Tomato Basil Sausage Soup

Now this dish turned on the thick side for soup. Your could call this a pasta dish with sausage, or a nice thick stew. I'm calling it soup. I'm eating it with a spoon and that's all there is to that. A nice slice of crusty garlic bread wouldn't go amiss either.

Tomato Basil Sausage 'Soup'

1 can (28oz) tomato puree
1/2 - 1 lb mild italian sausage
3-4 carrots, finely diced
2-3 ribs celery, finely diced
small handful fresh basil, chopped
4 tbsp Basil Olive Oil
1/2 lb small pasta
1 can white beans
1 box (32 oz) vegetable or chicken stock

In a large soup pot over medium heat, add the tomato puree and the stock. Heat until it reaches a low simmer, then add the celery and the carrots. Cook about 10 minutes. Increase the heat until you have it just under a boil and add the pasta. Cook for 6 minutes then lower the heat to a mild simmer again.

In a separate pan, heat the olive oil to medium high and add in the sausage, casing removed. Cook until done through, making sure to break into very small bits. About 10 minutes. Pour the contents of this pan all into the soup.

Open the can of white beans, drain the water off, but do not rinse. Add along with the fresh basil.

Bring the soup up to a mild simmer again and cover loosely. Allow a bit of the steam to escape, you don't want your pan to explode.

Let simmer 5-20 minutes. Scrape the bottom of the pan every once in awhile. It's thick and things may stick.

Top with a little roasted garlic sea salt and you're good to go. Just in time for it to snow. Again.

For a thinner soup: add one more box of stock, cook the pasta separately, rinse the beans before adding them and only use 1/2 lb of sausage.

Chipotle Chorizo Sandwich

Hm, I've noticed that everything so far this month has been a bit spicy. It is supposed to be good for your heart, but I'll try to mix it up a bit for the next recipe.

This one is no exception to the spicy rule however. It's tasty and spicy, and while there is cheese and fried things....well, okay, this one isn't great for you. And it's not really a neat meal. You could put it in a pita instead of having it open faced, but as a date food, it really depends on what you are going for. Messy food is suitable when you have been dating for a while. Because you may drop some on yourself, you may laugh, and if he laughs back...maybe he needs a little chorizo and cheese on his shirt too...

Or you guys could just eat it.

Chipotle Chorizo Open Faced Sandwich

1/2 lb chorizo
4 slices bread
4 tbsp Chipotle Olive Oil, divided
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 green pepper, seeded and finely diced
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
handful of french fried onions

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan to medium heat. Add the onions and green peppers. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are softening and becoming translucent. About 5 minutes.

Slice open the chorizo casing and discard. Add the meat into the pan with the onions and peppers, breaking it up well. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the meat is cooked through. About 10 minutes.

Stir in the cheddar cheese. Cover and let melt. Spread the last 2 tbsp of oil on your bread and put in the oven on broil until it just starts to brown. 1-2 minutes. The cheese should be melted by now as well. Stir the meat and cheese mixture to really distribute everything evenly.

Serve over the toasted bread with a sprinkle of fried onions on top of each slice.

Slow Cooked: Spicy Sausage Dip

I made this dish over the weekend. We were supposed to all hang out and watch football. That did not happen and my husband and I were left with all this food to eat. What a shame!

Spicy Sausage Dip

2 16oz packs of spicy italian sausage
2 15oz cans diced tomatoes with chilies
4 8oz packs cream cheese
Zesty Onion, Chipotle or Citrus Habanero Olive Oil

Slit open the sausage casing and crumble the sausage into a large pan. If needed, add a little olive oil. Brown the meat, stirring frequently. Should be about 10 minutes. Drain out the fat and toss the meat in the crock pot.

Stir in the tomatoes with chilies and cube the cream cheese and add that too. Drizzle in some of the olive oil, 1-2 tbsp at first and stir to coat everything well.

Turn the crock pot to low and let cook for 1 hour. Stir occasionally to really mix in the cream cheese. Taste for spice and add a little more olive oil if desired.

Cook for 1 more hour and serve. Great with crackers, or veggies, dip away!

Slow Cooked: Candy Sausage Bites

This is a very different kind of crock pot meal. It's not even much of a meal. It's party food. And it's the fasted slow cooker recipe I've ever made. It only take 1-3 hours, but you can have it on warm for much longer. If you use precooked sausage, it can be ready in 30 minutes.

This is football food!

Candy Sausage Bites

2 lbs sausage, spicy or mild is up to you
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup horseradish
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp Zesty Onion Olive Oil
2 tbsp Vanilla Balsamic

Chop the sausage into small bite sized pieces. It is easier to slice if you put it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Or you can use precooked sausage. That slices nicely. Put the sausage and the onions into your crock pot.

Mix together all the sauce ingredients in another bowl. Whisk well until smoothly combined. Pour over the sausage and onions and stir to coat everything well.

Cover and turn the crock pot on to high about 30 minutes, or until boiling. If using precooked sausage, you can reduce the heat to low and start serving now. If you are using raw sausage, reduce the heat to low and let simmer at least one hour.

The longer this sits, the thicker the sauce will get. If you want it really thick, remove the lid once you reduce the heat to low.

Sausage and Kale with Cheese

March is winding to a close. Spring is upon us, and little flowers are coming up all over. Only too be eaten by hungry bunnies.

But it is still chilly at times, and the gusty winds of March have softened, but not stopped. So I am warming up with some comfort food.

I chose to only warm up a little and used mild sausage for this and cheddar cheese. But you can turn the heat up as far as you like with hot sausage. And you can take my mother's suggestion and add in hot habanero cheese. Phew!

Sausage and Kale with Cheese Sauce

1 pkg Italian sausage, spicy or mild, your call
2-3 cups fresh kale, rinsed and roughly chopped
1/2 - 3/4 cup shredded cheese, your choice
2 tbsp Italian Herb Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
pinch of cumin

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Skin the sausage and break it up into the pan. Saute, stirring occasionally, until it is just about done. This should be around 10-15 minutes, but just check to make sure that most of the pink is gone.

Add the kale and cheese, stirring to fully incorporate. Now add the cumin and salt and pepper. Cover and let cook until the kale wilts and the cheese is completely melted, 2-3 minutes.

Sausages with Grapes

This recipe is something I found to cook just for me. I was unsure about the pairing of grapes with sausage, but don't let that scare you off. It's awesome! So nice and savory. This will be making it into rotation on the days my husband works late. And if adding grapes to sausage is great, I wonder what I can do with grapes and chicken?

Sausage with Grapes and Onions
Adapted from Oui, Chef

2 packages Italian sausage, any kind.
1 large vidalia onion, thinly sliced
3-5 tbsp Italian Herb Olive Oil
4 tbsp Traditional Balsamic Vinegar
2/3 cup vegetable broth
1 large bunch seedless red grapes
Oregano for topping

Heat 1-2 tbsp Italian Herb Olive Oil over medium high heat. Prick the sausages though with a fork. This will keep them from bursting their skins. Add them to the pan and brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Remove sausages and set aside.

Add more oil to the pan and saute the onion until it softens and begins to lightly brown, about 7 minutes. Add Balsamic and chicken broth.

Reduce heat to medium-low and stir the sausages and grapes into the pan. Cover, loosely, and simmer for around 25-30 minutes.

Top with oregano. Serve with bread and salad. (Or mashed potatoes like I did)