Cheesy Sausage & Potato Breakfast Casserole

I made this on Christmas morning and it is super good!

Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole

1 pound breakfast sausage in a roll, cooked (I used Jimmy Dean Sage)
1 yellow onion, chopped, sauteed in the sausage when the sausage is about done
7 eggs
1/2 cup milk
20 ounce bag frozen Ore-Ida Diced Hash Browns, defrosted in the microwave.  Mine took about 8 minutes and were nice and warm.  I like to pre-cook them if not they still have a raw bite to them.
2 cups of shredded cheddar, mild or sharp
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 9 x 13 with non-stick spray.  Set aside.

Prepare sausage and onions.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, including sausage and onions.  Pour into prepared casserole dish.  Reserve roughly one cup of the cheese for topping.

Bake for 35 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with reserved cheese.  Return to oven for 10 minutes.

Allow casserole to cool for 15-20 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!

I didn't take any other pictures of the inside of the casserole, just totally forgot.  The breakfast in the pie dish is my favorite Ham & Swiss pie.

Chicken with Sausage, Peppers, & Onions

Here is another wonderful recipe I found on Pinterest.  It is from Sugar & Spice by Celeste.  I did have to make a few modifications since I don't have a large enough skillet for this recipe.  I started it on the stove top and then then put it in a baking dish for the oven part.

1 tbs light olive oil

8 ounces sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves (I only had boneless, skinless chicken)

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1 medium onion, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick 

1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch strips

3–5 pickled hot cherry peppers , stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped

3 medium garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp granulated sugar

1/3 cup white wine vinegar plus 2 additional tbs

3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth plus 1 tbs

1 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves

1 tbs minced fresh parsley leaves 

Heat oven to 375

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Add sausage and break apart.  Cook until no longer pink and remove to a paper lined plate.

Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Add chicken to the skillet and brown on both sides until golden brown.  Transfer to a plate. Wipe out skillet and return it to the stove top.

Add a bit more olive oil and cook onion for about two minutes.  Add the red pepper and cherry peppers.  Cook until they begin to soften, about 4 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Add sugar, 1/3 cup vinegar, and 3/4 cup broth.  Bring mixture to boil, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Place the onion and peppers in a baking dish, mine is a bit smaller than a 13x9 pan.  Then place the sausage and chicken.

Bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked through.

Combine the 1 tbs stock, cornstarch, thyme.

Remove baking dish from the oven.  Remove the pan juices and put into a small sauce pan and heat on high until bubbling.  Add the cornstarch mixture and allow to thicken.

Adjust seasoning of the sauce, you can add a bit more vinegar.  Spoon the sauce around the chicken and serve immediately.

I served this with baked potatoes.  This came out really good and I loved the hot peppers with it.

Sausage Rolls

Here was our main course for Saturday's Dinner and Movie - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  The recipe comes from the Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook

We did make a double batch and used different kinds of sausage.

1 box of store bought puff pastry
Spicy brown mustard
1 pound sausages or hot dogs
1 egg beaten with 1 tbs of water

Preheat oven to 425.  Grease and flour a cookie sheet or line with parchment.

Unroll thawed puff pastry sheets and cut out 8 to 10 4 1/2 inch squares.  Spread mustard on each square.  Place a sausage on the edge of the puff pastry and roll up.  Lay the rolls on the cookie sheet and brush with the egg wash.  Cut three slits on top of each sausage roll.

Bake for 10 minutes then reduce heat to 375 and bake for another 10 minutes until puffed and golden.

For the sausages I did precook them.  I used regular Sweet Italian Pepper and Onion and Chicken sausage with Sundried Tomato.  I can tell you the Chicken sausage was a major fail.  They tasted bland.  The hot dog and Sweet Italian sausage ones were a big hit.

Freezer Meals - Sausage and Peppers

So the other day I posted about making four freezer meals.  Today I decided to make up the sausage and pepper bag.

I let it defrost for an hour in a bowl of cold water.  Then dumped it into my crock pot and cooked on low for 7 hours.  It was smelling done and my crock pot automatically turns to Keep Warm.

I served this over Bow Tie Pasta.  I liked that it is a very light "sauce" and not a heavy red sauce. 

Chicken, Sausage and Peppers

This was what we were originally going have during our Lady and the Tramp movie night.  I made spaghetti and meatballs instead.   So I made this for dinner last night and had a couple of nice crusty/chewy slices of Italian bread with it.  The recipe came from the March issue of Food Network Magazine.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, cut into chunks (I used a mix of both)
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 small onion, chopped
2 Italian green frying peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used a Woodbridge Pinot Grigio)
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
2 jarred pickled cherry peppers, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons liquid

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage until golden, about 2 minutes. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then toss with the flour in a bowl; add to the skillet and cook until browned but not cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Add the onion, peppers, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste and cook 3 minutes. Add the wine, scraping up any browned bits; bring to a boil and cook until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Add the broth and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook until the sausage and chicken are cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the chicken, sausage and vegetables to a platter with a slotted spoon. Increase the heat to high and stir the parsley and cherry peppers and their liquid into the skillet; boil until reduced by one-third, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Pour the sauce over the chicken mixture.

It was very yummy and very light.  This is a definite keeper!

Pasta Fagioli Soup

Time to use it!  In the fridge I had some things that needed to be used up and same with the pantry and I came up with this for dinner last night.

1/4 pound hot Italian sausage links (removed from casing and crumbled)
1/4 pound mild Italian sausage links (removed from casing and crumbled)
1 small onion chopped
Drizzle of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic minced
4 cups chicken stock
1 can (14 1/2 oz) Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, not drained
2 cups water
3/4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (I used a mix of white and whole wheat elbows)
salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 large handfuls of spinach leaves
grated Parmesan or Asigao cheese

In a dutch oven, cook the sausage over medium heat until no longer pink.  Drain and set aside.  In the same dutch oven saute the onion in the olive oil until the onion is tender and translucent add the garlic and cook for about one minute more.  Be careful not to burn the garlic.

Add the cooked sausage, stock, beans, tomatoes, water, pasta, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Cook for 8-10 minutes stirring frequently so the pasta does not stick to the bottom of the pot.

Reduce heat to low and stir in the spinach leaves and let cook down for 5 -8 minutes or until the spinach is wilted.

Garnish with the shredded cheese and serve with nice crusty bread.

Italian Sub Sandwiches

1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage links, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 medium red peppers, thinly sliced
2 medium green peppers, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste
Provolone cheese

8 submarine sandwich buns, about 10 inches, split

In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat just until no longer pink; drain. Add the onions, peppers and garlic. Cover and cook for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes and oregano. Cover and simmer for 5 - 6 minutes or until tomatoes are cooked. Season with salt and pepper.

Fill each roll to your liking and place provolone cheese on top. Place top bun and let cheese melt a bit.

Sausage and Pepper Po'Boy

Dinner tonight will be Sausage and Pepper Po'Boy sandwiches from Emeril's new cookbook 20-40-60.

2 tbs olive oil
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 cups sliced yellow onions
2 tsp Emeril's Original Essence
1 tsp dried Italian herbs
1 pound mild Italian sausages, removed from casings and crumbled
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbs Louisiana hot sauce or other red hot sauce
1 loaf soft French bread, cut into four 6 inch sections, each section sliced in half horizontally
4 oz sliced provolone cheese

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the bell peppers, onions, Essence and Italian herbs. Cook until the vegetables have softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the peppers and onions to a paper towel lined plate.

Add the crumbled sausage to the hot pan and cook until the meat is cooked through and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat broiler.

In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise and the hot sauce.

To assemble the po-boys, spread the cut sides of each piece of bread with spicy mayonnaise. Divide the sausage evenly among the 4 bottom pieces of bread, then top evenly with the peppers and onions. Arrange cheese slices over the filled bottom halves and over the cut side of each top portion.

Place the sandwich halves on a baking sheet, cheese sides up, and heat under the broiler just until the cheese melts, 1 to 2 minutes. Press halves together and serve immediately.

Sausage Stuffed Manicotti

I made this for dinner, the recipe comes from a Better Homes and Garden, Ultimate Casseroles magazine.

12 dried manicotti pasta
1 pound Italian sausage
1 (15 oz) carton ricotta cheese
1 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese (4oz)
2 tsp dried basil, crushed
3 cups marinara sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Place pasta in a single layer on a sheet of greased foil.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook sausage over medium high heat until brown. Drain off fat. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan, and basil. Stir in cooked sausage. Using a small spoon, fill pasta with sausage mixture. I used a disposable piping bag and cut the tip off. Arrange filled pasta in an ungreased 3 quart baking dish. Pour marinara sauce over pasta. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Bake, covered for 20 minutes. Bake uncovered, about 10 minutes more or until mixture is heated through and cheese is melted.

Makes 6 servings.

Spicy Chicken and Sausage Soup

I am putting this in the crock pot this morning. I found the recipe in a Betty Crocker Magazine called Best Love Casseroles. I think I need to make some sort of bread to go along with it.

1 package boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1/2 tsp red pepper sauce
1/2 lb cooked kielbasa, sliced
1 cup frozen bell pepper and onion stir fry, thawed (I am just subbing fresh veggies)
1/2 cup uncooked instant white rice

Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, mix chicken, tomatoes, broth, water and red pepper sauce.


Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.


Stir in kielbasa, stir fry vegetables and rice. Increase heat setting to high. Cover and cook 10 to 15 minutes longer or until rice is tender.

Italian Sausage Soup

Victoria picked this out of a magazine, but I am doubling some of the ingredients. Below is how I am making it right now.

2 pounds Italian Sausage links (casing removed and any kind that you like. I am using sweet)
1 large onion chopped
2 large carrots chopped
2 large stalks of celery chopped
8 cups chicken stock (2 boxes)
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp dried Italian seasoning
2 bay leaves
1/2 to 1 cup dried orzo pasta

In a large dutch oven, cook sausage, onion, carrot and celery over medium high heat until sausage is brown, stirring to break up meat as it cooks. Drain well.

Add stock, tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic, Italian seasoning and bay leaves to sausage mixture. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Add uncooked pasta. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes more.

Discard bay leaves. If desired top each serving with a little shredded Parmesan cheese.

Italian Sausage Supper

Here is what I am making for dinner.

1 pound mild Italian sausage, casing removed
1 cup chopped onion
3 medium zucchini, sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2/3 cup (6 oz can) tomato paste
1 cup water
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups cooked rice
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

In a large skillet, brown sausage with onion, stirring to break up sausage; drain reserving 1 tbs drippings.

Spoon sausage mixture into a greased 2 qt casserole dish. Add zucchini to skillet; saute for 5 minutes until crisp tender.

In a medium bowl, combine tomato paste, water, basil and salt. Stir in rice. Spoon over sausage mixture. Arrange zucchini slices on top; sprinkle with the cheeses. Cover and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Baked Ziti

Here is what I am making for dinner.

1 lb ziti pasta, cooked al dente
1 lb Italian sausage, cooked and chopped
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 tablespoons parsley
2 teaspoons italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 (28 ounce) jar pasta sauce, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

Cook ziti according to package directions; drain; set aside.

Mix ricotta, egg, parsley, 1-1/2 cups of the mozarella cheese, and parmesan cheese and seasonings in a large bowl.

Mix cooked sausage and pasta in with ricotta mixture.

Mix in 3/4 jar of sauce.

Transfer mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish.

Top with the rest of the sauce and mozarella cheese.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Pasta Sauce Overload!

I just put dinner in the crock pot. Tonight is what I call Pasta Sauce Overload!

1 pound of homemade meatballs (recipe below)
2 pounds of Italian sausage links (any kind, but I like sweet)
3 jars of Newman's Own Marinara
2 small cans of diced tomato

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1 pound ground beef (or turkey)
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I like plain then add my own herbs and spices)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the good stuff, not from a can)

In a bowl, mix the ground beef (or turkey), bread crumbs, what ever herbs and spices that you like, eggs, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. I used my medium cookie scoop to make the balls. Put one layer on the bottom of your crock pot.

Next I put a jar of Newman's Own Marinara and a can of diced tomatoes.

Now a layer of italian sausage links. I like to take the skin off and pinch off pieces about the size of the meatballs. Put on top of the sauce.

Next another layer of meatballs. Pour another jar of Newman's Own Marinara.

Layer another package of italian sausage skin taken off and pieces pinched off the size of the meatballs.

Pour one more can of diced tomato ontop of the sausage.

Lastly another jar of Newman's Own Marinara.

Cover and cook on high for 5 1/2 hours.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo (crockpot)

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo (crockpot version)

1/2 pound smoke sausage, sliced
1 cup onion chopped
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
8 cups water
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
dash of hot sauce
4 cups hot cooked rice
3/4 cup sliced green onions

Brown sausage, onion, and bell pepper in a skillet. Drain fat.

In the crockpot, combine sausage mixture, shredded chicken, water, flour, celery and seasonings.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.

Serve over rice and garnish with green onions

Makes 8 - 10 servings.

While putting this together a few minutes ago, I decided to use 4 cups of water and 4 cups of stock. (One box of Kitchen Basic Chicken stock)

Chicken, Sausage and Farfalle

Chicken, Sausage and Farfalle

1 pound Farfalle Pasta (bow ties)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 pound Italian Sausage
1 tbs olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 can crushed tomatoes (14.5 oz)
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tbs fresh basil
1 tsp rosemary
salt
pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes; drain and set aside.

Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch pieces. Remove casing from sausage and cut into 1 inch pieces. In a large deep skillet or dutch oven over medium low heat, put oil and garlic in to saute and flavor oil. Remove garlic from oil. (You can also just use garlic flavored oil)

Add chicken and sausage and brown both lightly until they are opaque. Add the stock and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes. Season sauce with basil, rosemary, salt and pepper to taste.

Add cooked pasta to warm back up.

Toss and serve.

UPDATED: I really had to work this recipe!! It smelled very bland so I cut up a green pepper and half and onion. I also added some garlic pepper and a few bay leaves, and a big squirt of tomato paste and black pepper.

After boiling it (at medium temp) for about 25 minutes it smelled very good and tasted great!