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Slow Cooker Lentil & Chicken Sausage Stew Recipe – 5 Points+

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Slow Cooker Lentil & Sausage Stew
Slow Cooker Lentil & Sausage Stew

Slow Cooker Lentil & Sausage Stew

If you’re put off by the title of this soup because it has “lentils” and “chicken sausage” in it or think it sounds too healthy to be good, I hope you decide to give this deliciously easy soup recipe a try anyway. This is a hearty and healthy soup for sure. It’s also simple and delicious. A perfect quick and easy meal that will warm you and your family up from the inside out!

This slow cooker sausage and lentil soup is super easy too. You just toss everything together in your slow cooker and let it cook on low for 8 hours or on high for about 4 hours. You can also simmer it on the stovetop for about 2 hours if you prefer.

I knew I wanted to try it as soon as I saw it in the October/November issue of Healthy Cooking - My favorite healthy cooking magazine at the moment – where it was one of the recipes featured in their “Healthy Slow Cooker” contest.

I think one of the keys to being able to stick with your weight loss plan is finding recipes that you and your whole family can enjoy. (Eating something different from the rest of the family is a no starter for me. It makes getting dinner on the table way too complicated.)

This is one of those recipes you can turn to again and again all winter long. Each 1-1/2 cup serving has only 231 calories and 5 Weight Watchers PointsPlus.

Serve it with cornbread or muffins or crusty bread for a satisfying meal in a bowl.

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Filed Under: 5 PointsPlus, Chicken & Turkey, Slow Cooker, Soups, Stews & Chilis Tagged With:

Easy Healthy Sausage Spinach Wild Rice Soup

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Easy Healthy Sausage Spinach Soup
Easy Healthy Sausage Spinach Soup

Easy Healthy Sausage Spinach Soup

This is one of my favorite easy healthy low calorie soups. I first made it back in October 2000, when it caught my eye in Cooking Light Magazine. I clipped it and added it to my favorite recipes file. My mom – a fellow homemade soup lover – thought it was great and wanted the recipe too.

You know you’ve found a winning soup recipe when you’re still making it 11 years later!

I’m not even sure now what the original recipe title was. I just call it Italian sausage, spinach and wild rice soup – since those are the main ingredients. It’s filling and delicious – making it a great choice for a light and healthy weeknight supper (or Sunday night supper when you feel ready to compensate a bit for a weekend of indulgences.)

The recipe calls for wild rice - which is delicious – but expensive – and maybe difficult to find depending on where you live. I’m in Northern Wisconsin right now – where wild rice is plentiful. But I’ve made it with a blend of long grain and wild rice which was good too. So, use what you have – it will still be tasty and delicious.

 

Easy Healthy Sausage Spinach Wild Rice Soup
 
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Cook time

Total time

 

This recipe calls for wild rice, which is delicious, but substitute what you have. It also calls for 3 cups of torn spinach, but I always use more. It also calls for a combination of basil and oregano. I used Italian seasoning blend, since it’s what I had on hand.
Author:
Recipe type: Soup
Serves: 9

Ingredients
  • 1½ cups water
  • ½ cup uncooked wild rice
  • 1 pound turkey Italian sausage
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 3 (16-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 3 cups torn spinach
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Instructions
  1. Bring 1½ cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the wild rice. cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer 1 hour or until tender. Set aside.
  2. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat.Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook, stirring to break up the sausage into small pieces, heat until it begins to brown. Drain sausage, if it seems greasy – but so many of today’s sausages are so lean – there may be nothing to drain.
  3. Add onion, and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Add 3 cups water, tomato paste, dried oregano, dried basil, chicken broth, diced tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Stir in the cooked wild rice, spinach, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
  4. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle sprinkle with cheese.

Notes
Nutrition Estimates:</strong> Per serving (1-1/3 cups with 1 teaspoon cheese): 161 calories, 6 g fat, 13 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 14 g protein, 4 Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value

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Links:

Wild Rice Recipes – Moose Lake Wild Rice Company
Tuscan Spinach, Bean & Sausage Soup – Eating Well
Lentil, Sausage, Brown Rice & Spinach Soup – Kalyn’s Kitchen

More Weight Watchers Friendly Recipes:

Easy Healthy Taco Soup Recipe
Easy Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe
Easy Healthy Pumpkin Pasta with Sausage

Filed Under: Chicken & Turkey, Easy Healthy, Soups, Stews & Chilis Tagged With: , ,

Quick and Easy Italian Sausage and Peppers Recipes

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Easy Sausage and Peppers
Sausage & Peppers

Easy Sausage & Peppers Recipes

Sausage and peppers is an Italian-American classic. It’s a quick easy dinner recipe that’s also great when you need to feed a crowd.

You could always count on a big pan or crock-pot filled with sausage and peppers being part of the lineup at parties, buffets and holiday gatherings when I was growing up.

I’ve collected my favorite easy recipes for sausage and peppers here all in one place – two that cook in the oven and one for the slow cooker. I’m sure one of them will be just what you’re looking for.

Feel free to use whatever kind of Italian sausage you like best; pork, chicken and turkey all work well.

Easy Sausage and Peppers Recipes

Easy Sausage and Peppers in the Oven Recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Yield: 16 servings

This is a quick easy way to serve sausage and peppers when your feeding a crowd. If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers they make great sandwiches when served on crusty Italian bread. The recipe can easily be divided in half.

Ingredients

8 sweet Italian turkey sausage links
8 hot Italian turkey sausage links
10 bell peppers or Italian frying peppers, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch strips
3 large onions, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, crushed
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Recipe Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the sausages in a large roasting pan. Add the peppers, onions, garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven for approximately 1 hour, turning occasionally, until the mixture is nicely browned.

Nutritional Estimates Per Serving (1 sausage link and 1/4 cup onions & peppers): 335 calories, 26.1 g fat, 6.6 g carbs, 1.9 g fiber, 17. 5 g protein and 9 WW PointsPlus Value

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Quick & Easy Sausage and Peppers in the Oven Recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2-1/2 hours
Yield: 8 servings

Another great variation of oven cooked sausage and peppers, this one with spaghetti sauce and mushrooms. This delicious sausage dish can be served on crusty Italian rolls, as part of a buffet or over spaghetti.

Ingredients

16 large green, red or a combination of bell peppers
2 pounds Italian turkey sausage links
1 pound fresh sliced mushrooms
1-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce

Recipe Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut up the peppers and sausage into bite sized pieces. Combine in a large (15×10-inch) baking pan. Cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours. Remove the foil and stir in the mushrooms and spaghetti sauce. Return to the oven and cook for 30 minutes more.

Nutritional Estimates Per Serving: 338 calories, 13 g fat, 30.2 g carbs, 8.6 g fiber, 24.5 g protein and 8 WW PointsPlus Value

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Easy Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 3 to 6 hours in the slow cooker
Yield: 10 servings
Best Slow Cooker Size: 5-quart

This easy sausage and peppers recipe is delicious served on crusty rolls or over pasta. How long this recipe takes will depend greatly on your slow cooker.  I find that modern slow cookers, cook at a much hotter temperature (even when set on low) than they used to back in the 1970s, so recipes are often done sooner than expected.

Ingredients

2.5 pounds sweet Italian turkey sausage, cut crosswise into 2-inch chunks
1 large onion, sliced
3 bell peppers (red, green, yellow or a combination), sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes or 1 jar (26 ounces) spaghetti sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe Preparation

Place all ingredients in the slow cooker and mix well. Cover and cook on low until the onions and peppers are soft and sausage is cooked through, 3 to 6 hours.

Nutritional Estimates Per Serving: 261 calories, 13. 5 g fat, 13 g carbs, 3.6 g fiber, 21.2 g protein and 7 WW PointsPlus Value

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More Easy Sausage Recipes

Sausage, Potatoes, Onions and Peppers Recipe – a quick easy dinner recipe that cooks in the oven
Lentils, Sausage and Kale – an easy healthy recipe with sausage that’s hearty and satsfying
Italian Sausage and Pasta Recipe – a quick easy dinner recipe the whole family loves

Filed Under: Chicken & Turkey, Dinner, Pork, Slow Cooker Tagged With:

Easy Dinner Recipe: Sausage, Peppers, Onions and Potatoes in the Oven

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Italian Sausage, Potatoes, Peppers and Onions
Sausage, Peppers, Onions and Potatoes in the Oven

Sausage, Peppers, Onions & Potatoes in the Oven

 

Here’s a great easy dinner recipe, especially if you are looking for tasty sausage recipes for dinner – sausage, peppers, onions and potatoes in the oven – along with an equally delicious variation that adds pieces of chicken and crushed tomatoes to the mix.

Both versions are personal favorites of mine.

Mom use to make this great easy baked sausage recipe for dinner regularly. She learned to make it by watching her Italian-American sister-in-law prepare it back in the early 1960s, so it’s an easy recipe that has stood the test of time in our family.

I still enjoy this dish as much as when I was a kid.

While Mom always made it with Italian sausage made from pork, I often use Italian chicken or turkey sausage instead.

When it comes to making easy dinners you can’t beat the oven, which allows you to make hearty home cooked meals with minimal effort.

And isn’t that what simple cooking day to day is all about?

Once the  mixture of chunks of Italian sausage, onion, pepper and potato (and optional chicken and tomato) are tossed together in a pan with olive oil and seasonings and placed in the oven, you are free to relax, catch up with yourself or leisurely make a salad until dinner’s ready. Now, how easy is that?

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Sausage Potatoes, Onions and Peppers in the Oven Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 to 60 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound Italian turkey sausage, hot, sweet, or mixed, each cut crosswise into 3 chunks
2 large baking potatoes, peeled and each cut into 8 pieces
2 large bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch strips
2 medium onions, each cut into 8 wedges
2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe Preparation

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. For easy cleanup line a large roasting pan (large enough to comfortably fit all the ingredients in a single layer) with aluminum foil. (I like to use a half sheet pan.)

Place the sausage, potatoes, peppers, onions and garlic (if using) in the pan. Drizzle the olive oil over the ingredients. Season with the oregano, salt and pepper. Toss to coat everything with the oil and seasonings. Roast in the oven until the potatoes are tender and the sausage is browned, 45 to 60 minutes, stirring the mixture every 20 minutes or so.

Nutritional Estimates Per Serving (1/4th recipe): 338 calories, 14 g fat, 29.8 g carbs, 5.6 g fiber, 23.6 g protein and 9 Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value (PPV)

Variation with Chicken and Tomatoes: Add 1 (2-1/2 to 3-1/2 pound) chicken, cut into 12 to 14 pieces and 6 canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, hand crushed with the juice, to the pan with the sausage, potatoes, peppers, onions and garlic. Roast for about 1 hour. The dish is done when the potatoes are tender and the chicken easily pulls away from the bone. This version will serve 4 to 6.

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More Easy Sausage Recipes for Dinner

Lentils, Sausage and Kale – an easy healthy dinner that’s hearty and satisfying
Italian Sausage and Pasta - one of my favorite Italian sausage and pasta recipes for ziti with sausage and vegetables originally from Jacques Pepin
Pumpkin Pasta and Sausage – a great pasta sausage recipe for dinner that’s healthy and delicious
Easy Sausage and Peppers Recipes – 2 that cook in the oven and 1 for the slow cooker

 

Filed Under: Chicken & Turkey, Dinner, Easy Healthy Tagged With:

Favorite Shrimp Soup Recipes – Spicy Crab & Shrimp Soup – Sausage & Shrimp Gumbo

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Spicy Crab Shrimp Soup

Here’s two of my favorite shrimp soup recipes – A spicy crab and shrimp soup that I first made in the early 1990s and a great sausage and shrimp gumbo soup. If you’re looking for easy shrimp recipes for dinner, these two soups are hard to beat.

I love hearty soups for lunch, and dinner/supper (whichever you prefer to call it) and have a growing collection of delicious easy soup recipes. They’re easy, healthy and delicious and have a way of leaving you feeling satisfied instead of stuffed.

Did you know that the evening meal in France, which is typically lighter than the midday meal, is called ‘souper?’

During the past couple of years we’ve begun to adopt this way of eating too, enjoying soup for dinner (supper) at least a couple of times a week. It’s a great way to eat less easily and naturally.

There’s something so nourishing and satisfying about soups. They’re joyful to make and to eat! And they’re really difficult to screw up – even for beginning cooks.

Spicy Crab Shrimp Soup

Spicy Crab Shrimp Soup

 

Spicy Crab and Shrimp Soup Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

This is one of my favorite shrimp soup recipes. I clipped it from a cooking magazine – I don’t even remember which one – sometime back in the early 1990s when I was living in northern California and have made it repeatedly since. It’s definitely a keeper so it’s nice to have it here where I will always be able to locate it.

This is definitely a main dish soup perfect for a casual dinner or supper with family or friends. Serve it with a simple green salad and really good crusty French bread.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 bottles (8 ounces each) clam juice
1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1-1/2 cups tomato juice
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1/2 cup pearl barley
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce such as Tabasco
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and defrosted if frozen
1/2 pound crabmeat
Salt and pepper

Recipe Preparation

Place the butter in large soup pot set over medium heat, and stir occasionally until it melts. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring often, until they are tender, about 6 minutes.

Add the clam juice, tomatoes, tomato juice and sherry and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, add the barley, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, garlic powder, hot sauce and cayenne pepper. Reduce the heat and allow the mixture to bubble gently, stirring often, until the barley is tender, about 25 minutes.

When the barley is tender, add the shrimp and crab and simmer until the shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo Soup Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Another wonderful hearty main dish shrimp soup recipe that works as a great meal-in-a-bowl soup for lunch, dinner or supper. It’s adapted from The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Eating Great by Pam Anderson. It’s a great book for people who want to lose weight while enjoying delicious food, the way she did.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 medium green bell pepper stemmed, seeded and chopped into small pieces
1 celery stalk, cut into small pieces
4 cups chicken broth
1 can (14.5 ounces) petite diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 ounces cooked lean chicken sausage, sliced thin
6 ounces sliced frozen okra
1/4 cup long-grain white rice
6 ounces uncooked medium-size peeled and deveined shrimp, cut in half lengthwise
1 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce, such as Tabasco (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe Preparation

Place the oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until it turns golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Add the green pepper, celery, broth, tomatoes, thyme, cayenne pepper, sausage, okra and rice to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce your heat to low and place the lid on the pot so it’s partially covered. Allow the soup to bubble gently, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables and rice are tender, about 20 minutes.

When the vegetables are tender, turn off the heat. Stir in the shrimp and hot sauce, if using. Cover the pot and let stand to allow the shrimp to cook and flavors to blend until the shrimp turn opaque, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

More Easy Soup Recipes

Corn and Shrimp Chowder Recipe – a great easy recipe for corn shrimp soup/chowder
New England Fish Chowder Recipe – another great easy and delicious seafood chowder, this one with fish
Easy Gazpacho Recipe - delicious easy Gazpacho soup recipe that can be made extra special by adding shrimp
Tuna Cheddar Chowder Recipe - one of those easy cheap soup recipes that’s hard to beat

Filed Under: Dinner, Seafood, Soups, Stews & Chilis Tagged With: , , ,

Lentils, Sausage and Kale

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lentils, sausage and kale

If you’re looking for an easy, healthy and delicious one-dish skillet meal that is deeply satisfying, you may want to give this recipe a go.

I tore it from an old (2008) issue of Eating Well, and finally got around to trying it this week. (I rip way too many recipes out of magazines with the best intentions of making them, but most of them get tossed, untried, after languishing in my files for way too long.)

The recipe suggested using french green lentils (Puy) in this dish, because they are smaller, cook faster and keep their shape better. I never see them in the places I routinely shop and rarely think to look for them when I’m in fancier, better stocked market. I used plain brown lentils with great results.

Keep in mind that this is not one of those quick easy dinner recipes that let’s you have your meal on the table in 15 minutes or less, because the lentils take a while (about 40 minutes) to cook. You probably could lessen the time requirement considerably by using a pressure cooker, something my sister highly encourages. (I bought one years ago, but have yet to use it.) Most of the cooking time requires very little work – just the occasional stir of the skillet – which is the kind of simple easy healthy recipe I like best.

This is not the kind of meal I serve on a regular basis, since I primarily cook for two men, but it was surprisingly well received. (Could it have been the generous amount of sausage in it?) Both Rod and Mac thought it was good and had seconds, which is the highest form of praise for a home cook who enjoys cooking to please.

Skillet Lentils with Sausage and Kale Recipe

I used plain brown lentils, Aidell’s spicy mango and jalapeno cooked chicken sausage and merlot, for the dry red wine, with good results. You may need to add a little more water to the lentils if they get too dry during cooking. I added about 1/2 cup more by the time the dish was done.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Yield: makes 6 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 (12 ounce) package cooked chicken sausage
1 large onion, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons crushed garlic
A pinch of red pepper flakes, or more to taste
2-1/2 cups water
1-1/2 cups dry red wine
1 cup lentils, preferably French green, picked through and rinsed
12 cups chopped kale leaves, tough stems/ribs removed
1 teaspoon fresh sage
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Recipe Preparation

Place a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. Add the sausages and cook them until they are browned on all around. This should take about 5 minutes. Transfer them to a clean cutting board.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet along with the onion. Cook over medium heat, until the onion is browned, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and crushed pepper and stir it around in the pan for about 15 seconds. Then add the water and wine and increase the heat to high to bring it to a boil, scrape up any browned bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Add the lentils and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Partially cover the pan with the lid and let them cook until they are almost tender, stirring them every once in a while and adding a little more water if they begin to look dry. (This should take about 35 minutes.)

Add the chopped kale, sage and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils and kale are tender, about 10 minutes.

Slice the sausages and add them to the skillet, along with freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cover and cook until the sausage slices are heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Nutritional Estimates Per Serving (1 cup):  333 calories,  7.3 g fat, 38.7 g carbohydrates; 21.3 g protein. 10.6 g fiber, and 7 Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value

Links:

Red Lentil Soup – 101 Cookbooks
Sweet Potato Lentil Kale Soup – Emily Davidow
Lentil Barley Vegetable Skillet – Pillsbury
Lentil Health, Nutrition and Cooking Information – The World’s Healthiest Foods
A Collection of Kale Recipes
Tomatoes, Basil & Brown Rice
Pumpkin Pasta with Sausage

Filed Under: 7 PointsPlus, Chicken & Turkey, Dinner, Easy Healthy Tagged With: , ,

Pumpkin Pasta with Sausage

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IMG_3682
Pumpkin Pasta with Sausage

Pumpkin Pasta with Sausage

I tried this recipe for pumpkin pasta with sausage last night. When you are short for quick easy dinner ideas, pasta is hard to beat.

This recipe for sausage pumpkin sauce for pasta from Rachael Ray caught my eye, (probably because I love sausage) as I was searching the internet for dinner inspiration.

As usual, I made a few changes to the original recipe (which has 5 stars from over 200 ratings on the Food Network site) adapting it for us. I replaced the suggested penne with Tinkyada brown rice fusilli, since I am experimenting with eliminating gluten from my diet to see how I feel. I also substituted sweet Italian chicken sausage for pork sausage and evaporated milk for the cream.

I served this pumpkin pasta dish with a mixed green and apple salad dressed with a maple mustard balsamic vinaigrette. They combination was delish.

Pumpkin Pasta with Sausage Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: serves 8

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 pound bulk sweet Italian chicken sausage
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
4 to 6 sprigs sage leaves, finely chopped about 2 tablespoons, plus more for garnish
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Coarse salt and black pepper
1 pound penne or fusilli, cooked al dente
Freshly grated parmesan for sprinkling on top

Preparation

Heat a large deep skillet over medium high. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to a paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from the skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the onion and garlic. Cook 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.

Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan. Cook until the wine is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and pumpkin and stir to combine; continue stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to the pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer the mixture 5 to 10 minutes until the sauce thickens.

Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from the sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish the pasta with lots of grated parmesan and sage leaves.

Nutritional Estimates Per Serving:  323 calories, 8 g fat, 39.3 g carbs, 1.2 g fiber, 17.7 g protein and 8 WW PointsPlus Value

More Easy Pasta Recipes and Easy Dinner Recipes

Easy Hamburger Macaroni Soup
Mediterranean Chicken & Pasta
Italian Sausage & Pasta
Shrimp Pasta Recipes, Easy & Delicious


Filed Under: Chicken & Turkey, Dinner, Easy Healthy, Pasta Tagged With: ,

Italian Sausage & Pasta Recipe

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img_0497

Italian Sausage and Pasta with Vegetables

Do you enjoy preparing tasty italian sausage & pasta recipes?

I hope you try this one. It’s one of my favorite Italian sausage and pasta recipes for ziti with sausage and vegetables, adapted from the cookbook, Jacques Pepin’s Kitchen: Cooking With Claudine, that was also a fun television show on PBS years ago, back in the pre-food network days.

This italian sausage and pasta recipe is one of those quick easy pasta recipes you can turn to again and again. It’s great for a quick easy dinner the whole family will love. I first made this easy pasta dish for my brother back in the late 1990s. He gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up and its been in my files ever since.

This is one of those versatile italian sausage and pasta recipes that is meant to be modified depending upon what’s fresh and available at the market.

To save on fat and calories I usually use italian style turkey sausage whenever I can. Lately I’ve been using whole wheat pasta when I make this delicious dish. We enjoyed this recipe for italian sausage and pasta for dinner sprinkled with parmesan grated from an incredible wedge Mac brought back from Europe.

Italian Sausage & Pasta Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

6 ounces Italian turkey sausage
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
12 ounces tube-shaped pasta such as ziti or penne
3 cups broccoli florets
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups corn (fresh, canned, or thawed frozen)
12 ounces cherry tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving
Red pepper flakes for serving (optional)

Preparation

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of salt to the water, and cook the pasta until it’s al dente. Before draining the pasta, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

Meanwhile break apart the sausage into small pieces and cook in 1 tablespoon of oil in a large saute pan until nicely browned (about 10 minutes or so).

While the pasta is cooking and sausage is browning, rinse your broccoli florets and halve any of the tomatoes that are especially large.

Once the sausage has browned, add the broccoli and garlic to the pan, stir to combine everything and then reduce the heat, cover the pan and let cook for about 5 minutes. Add the corn and tomatoes, cooking covered for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the drained pasta, reserved pasta water, salt and remaining olive oil. Stir to combine everything over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Alternatively, you can dump everything into the pasta pot to combine if your saute pan isn’t quite large enough.

Turn out to a warmed pasta bowl and serve with grated parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes, if you like.

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Nutritional Estimates Per Serving: 341 calories, 11.6 g fat, 47.1 g carbs, 3.2 g fiber, 14. 6 g protein and 9 WW PointsPlus Value

This italian sausage and pasta recipe is adapted from Jacques Pepin’s Kitchen: Cooking With Claudine (Jacques Pepin’s Kitchen (Television Program).)

More Easy Pasta Recipes

Easy Pumpkin Pasta and Sausage
Easy Mediterranean Chicken & Pasta
Easy Pasta with Tomatoes & Brie
Shrimp and Pasta Recipes, Easy and Delicious

Filed Under: Dinner, Easy Healthy, Pasta, Pork Tagged With: ,

Shrimp and Chicken Sausage Healthy Jambalaya Recipe

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Jambalaya

Here’s a great healthy jambalaya recipe.

Seeking something a little out of the ordinary, yet relatively easy for dinner last night, I came up with this shrimp & chicken sausage jambalaya.

It’s based on a recipe I came across in a new magazine called Clean Eating

I used shrimp and sausage since that was what I had in the freezer.

Always looking for ways to increase our veggie count, I added chopped celery and sliced fennel to the original version’s call for onion and pepper.

While not a traditional jambalaya ingredient, the fennel worked nicely.

Served with a caesar salad, it was a big hit with both my husband and stepson.

Shrimp and Chicken Sausage Jambalaya Recipe

Jambalaya


Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon creole seasoning
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 pound chicken sausage, sliced into half moons
1/2 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 cups brown rice (or Uncle Ben’s converted), cooked

Recipe Preparation

In a large saute or sauce pan, saute the onion, pepper, celery, fennel, and garlic until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, bay leaf, thyme, basil, creole seasoning, pepper and sausage and cooked rice. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and cook over medium low heat for 10 minutes. Add shrimp and cook 10 minutes more. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.

Variation

Chopped chicken breast or thighs can be substituted for shrimp.

This Shrimp and Chicken Sausage Jambalaya Recipe adapted from Clean Eating Magazine, Winter 2008

More Jambalaya Recipes

I’m a huge jambalaya fan. This classic creole rice dish is something I make quite often and every time, I do it a little differently. Jambalaya comes from the Spanish word for ham (jamon) and was originally made with ham. These days you will see recipes using chicken, shrimp, sausage and ham and with combinations of these ingredients. You can make jambalaya on the stove or in a crock pot and I’ve even seen recipes where it’s cooked in the oven. The key is to find a version that suits your tastes.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Easy Jambalaya Recipe – another easy jambalaya with ham or sausage and shrimp
Slow Cooker Jambalaya Recipes – two great recipes for jambalaya made in the crock pot – one with chicken and the other with shrimp
Shrimp Creole Recipe Easy and Delicious – for when you want an easy shrimp recipe with dinner other than jambalaya

Filed Under: Chicken & Turkey, Dinner, Easy Healthy, Seafood Tagged With: , ,