Cheesy Potato & Smoked Sausage Casserole

We ALL loved this one.  The little "big" 4-year old inhaled it.  I don't know if it was all the super yummy, yet so unhealthy cheese or if it was smoked sausage, but this casserole definitely disappeared and we will definitely be having it on the menu again.  Again, it is fairly easy to put together.  Please notice my "notes" at the bottom as I did make changes to this recipe. 

Here is what you will be needing:

• 3 cups Idaho potatoes, peeled, cubed
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 lb Velveeta cheese, diced
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 lb skinless smoked sausage 
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika

1) Boil peeled and cubed potatoes until just barely tender (in pasta cooking, they use the term al dente).  Drain off the water.
2) While they are cooking, cut the smoked sausage into half moon shapes (if you want-otherwise just slice them up) and then brown them in a skillet.
3) In a saucepan, melt butter.  Whisk in flour to form a roux.  Add in milk, salt, and pepper and whisk until it just starts to thicken.  Add in the cheese and stir until melted.
4) When everything is prepped, add the sausage and the potatoes to the a 2-quart casserole dish or pan.  Mix together a little.  Pour the cheese sauce mix over the top.  Sprinkle paprika over top. 
5) Bake 35-45 minutes.

Enjoy!

Notes:
1-If you are using precooked smoked sausage, you can skip the browning part to save time and dishes.
2-I personally can NOT stand Velveeta.  So I used 1/2 pound of cheddar and probably about 1/4 pound of Swiss cheese-just because that is what I had in the fridge.  I also think that you could use whatever cheese or cheese blend that you wanted-as long as it melts good...Some cheeses just don't melt too well.
3-I forgot to set the oven timer and then I got busy talking to the hubby and paying bills.  Anyway, it did NOT burn but the paprika got a little dark. :)

Zuppa Toscana Soup

I found this recipe at the SteakNPotatoesKindaGurl blog.  It is supposedly an Olive Garden copycat recipe.  However, I have not eaten this soup at Olive Garden in forever, so I can not verify or deny that.  Now, that being said, I LOVE it!!!!  This was SOOO delicious and it can be made in the crockpot (which is what I did) so even better!!

Here is what you need.

• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 1 lb ground hot Italian sausage
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups (32 oz) chicken stock
• 3 cups russet potatoes, cubed
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups kale, in bite size pieces
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• parmesan cheese, grated

Directions for stove top cooking:

1) In a large pot, cook the bacon until crispy. Drain the grease. Add the sausage, breaking it apart as it cooks. Once sausage is browned and crumbled, drain off grease leaving a tbsp to saute the onion.

2) Push the sausage and bacon to the edge of the pot and add the onion to the center; saute until translucent; add garlic; saute until fragrant.
3) Stir in the stock and potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
4) Add kale and heavy whipping cream. Bring to a simmer. Top with parmesan cheese, when serving. 

Directions for crockpot cooking:
1) Cook the bacon until crispy.  Drain the grease.  Add the sausage, breaking it apart as it cooks.  Once sausage is browned and crumbled, drain off almost all the grease.  Push the sausage and crumbled bacon to the side and add the onion and saute until translucent.  Add the garlic.
2) Transfer contents of skillet to crockpot.  Add in the chicken stock and potatoes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook for 4-8 hours on low.
3) About 30 min-1 hour before serving, turn heat to high.  Add in the kale and whipping cream.  Stir and let cook.
4) Serve with grated parmesan.

Spicy Sausage and Pasta

I often feel that I am falling off the wagon with this blog.  I admit that it is not a priority but more of a catch all that keeps things organized for me whenever I get around to typing something or adding something.  Anyway, the point is, I am still trying new recipes.  I stumbled upon this one on Pinterest and give credit to the blog Kevin & Amanda for the picture, but it originally comes from the Best Simple Recipe cookbook.  As I always mention, a recipe is filed as a "keeper" and "blogable" if my son inhales the dish.  That was the case tonight.

Here is what you need:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb smoked sausage
1.5 cups diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chiles, Mild
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz penne pasta
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions

1.) Add olive oil to an oven-safe skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and onions and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2.) Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.
3.) Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with scallions. Broil until cheese is melted, spotty brown, and bubbly.

Makes 4 servings

It is a super fast and easy meal to make and it is super yummy.

Zuppa Toscana Soup

This was a super yummy soup. It is supposed to be a copycat to Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana. I have not had that at the Olive Garden for a long time so I can not say if it was a "true" copycat. I do know that this was super yummy and we LOVED it. And the best part is...I made it in the crockpot!!!

Here is what you need:
4 slices bacon, diced
1 lb ground hot Italian sausage
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups (32 oz) chicken stock
3 cups russet potatoes, cubed
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cups kale, in bite size pieces
1 cup heavy whipping cream
parmesan cheese, grated

1) brown sausage in a skillet. Add the onion and sauté. Drain.
2) combine all ingredients except kale, parmesan and whipping cream into the crockpot.
3) cook on low 6-8 hours.
4) during the last 30 minutes to hour of cooking add the kale and whipping cream.
5) serve topped with Parmesan if desired.

Enjoy!!

Sausage Corn Chowder

It is pretty much soup season again!!!! I am very excited about this.  This was a new soup for my family, and we all LOVED it! RJ, the picky 4 year-old, even ate 2 bowls.  Though the recipe is a stove top recipe and that is how I made it tonight, it can easily be adaptable for the crockpot too.

Here is what you need:
1 pound sausage
1 Cup chopped onion
3 Cups cubed red potatoes (I used 3 small Russet because that is what I had)
2 Cups water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp marjoram, crushed
1/8 tsp pepper
1 15oz can whole kernel corn, drained
1 14oz can cream style corn
1 12oz can evaporated milk
***I also used about 1 cup chicken broth because it needed a little more liquid for my liking.

1) Cook sausage and onion until sausage is browned.  Drain off grease.
2) Return sausage and onion to dutch oven or pot.  Add in cubed potatoes, water, salt, marjoram, and pepper.  Bring to boiling; reduce the heat.  Simmer covered for 10 minutes. (I had maybe 30 minutes to an hour before the hubs came home, so I just turned the burner WAY down to the lowest setting and just let it simmer until he got home.  Then I did step 3.  This is also why I think I had to add the chicken broth.  I think the water just cooked off.)
3) Stir in the whole kernel corn, cream corn, and evaporated milk.  Cook and stir until heated through.

As I said, yummy!!!

Makes 6 servings; 491 calories per serving

Pizza Casserole

This casserole was quite a yummy twist on pizza.  I like the fact that it had all the pizza flavor with without the usual "pizza."  It is hard to describe, but the important thing is that we all LOVED it.

Here is what you need:
1 Bag Egg Noodles, cooked
1 large can/bottle Spaghetti Sauce (maybe slightly more
3 Cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 lb sausage or hamburger
1 package pepperoni

1) Preheat oven to 350 and grease/spray 2 qt casserole or 9x13 pan.
2) Layer 1: Just enough sauce to cover the bottom.  Layer 2: 1/2 of cooked noodles.  Layer 3: 1/2 of ground meat.  Layer 4: 1/2 of remaining sauce.  Layer 5: 1/2 of cheese.  Layer 6: Rest of ground meat. Layer 7: Rest of sauce.  Layer 8: Rest of cheese.  Layer 9: Top with pepperoni.
3) Cover and bake for 30.  Remove the cover and back for 15 additional minutes.
4) Let sit for 10 minutes and serve and enjoy!

Sausage Tortellini Soup-Crockpot

We LOVE soup at our house, so what's better then soup on a cold Sunday afternoon? Coming home on that cold Sunday afternoon from church to a soup that is all but finished. Now that being said, in order for my hubby to eat soup willingly and like it, the soup has to be interesting, different, and not bland. So, I am always on the look-out for "unusual" soup recipes. This was one. It is SO simple and straight forward, yet it is not one that I would have ever thought to "create" on my own. I am so happy that I stumbled upon this recipe!

Here is what you need:
2-14 oz cans of Italian style stewed tomatoes, undrained (I used Italian diced because it is what I had)
3 Cups water
2 Cups frozen green beans
1-10.5 oz can French onion soup
8 oz sausage of choice (I just used regular pork because it is what I had, but next time I want to use chorizo or Italian)
2 Cups shredded carrots and cabbage mix (coleslaw mix...I used the Broccoli slaw package mix in the produce section)
1-9 oz package frozen cheese-filled tortellini (I think mine was 12 or 16 oz package)
shredded cheese

1) In the crockpot, combine tomatoes, water, frozen green beans, water, soup, and cooked sausage.
2) Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours. (Again, know your slow cooker...I cooked mine on low for 4-6 hours-ish, and it was perfectly fine.)
3) 20-30 minutes before serving, add in the cabbage mix and tortellini. Stir to combine. Cover and cook the remaining 15-20 minutes.
4) Serve with shredded cheese, if desired.

Note: I did not have frozen green beans. I only had canned green beans. I drained them and added them in with the cabbage and tortellini at step 3. This tasted perfectly fine.

My hubby and 3-year old both LOVED this one and both devoured it! There were no leftovers or time for pictures.

Serving size: appx 6 servings