Italian Sausage Red Pepper Risotto

Look at me I'm on a roll, two posts in two days! Actually I figured while I'm in the mood I'd get a few of them typed up. This is from another favorite food blogger of mine called browneyedbaker.com. She has some really good desserts and meals and is always listed as one of the top food blogs. This one in particular was listed as one of her top 10 and it really was super yummy. If you've never done risotto before don't be afraid to try it. It takes a little extra time, but it's actually super easy. The sausage is what really gives this good flavor. She used mushrooms in hers, but I totally forgot to get some at the store so I did mine without and it was still good.

5 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces Italian sausage, casing removed
¾ cup finely chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
4 ounces white button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups Arborio rice
¾ cup dry white wine or chicken broth
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

1. In a medium saucepan bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep warm over low heat.

2. In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sausage and saute, crumbling, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms and saute until tender, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Add the rice and stir to coat. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 1 minute.

4. Add ½ cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 25 to 30 minutes total. Remove from the heat.

5. Stir in ¾ of the Parmesan. Transfer the risotto to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the parsley and the remaining Parmesan. Serve immediately.

Sausage and Vegetable Skillet

This is another super easy, yet really flavorful, quick all in one skillet meal. I've been all about easy lately. I'm not really sure what I do all day, but life has felt so busy lately. Between the holidays, birthdays, weddings, church callings, anniversaries, and a little one who's got more energy than any of us know what to do with, the last thing I want to do is come home and whip up a whole big meal. So hopefully I can find lots of easy recipes because that's all I have patience for over the next couple of months.

1 lb bulk pork sausage (I used half regular and half spicy)
1 medium onion, minced
1 t. minced garlic
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
3 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 t. basil
12 oz. penne pasta
2 c. chopped spinach

Cook sausage, onion, and garlic until sausage is no longer pink. Add tomatoes, broth, basil, and pasta and cook uncovered for 12-15 minutes or until pasta is cooked al dente. Stir in spinach and cook for another minute until spinach is wilted and enjoy!!

Sausage and Rice Casserole

So don't write this recipe off until you hear me out. This recipe comes from my recipe group that my friend Ryanne Walker does once a month. This was probably the most popular dish that night. It sounds totally strange with the almonds, chicken noodle soup, and rice, but trust me it's really good and relatively easy, but you do have to plan ahead because it takes an hour and a half to cook. Anyway I hope you enjoy it as much as we did:)

Ok so this looks kind of like a Rice-a-Roni, but I promise it's much better and worth the extra time:)

1 lb bulk pork sausage (I used Jimmy Dean's Regular pork sausage, the kind that comes in a tube)
1 onion, minced
4 c. water
2 pkgs. dry chicken noodle soup mix (such as Lipton or you can use store brand)
1 c. uncooked long grain rice
1/2 c. slivered almonds-I've made it without and it's still good, but it does add a fun extra texture

Cook sausage and onion until sausage is no longer pink. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil and add soup mixes and allow to cook for a couple minutes. In a greased 9x13 pan add sausage, rice, soup, and almonds. Cover and allow to cook at 350 for an hour and a half.

Bacon and Bowties AND Easy Italian Pasta

Today is going to be a two for one, two recipes in one day. Both recipes are super easy and flavorful pasta dishes. I like both of these because they have very few ingredients but are still full of flavor and cook up really quick. Both of these recipes are from my Pillsbury Cook Off cook books which are full of fun recipes like these two. I only have pictures for the Bacon and Bowties because it's the only one I've made recently, to be honest its been a long time since I've made the Easy Italian Pasta because it has whipping cream and I try not to use milk products as much as possible because of my allergies. Well I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do!

Bacon and Bowties
5-6 strips of bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 onion minced
2 14.5 cans of diced Italian style tomatoes or tomatoes with onion and garlic
2 1/2 chicken broth-I just use bouillon
1/8 t. pepper
about 8-10 oz. bowtie pasta- I'm awful about measuring, but I used a little more than 1/2 of a 14 oz. pkg, also I tried using enriched pasta as I couldn't find whole wheat bow ties, but next time I'll def. use regular bowties because the texture of the enriched ones was kind of weird and not tender.

this is how the bacon should look before adding onions

Cook bacon on medium high heat until browned well, I like it fairly browned because after cooking in the pasta it doesn't stay crisp. Lower heat to medium and add onions and cook until tender, 2-3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and return heat to high until boiling, once boiling turn back to medium heat and allow to simmer about 15 minutes, I like my pasta pretty tender so just cook until the pasta is cooked to your liking.

And

Easy Italian Pasta
8 oz. cooked cavatappi -tubular, corkscrew looking pasta, or any favorite pasta
1/2 lb. bulk spicy Italian pasta-I use Jimmy Dean, I use to think I was not a sausage person because I didn't like breakfast sausage or like link sausage, but this is much better, so give it a try if you haven't already.
6-7 Roma tomatoes- Romas work best because they hold their shape and you don't get as much as the runny seedy part, but regular tomatoes would work ok if that's all you have
1 c. whipping cream
2 oz. shredded fresh parmesan

Brown sausage over medium heat until completely browned. Drain off grease. Add tomatoes, cream, and cooked cavatappi. Cook until completely heated through, without bringing to a boil. Sprinkle with cheese!

Sausage Stroganoff

Well it's all in the name, this is just a spin on the regular stroganoff. If your not a fan of sausage this is probably not for you. I think the sausage gave a little more flavor than just using hamburger and if you made or plan on making Pepperoni Pizzazz you can use your left over mushrooms in this recipe. Again this is another recipe I switched cream of mushroom for sour cream, but use whatever your family likes..and enjoy!


1 lb. pork sausage (I just used the Jimmy Dean regular bulk sausage)
small onion chopped
1/2 lb mushrooms sliced
1 1/4 c. chicken broth
1 T worcestershire
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 c. flour
1 can cream of mushroom or 1 c. sour cream
12 oz cooked egg noodles ( you could actually probably do more noodles, that's just how big the bag was that I had)

Cook sausage and onion until sausage is cooked thoroughly. Add mushrooms and cook for another couple minutes. Add 1 c. of broth, worcestershire, and pepper and let simmer for a few minutes. Mix remaining broth with flour and pour into sausage mixture. Lower heat and add cream of mushroom or sour cream and heat through. Serve over noodles:)

Egg and Sausage Breakfast Ring

I don't know about everyone else, but I love doing breakfast for dinner. I found this recipe in my newest Pillbsbury Cook book. Honestly this one was kind of a divider in my house. My husband liked it, but I didn't love it, I didn't hate it either, I think it was the cream cheese that didn't work for me so for me if I were to do it again I would change it up just a little. Below I listed how it's suppose to be made and then how I would change it if I were to make it again. If anything this just gives you an idea of breakfast for dinner..right?!?

Mine definitely didn't turn out like this

1/2 lb pork sausage (I used Jimmy Dean)
1/3 c. sliced green onions
1/3 c. chopped red bell pepper
5 eggs
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
3 oz pkg. of cream cheese, softened
2 cans pillsbury crescent rolls
1/2 c. cheddar monterey jack cheese blend
1 egg beaten
1 t. sesame seed


Heat oven to 375. Spray large cookie sheet. Cook sausage and onions until sausage is completely cooked; drain. Stir in red bell pepper and cook until tender. Remove from pan. In small bowl beat eggs, salt, and pepper. Add to pan. Cook until eggs are set but still moist. Stir in sausage mixture and cream cheese. Unroll both cans of crescents making a 14x13 rectangle. Press edges together to seal. Spoon egg mixture down center to within 1/2 in of edges. Sprinkle with cheese. Starting with longest side, roll up. Shape into a circle. Cut several slits on top. Brush with egg and sprinkle with sesame seed. Bake 25-30 minutes.

or

Cook Sausage and red pepper until sausage is completely cooked. In small bowl beat 6 eggs and salt and pepper. Reserve 2 Tb of egg mixture, pour remaining eggs into pan with sausage. Add onion and cook until completely set. Unroll both cans of crescents making a 14x13 rectangle. Pour egg mixture down the middle leaving several inches on both sides. Fold flaps of crescent over egg mixture pinching the ends to seal. Brush with reserved eggs. I thought the sesame seeds tasted funny so I would leave them off. Bake 25-30 minutes.

I'm sorry if this makes absolutely no sense I even had to read their instructions a few times so I hope the picture helps. Let me know if you have questions.