Remove the cooked sausage from

the skillet then add the veggies.

Add the minced garlic cook for a 

few minutes until tender/crisp.

Then slice the sausage and put it back 

in the pan with the veggies and heat through.

Add the cooked pasta and the basil and stir.

Serve warm!!