sausage

Sausage, Cannellini, and Tomato Ragout

Leah Short — Mon, 11 May 2015 23:12:27 +0000

Posts have been a little scarce around here lately, but for good reason. So, How’s It Taste had a little behind-the-scenes makeover and you should notice how much faster the site is! It’s lightning fast thanks to moving to a new hosting company. More changes are coming soon…but until then, let’s talk about this Sausage, Cannellini, and Tomato Ragout. You won’t believe the flavor in this, and all under 300 calories per serving. One recipe makes four large servings and wait until you see what I serve with it.

Read more on Sausage, Cannellini, and Tomato Ragout

The post Sausage, Cannellini, and Tomato Ragout appeared first on Leah Claire.

Italian Mac & Cheese with Smoked Sausage

Leah Short — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 17:56:32 +0000

If you follow me on Instagram, you may remember this cheese sauce from last Wednesday. I started drooling while whipping up this Italian Mac & Cheese with Smoked Sausage, and that’s a good sign in this case. Six kinds of cheese with Italian seasoning and garlic should absolutely be made into a candle. Except I’m pretty sure I’d drool all the time over it, so maybe not. I can’t explain to you how good this cheese sauce smells while cooking and it’s a bajillion times better in taste. The best part is that it’s very easy to make. Boil your pasta and make the sauce while it cooks. Stir everything together and bake. Even the leftovers are crazy good…I should know because I’ve made this twice now and I’ve eaten it pretty much every day, sometimes twice, and I’m still not sick of it.

Read more on Italian Mac & Cheese with Smoked Sausage

The post Italian Mac & Cheese with Smoked Sausage appeared first on Leah Claire.

Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Leah Short — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 15:36:55 +0000

A few days ago I got back from visiting my friends Carol and Mike, who just had a baby girl! I couldn’t wait to meet her! You may remember my visit to their house last year. I knew with a 2-month-old in the house that we’d be hanging out at home mostly. This was ok with me because I knew Carol would be down with making some goodies in the kitchen. We found these Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms in the latest issue of Food Network magazine. There were several variations, but these sounded so good with all the cheese and fennel. These hearty appetizers would also be great for watching the game later that night!

Read more on Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

The post Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms appeared first on Leah Claire.

Sausage, Egg, Cheese, & Hash Brown Muffins

Leah Short — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 11:20:15 +0000

Last weekend I was invited to a birthday brunch and needed to bring something to share. After seeing the list was sweet-heavy on what everyone else was bringing, I decided on something savory. I wanted it to be portable, easy to make, and in individual servings (easier to photograph since I wouldn’t be taking pics at the party). It was surprisingly hard to find all of these requirements in one dish, plus add that the birthday girl doesn’t like peppers or onions. I succeeded with Sausage, Egg, Cheese, & Hash Brown Muffins! Individual servings of what you’d find in a typical breakfast casserole and easily adaptable to different tastes.

Read more on Sausage, Egg, Cheese, & Hash Brown Muffins

The post Sausage, Egg, Cheese, & Hash Brown Muffins appeared first on Leah Claire.

Mini Pancake Bites

Leah Short — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 13:01:07 +0000

I made these Mini Pancake Bites over the weekend and I had such good intentions of freezing them for quick breakfasts later on in the week. Somehow about half of them kept disappearing! They are addictive I tell you…and dangerous. They’re so tiny, you think you can just keep eating and eating and eating. Deceptive little bundles of pancakey goodness stuffed with whatever you can dream up.

Read more on Mini Pancake Bites

The post Mini Pancake Bites appeared first on Leah Claire.

Pierogi, Sausage & Squash Stew

Leah Short — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:04:35 +0000

We’ve barely mentioned pierogies on this blog. Back in 2010, they were on my recap post of a food tour I took in NYC. I love them. If you’re not familiar with pierogies, they are a carb-lovers dream. Pillows of dough filled with mashed potatoes. I like to slather mine in sour cream and onions. As I flipped through my Food Network magazine, I had eyes for this Pierogi, Sausage & Squash Stew. I added sausage to the title because it’s such a huge part of this dish. So much going on in this recipe and it makes four huge servings. I like the word “huge” when it refers to a serving size and I’m counting calories.

So, how’s it taste?

I was iffy about it because the ingredients have the potential to be too weird together to be good. Especially when you add the cabbage. It stinks! Seriously stinks! Luckily the smell is no where near the flavor. I had to alter the recipe a bit and used pork sausage instead of turkey. That worked out really well, so I highly suggest making that substitution. I also couldn’t find pre-cut butternut squash either fresh or frozen and I wasn’t about to cut one myself, so I substituted frozen, pureed butternut squash. I really toiled over that decision at the grocery store, but again, I think it worked out better than if I had used cubed. It makes the stew really thick and comforting. There’s enough chunks it it with the mushrooms, sausage, and the pierogies, so I liked not having yet another chunk of something.

The flavor was incredible. I’ll repeat that. Incredible! I was surprised at how much I loved it. It was hearty and comforting and had so many textures. The cabbage stays a bit crunchy, then all the chunks of mushrooms and sausage, and oh those pierogies! A dollop of sour cream makes it so rich. I started using a bit of prepared horseradish in this soup and now I try it in others all the time. It works fantastic in this stew. It gives just a bit of kick and yet another layer of awesomeness.

I would suggest cooking the pierogies separately as you need them for a serving. While I really enjoyed the leftovers, the pierogies got a bit soggy the longer they were in the stew. If you’re using full size pierogies, I also suggest cutting them in thirds. It makes for much easier eating.

Pierogi, Sausage & Squash Stew

adapted from Food Network Magazine
makes 4 servings
per serving: 388 calories, 13g fat, 46g carbs, 4g fiber, 24g protein

Ingredients:

2 tsp. olive oil
8 oz. Italian turkey or pork sausage, casings removed
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups shredded coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage
10 oz. box frozen butternut squash, thawed
1 (12 oz.) package cheddar and potato pierogies
Kosher salt
1/3 cup sour cream
Freshly ground pepper
Horseradish, prepared, optional

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and stir well to coat. Increase heat to medium high, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute, then stir in chicken broth and 2 cups water, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

2. Add coleslaw mix, cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the cabbage is wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the squash and pierogies* and simmer, uncovered, until the pierogies are cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt. Divide among bowls and top with the sour cream, and pepper to taste. Add horseradish for a spicy kick.

*Note: I would suggest cooking the pierogies separately and adding them as you need them for each serving. The leftovers tasted great, but the pierogies did get a bit soggy the longer they were in the stew. So if you're not going to eat the entire recipe in one sitting, cook as many pierogies as you need per serving. It's also good to cut them into thirds to make eating the stew easier.

The post Pierogi, Sausage & Squash Stew appeared first on Leah Claire.