Beef and Sausage Chili

I’ve already admitted to liking not-so-popular foods like meatloaf, mushrooms and dried plums …so I might as well admit to another – I LOVE baked beans!  Like, love love them!  Hubs thinks it is hilarious how much I like baked beans.

When I saw this chili recipe on Milk & Honey, that includes a can of baked beans, I knew it was going to be a winner – and it was!  Wow!  This is ridiculously good.  Spicy (I’m still feeling the heat on my lips as I type this) but oh so good.  I am absolutely stuffed right now but already can’t wait for leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Source: Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook

INGREDIENTS
1T. Vegetable oil
1 Large yellow onions, chopped
3T. Garlic, chopped fine
3T. Chili powder
2T. Paprika
1T. Cumin
2t. Dried oregano
1lb. Lean ground beef
1lb. Italian sausage links, removed from casings and crumbled (I used hot sausage links)
2t. Kosher salt, plus more as needed
1 28 oz. can Crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz. can Kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can BBQ baked beans
1T. Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely chopped

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in an 8 quart heavy-bottom stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, 7 to 10 minutes.

Add the ground beef, sausage, and 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt.  Increase heat to medium-high and cook the meat, stirring frequently, until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.

If the meat is looking a little greasy, tilt the stockpot and spoon out some of the fat.  If you used lean meat, then you shouldn’t have to do this.

Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin and oregano and stir until the spices are coating the meat.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Adjust the seasonings with more kosher salt or chipotle chiles if necessary. Serve with your favorite chili toppers (and if you’re like us, serve over elbow noodles).

Husband Rating – 4.5 out of 5 – “Almost the perfect chili recipe.  This is amazing!”

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Portuguese Kale Soup

Christopher and I have tried a bunch of times to copy restaurant recipes that we love.  They always turn out just so-so.  But not this time!

Over the weekend we shared a bowl of Portuguese kale soup in P-Town that was incredible!  So, we dissected the soup and purchased all the ingredients.  We were so happy with the finished product.  A little spicy, full of veggies and perfect for fall.  I’m so proud we were finally able to copy a recipe and have it turn out just as well as the original!

INGREDIENTS
1 coil Linguica, spicy Portuguese sausage (casing removed)
4C. Chopped kale
5 Yukon gold potatoes, cut into small dices
1 large Yellow onion
2 cloves Garlic, pressed
1 can Dark red kidney beans
3/4C. chopped Carrot
4C. Chicken stock
4C. Water
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a large dutch oven, heat 2T. oil over medium-high heat.  Add crumbled linguica and cook 4 minutes.  Add onion and carrot and cook until onion is soft – about 5 minutes.  Add garlic during the last minute of sauteing.

Add stock, water, kidney beans and potatoes.  Simmer 10 minutes, until potatoes are just barely soft.  Add kale and cook another 10 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly.

This soup is great served immediately, but is even better if you make it ahead of time and re-heat.  Enjoy!

Husband Rating – 5 out of 5 – “Absolutely delicious!“

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Turkey Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats

I’ve got a new found love for zucchini and almost started drooling when I saw these on Annie’s Eats.  I should have read the directions all the way through, because I didn’t have enough time to let these bake with the zucchini…so I made a few changes and cooked the veggies while making the filling and broiling afterward – worked like a charm.

I made a few ingredient tweaks, either due to allergies or just plain forgetting an ingredient…but these were fabulous!

[New Photo added 8/7/2010]

INGREDIENTS
1 Zucchini, about 12 inches long or 2 6-inch
2T. Olive oil, divided
½C. Onion, chopped
3 Cloves garlic, minced
½C. Mushrooms, chopped (did not use)
1lb. turkey sausage, casing removed
2T. Dry white wine
2-3 Tomatoes, seeded and diced
3T. Chopped fresh basil
1t. Minced fresh rosemary (did not use)
¾C. Grated Parmesan cheese  (I used soy Parmesan)
1 Egg, lightly beaten
½t. Salt
½t. Pepper

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375.

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise.  Scoop out insides, leaving a shell about ¼-inch thick.  Put in an oven-safe dish with 1/4 inch of water and set in oven.  Allow to cook while you’re making the filling – about 15 min.

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Crumble and cook the sausage until just about done.  Add onion and sauté  until tender, about 4-5 minutes more.  Add the mushrooms (if using), herbs, tomatoes, wine and garlic to the skillet and sauté another 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

Drain of any excess fat, remove from heat and set aside to cool.  Once the turkey mixture has cooled a little, mix in the Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper.

Remove zucchini shells from oven and place on a foil-lined cookie sheet, and pre-heat your broiler.  Fill the zucchini shells with the sausage mixture.

Broil approx. 12 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.  Serve immediately.

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Husband Rating – 4.5 out of 5 – “the only thing that could make these better is using real pork sausage”

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Rigatoni with Sausage, Broccolini and Parmesan

Another entry for the WC Ingredient Challenge – this week the special ingredient was Parmesan Cheese.   Yum!

My Grandparents were visiting from Illinois this week.  We had them over to see our new house and for dinner one evening.  I decided to try and re-create a dish I had a few weeks ago at a local restaurant.  This recipe came pretty close.  It was delish, and I’ll totally make it again.

INGREDIENTS
1lb Italian Sausage, casings removed
1lb Rigatoni
2 Bunches, Broccolini
1 Shallot
2 Cloves Garlic
2T Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Brown sausage in a large, deep skillet.  Once cooked remove to a side plate and keep warm.

In the same skillet, add olive oil and shallot.  Saute 4 minutes.  Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more.

Meanwhile, boil a large pot of water and cook rigatoni according to package directions.  During the last 4 minutes, add washed broccolini.

Drain, reserving 1C of pasta water.

Add all ingredients to the skillet long enough to re-warm the sausage.  Add pasta water until sauce is to your desired consistency.  Salt and Pepper to taste and serve with shaved parmesan cheese.

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Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “very good, could have been ‘saucier’.”

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Sausage & Spinach Stuffed Shells

Hey everyone!  Sorry about the delay.  Christopher and I are almost finished moving into our new house and I’m back in the kitchen!  Yay!  I made Stuffed Shells a few weeks ago for a work function.  Hubby asked if we could have them at home sometime.  I haven’t been able to find a good soy ricotta cheese.  So, I was very excited to see this recipe, on the Barilla website, that only calls for a small amount of Parmesan cheese.  These were really good.  We’ll definitely be making them again.

INGREDIENTS:
1 Box  Jumbo Shells
2C of your favorite Pasta Sauce
1Lb. Ground beef or Italian Sausage
2T. Extra virgin olive oil
1 Bag baby spinach, chopped
1C. Chopped onion
1 Clove garlic, minced
1t. Salt
1/4t. Freshly ground black pepper
1 Egg
1/4C. Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350.

Cook shells according to package directions; drain, reserving 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Brown ground beef or sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Drain grease.

Add oil, spinach, onion, garlic, reserved pasta water; continue cooking 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.  Add seasonings and blend well. Let mixture cool.

Stir in egg and cheese.

Pour 1C of the tomato sauce into a baking dish.

Fill shells with meat mixture; place in dish. Pour remaining sauce over shells; cover with foil.

Bake for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

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Quick and Easy ‘Paella’

This recipe on Cooking This and That caught my eye while searching through my Google Reader. I had all the ingredients in the house and thought it looked like a delicious, quick meal. I made a few modifications, and it was very tasty!

INGREDIENTS:
1 Box Yellow rice
1 1/2T. Olive oil
1 Shallot, chopped
2 Clove garlic, minced
1/2lb. Shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2lb. chorizo, sliced (I used keilbasa)
2C. Water
1T. Fresh parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
Heat olive oil in deep skillet. Add shallot and garlic. Saute about 2 minutes. Add rice and water. Bring to a boil and turn the heat down to low. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

Add chorizo/keilbasa. Stir and recover for another 8 minutes.

Add shrimp, stir and cook 2-3 minutes (until the shrimp has turned pink and is just cooked).

Add parsley and cook until heated through.

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Sausage, Pepper & Onion Grinders

Grinder, hoagie, sub, hero, zepplin, wedge…call ’em what you want.  I call ’em delicious!  This is one of Hubby’s favorite meals and it is so easy to make.  Until I get my sausage stuffer attachment for the KitchenAid Mixer, I use store-bought…but if you can make fresh…that would be even better!  I always serve our grinders with baked beans…not sure why…but it’s sure delicious!

INGREDIENTS:
1 White Onion
1 Red Pepper
1 Green Pepper
1lb Sweet Italian Sausage (we use the Perry’s brand)
Grinder rolls
Hot sauce for topping

DIRECTIONS:
Place sausage links in a pan with 1/4C water.  Cover and let them cook for 10 minutes.  Turn the sausages over, re-cover and continue cooking another 6 minutes.  Remove cover and allow the remaining water to evaporate.  Continue cooking the sausages (turning occasionally) until they are browned and have reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

Meanwhile, in another pan, combine sliced onion, green pepper and red pepper.  Cook over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes – until everything is soft and slightly browned.

Blot the cooked sausages on a paper towel and start making your grinder.  As you can see from the picture, Hubby likes red peppers and I like green.  That’s the beauty of this recipe – everyone gets what they like!

Note:  Save your leftover peppers/onions for a killer potato hash or egg scramble the next morning!

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White Bean and Italian Sausage Chili

Hubby found this recipe in his most recent copy of Esquire Magazine.  Readers sent in chili recipes and world-famous chef, Daniel Boulud judged the entries.  This chili was the winning entry.  It might not be the prettiest chili ever, but the flavor was fantastic!  I definitely recommend giving it a try.

INGREDIENTS
1T Vegetable oil
1lb Italian sausage links
1T Olive oil
5oz Pancetta, diced
1 Large yellow onion
6 Cloves garlic, minced
1 Green bell pepper, diced
2C Dry cannellini beans, rinsed
1T Oregano leaves, finely chopped
2t Red pepper flakes
2qts (8C) Chicken stock
S&P to taste
Sour cream, Green onions, leeks – optional for garnish

DIRECTIONS
Film a large stock pot with vegetable oil and place over moderately high heat.  Brown sausage on all sides.  Reduce heat to low and cook through, 8-10 minutes.  Remove sausage from pan and cool.  Discard grease.

In the same pan, add olive oil and pancetta.  Render pancetta over low heat until crisp, about 7 minutes.  Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, 5-6 minutes.  Add garlic and saute until golden, about 3 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients, increase heat, and bring to a boil.

Dice reserved sausage and return to chili mixture.  Lower heat and simmer until beans are tender (at least 90 minutes), stirring occasionally.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with optional garnishes (we used green onion…it was fabulous)!

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Pepper Pasta with Sausage

For some reason, when looking at this picture I just want to start singing Christmas carols.  “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” … in my bowl  🙂

Anyway, this is one of Hubs’ favorite dinners.  It was another Sunday evening creation that has made its way into our regular rotation.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
1lb pasta – whatever you have is fine (I used thin linguine tonight)
1 package Sweet Italian Sausage
1 Red Pepper, diced
1 Small White Onion, diced
1 Green Pepper, diced
2 Cloves Garlic
1T Olive Oil
1T Butter
S&P to taste

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a separate pan (or in microwave), cook sausage until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.  Slice and set aside.

In another pot or deep skillet melt oil and butter over medium-high heat.  Add onions, red pepper and green pepper.  Cook 5 minutes, or until they begin to soften.  Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Add sausage and pasta to the pan and toss to incorporate everything.  I finished the dish with about 1/4C of reserved pasta water – just to make a little ‘sauce’.

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Gnocchi with Sausage and Spinach

I found this recipe on the Real Simple website. Hubs had never had gnocchi before, so I figured this would be a good introduction (as we already know he loves sausage and spinach). He was less than impressed with the texture, but really enjoyed the rest of the dish. I enjoyed the whole thing.

INGREDIENTS
2 packages Frozen Gnocchi
1T Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, finely chopped
1lb. Italian Sausage (I used sweet sausage links, casing removed)
1 clove Garlic, finely chopped (I used 2 large cloves – we love garlic)
1 Bag Baby Spinach
S&P to taste
Parmesan Cheese for garnishing (The original recipe calls for 1/2C added to the dish just before serving, but Hubby is lactose intolerant, so we didn’t use any) – I just topped mine with a little once plated.

DIRECTIONS

Cook the gnocchi according to the package directions; reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium/medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the sausage and cook, crumbling it with a spoon, until browned and cooked through. Add the garlic, spinach, salt, and pepper and cook, tossing frequently until the spinach wilts.

Add the drained gnocchi, the reserved cooking liquid, and Parmesan cheese (if using), and toss.

Plate and sprinkle with additional Parmesan.

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