One Pot Baked Rice with Sausage and Broccoli

Like most people, I'm a big fan of one pot meals. So when my friend Amy posted this recipe for {One Pot} Baked Rice with Sausage and Broccoli I knew I had to try it.

After reading the recipe I was skeptical and I actually messaged Amy to make sure it was only 2 1/4 cups of chicken broth to 1 1/4 cups of Arborio rice. You know Arborio rice as the rice used to make risotto. Whenever I make risotto I need at least 5, usually 6, cups of chicken broth to fully cook the rice. I couldn't imagine using just 1/3 that amount in this dish. But Amy assured me it was correct and since I trust her, I went with it (although I did threaten her with our pizza delivery bill if she steered me wrong).

And you know what, it worked! The resulting dish isn't creamy like risotto, but the rice was fully cooked. And quite tasty. The original recipe calls for 8oz of sausage but SP thought that wasn't enough so I upped the recipe below to a full pound. Otherwise this was perfect. And so ridiculously simple, too. I love easy weeknight meals and this was definitely one I'll be making again.

{One Pot} Baked Rice with Sausage and Broccoli
As seen on Very Culinary

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed, broken into pieces
1 medium sweet onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1 1/4 cups Arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 head of broccoli (about 6 ounces), cut into 2-inch florets

Preheat oven to 400.

Heat oil in a large, heavy ovenproof skillet, over medium-high. Cook sausage, stirring often, breaking up the pieces until no pink remains, about 3 minutes. Stir in onion and garlic; cook until translucent, about 3 more minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper.

Stir in rice to coat in the oil, then add the wine. Bring to a boil. Cook until the rice has absorbed almost all of the liquid, about 1 minute. Add the broth and bring back to a boil.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the broccoli over the top of the rice and bake for another 10 minutes, until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid.

Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and stir the rice and broccoli together. Cover the skillet and let it stand for 10 more minutes. Place a pot holder on the handle so you don't forget that it's hot.

Taste and add more salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve.

Pasta with Smashed Peas, Sausage, and Ricotta Cheese

We had an almost-full container of ricotta cheese in the fridge, so I asked SP to search for a recipe to use it up. He found this one for Tagliatelle with Smashed Peas, Sausage, and Ricotta Cheese that sounded both easy and delicious.

Like I do with most pasta recipes these days, I only used a half pound instead of the full pound. Cutting down on the pasta while keeping the filler ingredients the same is an easy way for us to get our pasta fix without going overboard. I also cut the peas down from a full pound to a half pound because, wow a pound is a lot of peas. SP wanted the sauce to be smoother. We couldn't taste the ricotta at all, which was disappointing, but we still enjoyed it.

Pasta with Smashed Peas, Sausage, and Ricotta Cheese
Giada De Laurentiis

1/2 pound fresh or dried tagliatelle pasta (or other wide, long pasta)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 pound frozen peas, thawed
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 bunch fresh basil leaves chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup fresh grated Pecorino Romano cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet heat the olive oil and garlic over medium-high heat and add the sausage. Use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage into bite-sized bits.

Once the sausage has browned, about 5 minutes, remove and set aside. Add the peas to the pan and, using the back of the wooden spoon, smash the peas.

Turn off the heat. Add the ricotta cheese along with the cooked pasta and toss to coat, adding the pasta cooking water in 1/4 cup additions, if needed, to make the pasta moist. Return the sausage to the pan. Add the basil, Pecorino Romano cheese, and salt. Toss gently to coat and serve immediately

Pasta alla Norcina

Baby Girl loves to watch cooking shows on TV. I'll admit, the first time she told me she wanted to watch Lidia I shed a tear. When we aren't crazy busy with other activities we'll spend some quiet time Saturday afternoon watching cooking on PBS. That's pretty much how I developed my love of cooking so she's in good company.

One afternoon recently we were watching America's Test Kitchen and they made this recipe for Pasta alla Norcina. It had everything we love in one dish - pasta, mushrooms and sausage, with a touch of heavy cream thrown in to gild the lily. I immediately found the recipe online and printed it off.

This was my first time making orecchiette for Baby Girl and she couldn't get enough. She was eating the plain pasta right out of the colander after I drained it. SP told me I could make this once a week and he'd be happy. It may seem a little time consuming with all the steps (it wouldn't be an ATK recipe without all those steps) but the result is well worth it. And it really doesn't take that long to put together.

I doubled the recipe (printed below) so we'd have enough for leftovers the next day. This makes a lot - I'd say 6-8 servings if you have a veggie on the side - so the original recipe would probably work fine for a family of 4 without leftovers.

Pasta alla Norcina
From America's Test Kitchen

Kosher salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 ounces ground pork
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
Pinch ground nutmeg
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed
10 teaspoons vegetable oil
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 lb orecchiette
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
3 teaspoons lemon juice

Grease a small dinner plate with vegetable oil spray. Dissolve 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the baking soda in 4 teaspoons water in a medium bowl. Add the pork and fold gently to combine; let stand for 10 minutes.

Add 1 teaspoon garlic, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon pepper to pork and stir and smear with a rubber spatula until well combined and tacky, 10 to 15 seconds. Transfer pork mixture to the greased plate and form into a 6-inch patty.

Pulse the mushrooms in a food processor until finely chopped, 10 to 12 pulses.

Heat 4 teaspoons oil in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the sausage patty and cook without moving it until the bottom is browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until the second side is well browned, 1 to 2 minutes longer (very center of patty will be raw). Remove pan from heat, transfer sausage to cutting board, and roughly chop. Transfer sausage to bowl and add cream; set aside.

Cook pasta, drain and reserve 1 1/2 cups cooking water.

While pasta cooks, return now-empty skillet to medium heat. Add 4 teaspoons oil, mushrooms, and pinch salt; cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 2 teaspoon oils, remaining garlic, remaining 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, and � teaspoon pepper; cook until fragrant. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until completely evaporated. Stir in sausage and 1/3 cup reserved cooking water and simmer until meat is no longer pink, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in Pecorino until smooth.

Add sauce, parsley, and lemon juice to pasta and toss well to coat. Before serving, adjust consistency with remaining reserved cooking water as needed and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Breakfast Bowls

Every night someone on my cooking board will ask "what's for dinner?" One night my friend Heather said her husband was making breakfast bowls. I immediately asked her for the recipe. I finally got around to making them one weekend when we didn't have plans and needed a hearty breakfast to hold us over until dinner.

This dirties a few pans but it's worth it. So, so worth it. The flavors come together so well and the combination of hash browns, breakfast meat, eggs and cheese is very filling. You can also add any veggies you choose. I did onions and mushrooms, but Heather uses peppers as well. Use your imagination - this is a great way to use up any leftover veggies in your fridge.

I ended up putting everything into a large, round Corningware dish then dividing it in half for us to eat, but if you have larger, oven-safe bowls I think it would be fun to make these as individual servings. I cooked the full pound of breakfast sausage but froze half since it was just the two of us eating (Baby Girl stole bites from our plates since she'd already had breakfast). I can't wait to make these again.

Breakfast Bowls
From my friend Heather
Serves 4

1 pound ground breakfast sausage (Jimmy Dean's)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Shredded hash browns, fresh or frozen
1 tablespoon butter

1 green or red pepper, chopped (optional)
1 onion, chopped
8 mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1 cup shredded cheddar
8 eggs, scrambled
1 tomato, diced
4 scallions, sliced

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, breaking it up into small pieces. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink. Remove the sausage from the skillet.

While the sausage is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in another large non-stick skillet. Add as much of the hash browns as you want to the pan. Cook, turning often, until they're brown and crispy. Divide the hash browns evenly among 4 oven-safe bowls or one, large oven-safe dish.

Add the butter to the now-empty skillet and add the veggies. Cook over medium heat until they soften. Add the veggies to the bowls on top of the hash browns. Sprinkle some of the cheese on top, then add the cooked sausage.

Add the eggs to the pan the sausage was in and cook until slightly under done. Divide the eggs among the bowls and top with the rest of the cheese.

Place the bowls on a cookie sheet and bake until heated through and the cheese has melted, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the chopped tomato and scallion. Serve immediately.

NOTE: You can use cooked, chopped bacon instead of the sausage and cubed breakfast potatoes instead of the hash browns. You can also cook the eggs over easy instead of scrambling them and put them on the top of the bowls (potatoes, meat and cheese) once they come out of the oven.

Penne with Sausage and Mushroom Ragu

Amy recently posted this recipe for Penne with Sausage and Mushroom Ragu that I knew would be right up our alley. Pasta is definitely my go-to for easy weeknight meals, SP loves mushrooms and Baby Girl loves sausage. Win-win.

This was a simple, delicious, hearty dinner that we all happily gobbled up.

Penne with Sausage and Mushroom Ragu
As seen on Very Culinary

1 pound penne pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small sweet onion, diced small
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound Italian sausage
1/3 cup white wine
1 can (28 ounce) diced tomatoes
4 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions.

In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add in garlic and cook for about 20 seconds. Add in mushrooms and cook until softened, about 3 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper and the red pepper flakes. Add in sausage and cook, breaking up into small pieces until no pink remains, about 3 more minutes. Raise heat to high and pour in the wine; cook until evaporated. Add in tomatoes, along with their juice, and bring to a simmer.

Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, along with the spinach. Toss to coat and allow the leaves to wilt. Add in the Parmesan, taste, and season with salt and pepper if necessary.

Chorizo and Egg Breakfast Burritos

I've had my eye on Melissa's Chorizo and Egg Breakfast Burritos forever. I think the thing keeping me from making them was that she uses fresh, uncooked chorizo and I knew my supermarket only carried the fully cooked variety. In retrospect that seems like a silly reason to put off making them, but there you have it.

One recent Sunday Baby Girl and I spent a few hours together in the kitchen making these burritos and a batch of the sausage and spinach egg bake. I love having these easy breakfasts stored in the freezer for those mornings when I don't feel like cooking eggs (my go-to breakfast item).

Since my chorizo was already cooked I just chopped the links into small pieces and cooked them in the pan for a few minutes to crisp them up a bit. Using fully cooked sausage vs. fresh means there was a less even distribution of chorizo, but I enjoyed the bigger pieces of chorizo when I came across them in my burrito.

As for the recommendation to reheat these on a paper towel - do NOT forget that step. I'm kicking myself for not thinking of the paper towel trick earlier. I've reheated many a soggy breakfast burrito but these are perfect right out of the freezer. I can't wait to try some other fillings.

Chorizo and Egg Breakfast Burritos
As seen on Alosha's Kitchen

8 ounces chorizo
8 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
8 flour tortillas (large taco or fajitas size)

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chorizo and let it sizzle for about 5 minutes or until cooked through (my homemade version releases quite a bit of liquid, but it all cooks up in the end).

Push the chorizo to one side of the pan and pour in the eggs. Let the eggs sit for a few minutes, then stir to combine with chorizo. Continue to stir together until eggs are completely cooked. Remove from the heat and top with the cheese.

Set up the egg pan next to your stack of tortillas.

Divide the chorizo and egg mixture into 8 sections. Place 1/8 on the bottom half of one tortilla. Fold one vertical side in, then the other, then roll and tuck in the sides. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet or plate. Repeat with until all the mixture and tortillas have been used.

Wrap each burrito in plastic wrap and store them in a Ziploc freezer bag.

To reheat, place a frozen burrito on a paper towel and microwave on high for 1 minute. Test to see if it's done, adding another 30 seconds if needed. Cook time will depend on your microwave's power.

Skillet Baked Ziti with Sausage

Today I'm doing a guest post over at The Way to His Heart. Maeghan's baby boy is due in a few weeks and when she asked me to do a guest post I was thrilled. Maeghan and I met through our cooking board and I love her blog. Head on over to her blog check out the recipe I made.

Pasta with Sausage, Tomato and Corn

This is one of those dinners I threw together after realizing half the ingredients I was planning to use had gone bad. My original plan was to make Mary Ellen's Pasta with Chorizo, but the chorizo had reached a birthday and the red pepper was moldy. Luckily I had some grape tomatoes and Italian sausage in the freezer so I decided to wing it.

I seasoned the dish with some creole seasoning to try to mimic the flavors in the chorizo and thought I'd toss in some frozen corn. This ended up being a little too spicy for Baby Girl but SP and I really enjoyed it.

Pasta with Sausage, Tomato and Corn
A Taste of Home Cooking Original

8 ounces short cut pasta
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces Italian sausage, casings removed
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
Creole seasoning, to taste
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions, reserving one cup of pasta cooking water once done. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook for about three minutes, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon, until it's starting to brown.

Add the scallions to the skillet, and cook for three minutes, until softened, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, mushrooms and creole seasoning to taste. Cook another 3 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft and the sausage is cooked through.

Add the tomatoes to the skillet, and cook until starting to soften, about another 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and heat for a minute. Stir in the pasta and the cheese, adding some of the reserved pasta cooking water if needed. Season with salt and pepper, if needed, then toss to combine.

Italian Sausage, Potato and Kale Soup

I'm sorry for the lack of posts lately. We were very fortunate that Hurricane Sandy only caused us to lose power for a few days. As I'm sure you know, many people are still without power, lost their homes or businesses. It was a catastrophic storm for this area, especially my beloved Jersey Shore, a place we've taken Baby Girl many times in her short life.

I've still been cooking, but I've mostly been making meals I've already blogged about. And now there's a new wrinkle in my blogging - the end of daylight savings time. It gets dark around 5pm now and at that point I haven't even started dinner. I'll likely be photographing leftovers the next day until spring returns.

This Italian Sausage, Potato and Kale Soup is from my dear friend Melissa. As I've mentioned before, she only blogs about truly fantastic meals so I knew this soup would be a hit. This was actually my first time buying or cooking kale and I was surprised that we liked it. Kale is incredibly good for you, so that's an added bonus.

My sausage didn't have fennel but Melissa told me to just add dried oregano, which brightened up the flavor immensely. I also added some salt, which she left out of the original ingredient list but which I found necessary to bring out the fullness of the soup.

Italian Sausage, Potato and Kale Soup
As seen on Alosha's Kitchen

4 thick slices applewood smoked bacon, chopped
1 pound bulk Italian sausage (with fennel)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (if sausage doesn't have fennel)
1 large sweet onion, diced
4 large cloves garlic, minced
2 large Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 quart chicken stock
1 cup half and half
1 cup water
1 bunch lacinato kale, chopped
Fresh ground black pepper
Kosher salt
Crushed red pepper flakes

Heat large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon and fry until most of the fat is rendered and the pork is somewhat crisp. Drain the bacon on paper towels and pour off most of the fat from the pot, leaving the bottom just coated. Add the bacon back to the pot along with the Italian sausage. Cook the sausage for 4 or 5 minutes, breaking it into chunks with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink.

Add the onions and garlic and continue to cook until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and stir to combine. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes (test one with a fork). Pour in half and half and water and stir to heat through. Toss in the kale and stir until slightly wilted.

Season with fresh ground black pepper and salt, adding crushed red pepper flakes, as desired.

Recipe Swap: Cajun Mac and Cheese

It's recipe swap time again. I love these recipe swaps and I'm thrilled that the ladies who participate enjoy them as well. As I've mentioned before, Blogger's Choice is the most popular theme for the swaps since it allows everyone the freedom to pick any recipe they want from their assigned blog. In fact, people love it so much I've decided to alternate between a theme and Blogger's Choice starting the end of July and going into mid-October.

This time I was assigned my friend Christina's blog, Tales from a Mad Men Kitchen. Christina had a lot of recipes I wanted to try, but I've had my eye on this Cajun Mac and Cheese since I saw it in Food Network Magazine and was disappointed when I didn't get it for the Noodle Swap. It was an obvious pick for me since we love mac and cheese.


Mary Ellen, the blogger who made this for the Noodle Swap, thought the flavors were a little flat so I made some changes to make sure this had plenty of oomph. I think the brand of andouille used probably has a lot to do with the spice level. Ours had a nice kick to it. I also made my own Cajun Spice Mix, which added another layer of spice. I opted to swap the cheddar for pepper Jack, not thinking that Monterey Jack is a mild cheese. In the recipe below, I changed the cheese to half cheddar, half pepper Jack, which I think will work perfectly.

This had a definite kick to it. The sauce was a little runny the first night, but perfect for leftovers the next day after the pasta absorbed some of the liquid. If you make your own spice blend you can control the heat, leaving out the cayenne if spice isn't your thing and increasing it if you want more kick. The little bites of andouille and red pepper were great and the onion flavor was nice and mild from the scallions. It's also a gorgeous plate of food. Just look at those colors. I served the mac and cheese with a salad made with mixed greens, diced tomato, diced avocado and some frozen corn I defrosted, tossed with a simple vinaigrette made with rice vinegar, oil, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Super simple and delicious.

Cajun Mac and Cheese
Slightly Modified from Christina Cooks

Kosher salt
12 ounces wagon-wheel pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces andouille sausage, diced
2 cups thinly sliced scallions
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon Cajun spice blend (see below)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
4 ounces Pepper Jack cheese, cut into cubes
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cut into cubes

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 1 minute less than the label directs. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta.

Meanwhile, combine the olive oil and sausage in a large skillet over high heat and cook, stirring, until the sausage starts to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the scallions and bell pepper and cook until the vegetables are slightly soft, about 3 more minutes. Add the Cajun spice and flour and cook, stirring, 2 more minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and continue whisking until the sauce is thick and smooth, about 5 more minutes.

Add the pasta, cheese and reserved cooking water to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, tossing to coat the pasta in the sauce and melt the cheese, about 1 minute.

Cajun Spice Mix

3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Stir together all the spices until evenly blended. Store in an airtight container.

Pasta with Sausage, Beans, and Mascarpone

If you've read this blog for any length of time you know that I have a weakness for cream sauces, especially in pasta dishes. I've seen this recipe for Orecchiette with Sausage, Beans, and Mascarpone floating around the blogosphere for awhile and figured it was time to see what all the fuss was about.


After looking at the ingredient list I knew my first task would be finding a substitute for mascarpone. I'm sure the stuff is great but I'd rather use ingredients that I already keep on hand then spend extra money for a specialty item. A quick Google search led me to this recipe at food.com. I really appreciated the tool to increase or decrease the serving size to adjust for different recipes. The original recipe yielded 10 ounces and I only needed 4 ounces or 1/2 cup. Easy peasy.

I subbed nugget pasta for the orecchiette simply because I had a box at home and, again, didn't want to spend the money for a specialty item when I had something else at home already. Next time pasta is on sale at my supermarket I plan to stock up on mini shells, so next time I'll use those. As the original blogger said, the crevice in the orecchiette/shells is perfect for cradling the sausage and beans, although the nuggets were fine in a pinch.

My only complaint about this dish was that there wasn't more sauce. I'm thinking about upping the amount of mascarpone ingredients next time to see if that helps. Otherwise this was outstanding, if a little spicy from the red pepper flakes. I've made them optional in the recipe below but if you like spice use them. I prefer my cream sauces mild, thankfyouverymuch.

If 1/2 pound of sausage seems like too little for 1 pound of pasta never fear; the beans more than make up for it. I wish I'd taken my own advice, though. I thought the pan seemed a little empty so I used a full pound of sausage and it overwhelmed the finished dish once everything else had been added. Next time I'll stick with a 1/2 pound.

Orecchiette with Sausage, Beans, and Mascarpone
Modified from Stirring the Pot

1 pound orecchiette or shell pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound Italian turkey sausage, casing removed
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup Marsala wine (you can also use brandy, sherry or Madeira)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 ounces cream cheese
1/8 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid.

In a large, heavy skillet warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and onions. Using a wooden spoon, break up the sausage into bite-sized pieces as it browns. Continue cooking until the sausage is golden and the onions are tender. Add the garlic and stir, cooking about 1 minute until you can smell the garlic. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup Marsala wine, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add the beans, oregano, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes (if using) and cook for 2 more minutes. Add 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid and stir. Add the cream cheese, heavy cream and sour cream and stir until it dissolves into a light sauce. Add the salt, pepper, and hot pasta. Stir until coated and serve.