Creamy Italian Sausage and Bean Soup

We love soup at our house. I mean, really, what's not to love about a belly-warming bowl of goodness, especially on a frosty night like tonight? Soup has all the simplicity and versatility of a casserole without turning up any noses by its name. Even though I love my old standbys--taco soup, lasagna soup, baked potato soup, broccoli cheese soup, and white chili--I'm always on the lookout for a new favorite. Made in one pot, in under 30 minutes, and chock full of delectable flavor (plus a healthy serving of vegetables), this soup is definitely going at the top of my list.

There is one thing a little, well, strange about this recipe. It calls for an undrained can of beans.

I know, I know--I freaked out a little bit, too. I've never used a can of beans without draining it! What even is that cloudy goop I normally drain and rinse away? The first time I made this recipe, I reread it at least three times to make sure I understood correctly, and then I crossed my fingers and prayed I wasn't ruining the whole batch when I dumped in the can, goop and all. But it came out great!

Turns out, that goop is just salt, water, and the starch generated by the beans themselves, so it's actually quite useful for thickening and flavoring. Who knew? Well, now we both do, and I'm sure I'll be experimenting with bean goop more often from now on.

BTW, this soup was extra yummy served with some Ritz crackers crumbled on top.

Creamy Italian Sausage and Bean Soup

Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 15 min

Serves 5

1 lb ground Italian sausage

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup flour

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth

1 (15.5 oz) can undrained cannellini beans

Salt and pepper, to taste

In a stockpot, cook sausage. Drain and set aside.

Melt butter in the stockpot. Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper then cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent.

Stir in flour.

Slowly add the evaporated milk and chicken broth while stirring constantly. Once the mixture comes to a complete boil, add sausage and beans.

Heat through, and season with salt and pepper.

526 calories per serving. Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Creamy Italian Sausage Gnocchi

Meat, starch, veggies, a deceptively simple but delicious cream sauce, all topped with melty mozzarella cheese and made in one pan in under 30 minutes??? Sounds like a fantasy dinner, right? Go ahead and pinch yourself if you want, but you're not dreaming! This dish is a complete meal that is uh-maze-ing in every way.

If you've never heard of gnocchi (pronounced nyoh-key), they are puffy, little, potato-based pillows that cook up in minutes. You can make them yourself if you have spare time, but you can also buy a great premade version in the pasta aisle of your grocery store. Gnocchi can be used as a substitute for pasta in just about any dish. Trust me, you're gonna love it!

Creamy Italian Sausage Gnocchi

Prep time: 5 min, Cook time: 15 min

Serves 5

1 lb mild Italian sausage
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil

3/4 cup heavy cream
16 oz gnocchi
2-3 cups fresh spinach
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté your sausage, onion, garlic and seasonings until browned. Drain and return to pan.

Add in the tomatoes, cream, gnocchi, and spinach and heat until gnocchi is cooked, spinach is wilted and some of the cream has reduced (about 8-10 minutes).

Stir in the shredded mozzarella cheese until melted. (You could totally leave out the cheese if you wanted to save a few calories, but if you're eating this dish, I doubt you're counting, so why not go all out?!)

Cheesy Sausage Pasta

One of the most popular posts on this blog is my Cheesy Sausage Pot, which is an amazing Crock-Pot dish chock full of cheesy, sausage-y deliciousness. It's great when you need dinner to be ready as soon as you get home. But what if you forget to fill the Crock-Pot in the morning? Yeah, been there, done that. No worries, you can still have that amazing flavor in less that 30 minutes and with only one pot to wash! This recipe uses pasta instead of potatoes so it cooks up super quick and requires practically no prep time at all.  I got off work at 5 and was putting away the leftovers by 6!

Cheesy Sausage Pasta
Prep time: 5 min  Cook time: 20 min
Serves 5

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb smoked sausage, sliced
1 cup diced onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 cups chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup milk or heavy cream
8 oz dry pasta (any small pasta will do)
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
1 cup shredded Cheddar-Jack cheese
1/3 cup chopped green onions

Add olive oil to a 4-5 quart saute pan over medium high heat. Add onions and sausage and cook until lightly browned. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.

Add chicken broth, tomatoes, milk, pasta, and seasonings. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until pasta is tender.

Turn off the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cover for about five minutes to allow cheese to melt. Top with sliced scallions and serve.

601 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Skillet Lasagna

Believe it or not, I have another awesome lasagna recipe for you!  I think this makes the third or fourth one I've shared.  Is that too much?  Is there even such a thing as too much lasagna?  I think not.  Lasagna is one of my favorite foods, surpassed only by pizza and followed close behind by spaghetti.  Noticing a trend?  Yeah, I definitely shoulda been Italian.

I've already given you my classic lasagna recipe and an amazing lasagna soup recipe, as well as this great pasta dish that's kinda like lasagna, but this might be even better than all of those.  It's quicker, easier, uses more veggies, dirties less dishes, and tastes amazing!

Skillet Lasagna
Total time: 30 min
Serves 5

1/2 lb Italian sausage
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cups spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
2 cups wide egg noodles
1 zucchini, diced
1/2 cup ricotta cheesse
2 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

In a large skillet, brown sausage with onions.  Drain and return to pan.  Add sauce and water and bring to a boil.  Stir in noodles and zucchini.  Return to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer till noodles are tender, about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine ricotta, Parmesan, and parsley.  Drop large spoonfuls of cheese mixture on top of noodle mixture then sprinkle each mound with mozzarella.  Cover and cook on low till mozzarella is melted, about 4 minutes.

465 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Pork Potstickers

God bless my husband, Allen; he is such a good man.  He is kind and gentle, patient to a fault, and super handy around the house.  He puts up with me and almost never complains about anything, which is a lot more than I can say about myself!  He will also eat just about anything I serve him, like it or not, and rarely asks for anything special.  When he does make a request I try my best to honor it, even if it's something I don't like myself, just because he deserves it.

The other day, out of the blue, he suggested potstickers for dinner.  I don't know why because he's never mentioned them before or even ordered them at a restaurant, but he sent me a link to an Alton Brown recipe and everything, so I knew he really meant it.  I was a little bummed, because the one and only time I ever had potstickers, I was unimpressed; they were gummy and flavorless.  But I love my husband, so pot stickers went on the menu and I spent a good hour assembling and cooking them tonight.  I am so glad I did!  These pot stickers were chewy and delicious, with loads of flavor in each little pocket.  They did take a long time to make, but luckily I had my sous chef helping me.  Unfortunately, she ended up disliking them, but Allen and I thought they were fabulous and had a hard time stopping ourselves from eating "just one more!"

Pork Potstickers

Prep time: 30 min  Cook time: 30 min
Makes 40 potstickers

1/2 lb pork sausage
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
2 Tbs finely chopped red bell pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp ketchup
1 tsp yellow mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
40 small wonton wrappers

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Combine all ingredients except wrappers in a medium-size mixing bowl.

To form the dumplings, remove several wonton wrappers from the package, covering the others with a damp cloth. Brush 2 of the edges of each wrapper lightly with water. Place 1/2 rounded teaspoon of the pork mixture in the center of the wrapper. Fold over, seal edges, and shape as desired. Set on a sheet pan and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat procedure until all of the filling is gone.

Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat. Brush with vegetable oil once hot. Add 8 to 10 pot-stickers at a time to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, without touching. Once the 2 minutes are up, gently add 1/3 cup chicken stock to the pan, turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove wontons to a heatproof platter and place in the warm oven. Clean the pan in between batches by pouring in water and allowing the pan to deglaze. Repeat until all the wontons are cooked. Serve immediately.

Approximately 40 calories per potsticker.

Winner Weiner

When I was younger, I used to love going out to eat because it gave me the chance to enjoy all the yummy foods I couldn't get at home.  Now that I've been cooking (and trying a lot of new recipes) for quite a few years, I've spoiled myself on my own good cooking! Not that I don't appreciate someone else doing the cooking and cleanup once in awhile, but so many times I'm disappointed when the dish I get at the restaurant isn't as good as what I can make myself at home.

There are still a few holdouts, of course.  I have yet to make a really excellent pizza, which stinks because that's my favorite food, and my Chinese dishes lack a certain je ne sai quoi. The soft pretzel is another one of those treats that I always assumed I'd have to leave in the qualified hands of Auntie Anne, until recently when a friend told me how easy they were to make at home.

When I found this recipe for pretzel-wrapped hot dogs I knew I had to give 'em a try. Wouldn't you know it, they turned out great! I was all set to make these with regular hot dogs, as the recipe says, but my husband found some Polish sausage links on sale the other day, so we wrapped those instead--absolutely fabulous! I like my pretzels dipped in nacho cheese, so I served some on the side, but they were so tasty they really didn't need it. Don't be intimidated by the lengthy directions, aside from the rising time these came together really quickly and were easy as could be. 

Pretzel Dogs
Prep time: 10 min (then 1 hr rising), then 10 min    Bake time: 12 min
Serves 8

1 1/4 cups warm (110 to 115° F) water
1 Tbs sugar
2 tsp salt
1 package (7g) active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup baking soda
2 Tbs butter, melted
1 tsp kosher salt, for sprinkling
8 hot dogs (or fully cooked sausages)

Combine the warm water, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.

Add the flour, salt, and butter. Combine with a spoon or the paddle until it start to come together, then switch to the dough hook. Mix with the dough hook on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. You may need to add a bit more flour, but be aware that this is a pretty soft dough. You should be able to touch it without it being impossible to get off your fingers, though.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size. I like to put mine in an oven that has been turned to 170˚ (warm) for about a minute, then turned off.

Preheat the oven to 450. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly brush with vegetable oil. Set aside.  In a large pot, bring 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil (the ratio is important.)

Meanwhile, knead down the dough, turn it out onto a slightly floured work surface, and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a rope that’s about 18 inches long, depending on how big your hot dogs are. Starting at one end, wrap the dough around the hot dog, pinching each end together so that it’s sealed. Place onto the pans and repeat with the remaining dough and hot dogs.

Place the pretzel dogs into the boiling water two at a time and boil for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large, flat, slotted spatula. Return the boiled pretzel dogs to the pans, leaving plenty of space between them so they'll brown evenly, then brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with the kosher salt.

Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

522 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Perfect Harmony Spinach and Sausage Pasta

Wouldn't life be nicer if we all just got along? If there were no personality conflicts, no misunderstandings, no differences of opinion? Sadly, neither humans, nor food, always go well together, and once they clash, sometimes there's no salvaging it. I'm an adventurous chef, and I'm willing to try all kinds of food combinations that might, or might not, turn out okay, but some days you just want a dish that you know is gonna be good. This simple skillet meal is in perfect harmony--all the flavors play well together--and I appreciate that kind of peace, even if it is just amongst ingredients!

  
Creamy Spinach and Sausage Pasta
Prep time: 5 min  Cook time: 20 min
Serves 4

1 (13 oz) pkg smoked sausage, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes w/chiles
2 cups chicken broth
8 oz egg noodles
3 cups fresh spinach
1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese
1 green onion, sliced

Saute the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until nicely browned. Drain off the excess fat.

Add onion to the skillet and continue to saute until softened. Add the can of diced tomatoes with chiles and the chicken broth. Stir to combine and dissolve any browned bits off of the bottom of the skillet.

Add the uncooked pasta to the skillet. Cover and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about ten minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Stir once or twice while the pasta cooks to keep it from sticking.

Stir in the fresh spinach, one cup at a time, until wilted. Keep the heat on while adding the spinach so the liquid will continue to simmer and thicken.

Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top, replace the lid, and let it sit for a few minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with green onion. 

656 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Lasagna by the Ladle

We all love lasagna at our house, and I've posted my favorite lasagna recipe on here before, but sometimes I just don't have the time and energy to fuss with making it.  But soup - now soup is easy!  It takes a little time to simmer, but the hands-on time is minimal, and since I'm making dinner for 50 teenagers tomorrow and Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, I really need simple today.  Besides, I'd rather devote my energy to the dessert I have planned!  Plus, Uncle Johnny just arrived and he loves soup, so what better time to try out the recipe.  Lasagna is great for company, and this variation did not disappoint in the least.  Everybody thought it was fabulous, even the kid, who doesn't like any of the ingredients in this recipe, but scarfed down a big bowlful before I even had a chance to insist she give it a try!

Lasagna Soup
link to original recipe
Prep time: 5 min  Cook time: 55 min
Serves 7

1 lb Italian sausage
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1 green pepper, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 carton (32 oz) chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 Tbs Italian seasoning
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp dried basil
12 lasagna noodles, broken into small pieces
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

In a large soup pot, brown sausage with onion, green pepper and garlic. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and seasonings. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Boil 2 minutes, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, covered (I might try reducing this next time because I'm impatient!) Stir occasionally.

Add bite sized lasagna noodles to soup and cook until tender (about 15 minutes).
When ready to serve, mix in the grated Parmesan cheese. Ladle into individual bowls and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese.

517 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Cheesy Sausage Pot

You know what happens when you put a whole bunch of yummy things in a Crock-Pot and let 'em simmer together for a half a day?  You get a super yummy supper, that's what!  The magic ingredient in this dish is definitely the smoked sausage, but it's the Crock-Pot that turns it into something truly magical.  Slow cooking causes the delectable flavor of the sausage to permeate all the other ingredients, turning plain potatoes and vegetables into a creamy, smoky pot of deliciousness.  This turned out quite saucy, so I served it with some crusty dinner rolls to sop up the extra because I didn't want to waste a drop.

Crock-Pot Cheesy Sausage Pot
Prep time: 5 min  Cook time: 6 hrs
Serves 6

1 (16 oz) bag frozen mixed vegetables
3 large potatoes, diced
2 (14 oz) pkgs smoked sausage, sliced 1/4 in thick
1 (10 oz) can cheddar cheese soup
1 (10 oz) can cream of celery soup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients together and pour into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

760 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

My Favorite Lasagna

My favorite cartoon as a child was Garfield. Being a lazy smart-aleck myself, I empathized with the lasagna-loving feline and his apathetic attitude. I also shared his passion for pasta. Now a "mature adult," I have managed to rein in my adolescent sarcasm and overcome my tendency towards lethargy, but I'm still a sucker for an ooey gooey pan of cheesy goodness.

While laziness is not one of my defining character traits any more, I do still try to keep my dinner preparations quick and easy, mainly because I'm starving after a long day at work and if I try to make anything too time-consuming I'm more likely to satisfy my hunger by shoving handfuls of candy into my mouth! That being said, a great pan of lasagna just really cannot be rushed. It takes time to brown the meat, mix up the cheese, assemble the casserole and bake the darn thing.

So if you were hoping I was going to give you a super-fast lasagna recipe, well, sorry to disappoint. I have found a few ways to shorten the process, though. I use no-boil noodles, store-bought sauce, and I bake it the day before I plan to serve it. Like spaghetti, it tastes better the second day anyway! The only problem with doing it this way is that smelling it bake all evening makes it almost impossible to wait till the next day to eat it.  I guess my level of self-control is still about the same as Garfield's. I'll have to work on that.  Meanwhile, I think my lasagna is ready. Second supper, anyone?

My Favorite Lasagna
Prep time: 15 min  Bake time: 60 min
Serves 12

1 lb Italian sausage
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
42 oz spaghetti sauce (about 1.5 jars)
1/2 cup water
8 oz ricotta cheese
8 oz cottage cheese (small curd)
1-2 Tbs Italian seasoning
2 eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 no-boil lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350F.

Brown sausage with onion, drain and return to pan. Add garlic and cook another minute, till fragrant. Add spaghetti sauce and water.  Heat through.

Meanwhile, combine ricotta, cottage cheese, Italian seasoning, eggs, and salt and pepper.

Spoon 1.5 cups of meat sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan. Add a layer of noodles, then half the ricotta mixture, then a large handful of mozzarella. Add another 1.5 cups of sauce, then more noodles, the rest of the ricotta mixture, and another handful of mozzarella.  Finish with the last of the sauce and mozzarella.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake another 15 minutes or till golden brown and bubbly.

By the way, I've never been able to find 8 oz containers of ricotta or cottage cheese, only 15 or 16 oz, so I frequently use the extra to make a second batch of lasagna to keep in the freezer for nights when I'm just feeling too much like Garfield to bother making dinner at all.

380 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

A Penne For Your Thoughts

My name is Paula and I am a pasta-holic.  And a cheese-aholic.  And a spaghetti sauce-aholic.  So yeah, this recipe pretty much does it for me on every level.  I thought about saving this for Sunday, since the kid is not a fan of Italian sausage and I knew that ground beef would just not be quite as good in here, but instead I hid the sausage wrapper and kept calling it "meat" and she never knew the difference.  Score one for the sneaky chef. = )  The Philadelphia Cooking Creme was a little hard to find (read: they didn't have it at Wal-Mart so I had to make a special trip to Food Lion) but it is what makes this different than plain ole pasta and tomato sauce, so don't try to do without it.  The creaminess it adds makes this taste like it came from an Italian restaurant and not a jar.  I can only imagine how good this would be with homemade spaghetti sauce instead of Ragu, but, yeah, that's not gonna happen any time soon, so meanwhile I'll just stick with the store-bought stuff and fancy it up a little with my new-found friend in the cheese aisle.

Creamy Baked Penne
link to original recipe
Prep time: 15 min  Bake time: 20 min
Serves 6

1/2 lb ground beef or Italian sausage
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup diced green peppers
1 jar(24 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 tub(10 oz) Philadelphia Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking Creme, divided
1 cup shredded Mozzarella, divided
3 cups cooked penne pasta

Heat oven to 350°F.

Brown meat with vegetables in large nonstick skillet. 

Stir in spaghetti sauce, 3/4 cup cooking creme and 1/2 cup mozzarella; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until mozzarella is melted. Add pasta; mix lightly. 

Spoon into 2-qt. casserole; top with remaining cooking creme and mozzarella. Cover. 

Bake 20 min. or until heated through, uncovering after 15 min.

604 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!