Sausage and Peppers Pasta

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I heart sausage and peppers! I grew up in New England where amazing “mom & pop” Italian restaurants were oh so prevalent. No matter which restaurant I was at, my most favorite item to order was  Sausage and Peppers—whether it be on a grinder or over pasta (Note to self: make the grinder version ASAP!).  Since moving away from New England I have a new-found appreciation for the amazing Italian food that was readily available there, because in all the places I’ve lived since (Utah, New Mexico, South Korea, Virginia, and now Arizona) nothing compares.

This recipe is my attempt at a “quick & easy” version of the classic. I love it and it hits to spot for my Sausage & Peppers cravings.

Cook’s Note: I get a lot of questions from readers about what kitchen equipment and specific ingredients I use in recipes. I will try to list any specific ingredients & specific/super helpful kitchen equipment before each recipe. I hope this helps! J
Here’s specific equipment and/or ingredients I used in this recipe:
Large, deep skillet

Sausage & Peppers Pasta

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 lbs hot and/or sweet Italian sausage (I used a combination of both),
    cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 large onion, sliced
1 14 1/2-ounce can tomato sauce
1 1/2 C grape or cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 T dried basil, (crumbled or chopped if not done so already)
1 t dried oregano, (crumbled or chopped if not done so already)
1 t fennel seeds
Salt and pepper to taste

16 oz penne pasta, cooked as per manufacture’s direction

Shredded Mozzarella or Parmesan for serving


Directions:

Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. (I used this one.)

Add the sausage and cook until brown, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until golden brown, about 1 minute. Add the peppers and onion and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 4-6 minutes.

While the peppers and onions are cooking, in a medium bowl add the tomato sauce, halved, tomatoes, basil, oregano, and fennel—mix until just combined. Once the peppers and onions are just tender, add the tomato mixture to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 8 minutes. Uncover the mixture and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Pour the sausage, peppers, and tomato mixture over the cooked penne pasta. Top with mozzarella or parmesan cheese and serve!

Makes 6-8 servings

Source: a Food, Folks & Fun original!

I’m linking this post up at:
Metamorphosis Monday, Menu Plan Monday , Skip to My Lou, Tip Me Tuesday, Today’s Creative Blog

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup – Olive Garden Copycat Recipe

This is an easy to prepare recipe, but it is going to taste like you spent hours at the stove making your family a delightful chicken and potato gnocchi soup. You can find the gnocchi in a couple of different places in your supermarket, my local stores sells shelf stable potato gnocchi where dry pasta is sold. In higher end grocery stores I have seen this sold in the fresh sections where refrigerated ravioli or tortellini are sold.  

You can also “lighten” this soup by using 2 cups of half and half and 2 cups of milk. I bet you can even substitute milk for the half and half all together and it’ll taste great.

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup – Olive Garden Copycat Recipe

1 C chicken breasts, cooked and diced (you can use a rotisserie chicken)
4 T butter
4 T flour
1 quart half and half
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
1 C celery, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 C carrots, finely shredded
1 1/2 C onion, finely diced
1 C fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1 T extra virgin oil
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t parsley
Freshly grated parmesan cheese – optional
1 pound potato gnocchi – can buy this in the gourmet section of many

   supermarkets

Directions:

Sauté the onion, celery, and garlic in the butter and olive oil, over medium heat when the onion becomes translucent, add the flour, and make a roux, let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding 1 quart of half and half.

Cook gnocchi according to package directions.

Into the roux add in the carrots and chicken. Once the mixture becomes thick add the chicken broth. Once the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and seasonings, simmer until soup is heated through.

 Makes 6 servings

Source: CopyKat

Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini and Tomato

It’s beginning to feel a lot like….summer! With the 80° temperatures we’ve been having lately it feels a whole lot like summer instead of Christmas! So, I decided to make a summery dish for dinner—shrimp scampi. If you’re not a fan of shrimp, no worries, you can easily substitute chicken for shrimp.

Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini and Tomato Pasta

Shrimp Scampi

Chicken Scampi

Ingredients:

2 large handfuls of shelled and deveined shrimp, frozen
2 T butter
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 C white wine
2 T lemon juice
1 T parsley
1 large zucchini, grated
4 handfuls of tomatoes (mixture of yellow pear and grape)
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

cooked pasta for 2

Ingredients:

Melt butter over medium high heat, until bubbly. Add shrimp and sauté shrimp in butter until cooked through. Add garlic, sauté one minute more. Add white wine and lemon juice. Simmer sauce until thickened, about 2 minutes. Set aside in a large bowl. Add olive oil to pan and heat. Sauté grated zucchini for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and parsley and cook an additional minute. Combine zucchini and tomatoes, shrimp with sauce, and pasta in a large bowl. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan. Serves 2.

Source: Skimbaco Lifestyle

Spaghetti and Meatballs

This recipe makes a deep, rich tasting sauce and meatballs. I’m more of a bright and vibrant sauce kind of a girl, but everyone seemed to love this recipe!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

For the meatballs

2 pounds ground beef

1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix

1 egg

1/2 C breadcrumbs

1 1/2 t Italian Seasoning

Using your hands, combine all the ingredients until well blended. Pinch off pieces of the meat mixture and shape into meatballs. Place in a large stock pot or dutch oven, then follow remaining instructions.

For the sauce:

1 Large jar Ragu sauce (2 pounds 13 ounces)

1/2 of jar of water

2 t Italian seasoning

1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix

In a large bowl, stir together sauce ingredients. Add to the stock pot with the meatballs and stir. Bring sauce to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium low, place the lid on the pot, and cook until meatballs are cooked through. Depending on the size of your meatballs, this will be 30-45 minutes. (You can simmer this over low heat on your stove for a longer period of time, just remember to occasionally stir.). Once the meatballs are cooked, skim the fat from the top of the sauce.

Serve over thick spaghetti. Make sure to reserve a small amount of your pasta water and toss with your spaghetti after draining. This will help the sauce to stick to the pasta.

Source: Adapted from Dine & Dish

Zuppa Toscana - Copycat Recipe

Whenever I go to the Olive Garden I always get the same thing: their soup, salad, and breadsticks. Although I want to branch out and try other things, I can’t seem to order anything but Zuppa Toscana. This recipe tasted just like Zuppa Toscana from the restaurant!

Zuppa Toscana – Copycat Recipe

Ingredients:

1 lb. spicy Italian sausage - crumbled

1/2 lb. smoked bacon - chopped

1 qt. water

(2) 14.5 oz. cans (about 3 2/3 cups) chicken broth

2 lg. russet potatoes - scrubbed clean, cubed

2 garlic cloves - peeled, crushed

1 med. onion - peeled, chopped

2 cups chopped kale OR Swiss chard

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

salt and pepper - to taste

Directions:

In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown sausage, breaking into small pieces as you fry it; drain, set aside.

In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown bacon; drain, set aside.

Place water, broth, potatoes, garlic, and onion in a pot; simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender.

Add sausage and bacon to pot; simmer for 10 minutes.

Add kale and cream to pot; season with salt and pepper; heat through.

Source: Adapted from Copykat

Easy Tomato & Basil Pasta

I have been making this dish for years now and haven’t grown tired of it. I originally saw Jamie Oliver make this recipe on Oprah at least 6 years ago. I tried to find the original recipe on the Oprah show’s website but I came up empty handed. I love this pasta dish so much because it’s healthy, fresh, and oh so easy to make. I make the tomato mixture while the pasta is cooking and I always have enough time left over to set the table. I love that there’s not need to heat the tomato mixture because the heat from the pasta cooks it. Over the years I’ve made this dish with variations like adding in capers or artichoke hearts, and adding in Mozzarella instead of the Parmesan and it’s always turned out yummy.

All you need to make this dish.

 My mise en place. Don't the heirloom tomatoes look divine?!?

Easy Tomato & Basil Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 lb spaghetti or linguine
• 11-14 ounces of cherry, grape, or small heirloom tomatoes
• 2 handfuls of fresh marjoram and basil, leaves picked (you can leave out the marjoram if you’d like)
• 4 T of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• Splash of red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I like to use a vegetable peeler to make beautiful shards of Parmesan)

Directions:

• Cook the pasta until al dente.
• While the pasta is cooking halve the tomatoes, put them in a bowl and add the herbs, olive oil, garlic and vinegar.
• Season the tomato mixture to taste with salt and pepper, then squeeze the tomatoes until they are slightly mashed.
• Drain the pasta, and while it’s still steaming, mix in the tomato mixture.
• Top with parmesan cheese.

Makes 4 servings.