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Mediterranean Hash

December 1, 2011 By Kate 1 Comment

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Have you ever bought an ingredient just because it was on sale and looked really good? I hate to admit it, but I have a tendency of falling into that trap, especially when I break the cardinal rule of never grocery shopping while hungry. That’s exactly what happened earlier this month when I made a quick stop to pick up some yogurt and milk and my eyes landed on a container of Feta cheese. Although I had no idea how I’d use it, I couldn’t resist!

So, I’ve had this container of Feta sitting in our refrigerator while I tried to decide on a great way to use it. Finally, I decided on something a little different that just sounded so good to me for some reason. It turned out exactly as I hoped. The Feta added a perfect little kick to the dish.

I used sliced Chicken & Spinach sausage because I had some on hand, but I think the meat could definitely be swapped for something else. Chicken would great.

Mediterranean Hash

  • 2 lbs. baby red potatoes, quartered
  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 T. butter
  • 1 lb. chicken sausage, sliced (or substitute with another meat of your choice)
  • 2 c. frozen spinach, thawed
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1 t. Rosemary
  • 1/2 t. pepper
  • 1 6 oz. can sliced black olives
  • 1/2 c. crumbled Feta cheese

1. Place potatoes in a large pot filled with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes, just until fork tender. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add butter and cook until melted. Stir in sausage, spinach and seasonings. Cook for 5 more minutes, then add potatoes. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until potatoes and browned and crisp.

3. Remove from heat and stir in olives. Top with Feta and serve immediately.

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Italian Sausage Risotto

March 10, 2011 By Kate 2 Comments

I fell in love with risotto when I made it a few months ago. We’ve had that one particular side dish several times since then. But each time I made it, I kept thinking that I really wanted to make it into a main dish. I toyed with several different ideas until I settled on this one.

Italian Sausage Risotto just made sense to me on so many levels. First of all, we love Italian sausage. Secondly, the classic flavors of a meat or marinara sauce also go over big every single time they hit our table. So, toss all those things together and this is what I ended up with. It was a winner! The creaminess of the rice blended with the sweet-spicy flavors of the sausage and sauce perfectly.

Italian Sausage Risotto

  • 1 lb. Italian sausage, bulk or links with the casings removed
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/8 t. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 bunch green onions, sliced
  • 2 c. rice (I just used a medium grain)
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1/2 t. black pepper
  • 1 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 3 – 4 c. chicken stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 t. Italian seasoning

1. Combine sausage, onions, peppers, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes in a large skillet. Stir and cook over medium-high heat until sausage is no longer pink and onions are tender. Stir in green onions and rice.

2. Slowly pour in tomatoes, tomato sauce and 3 c. chicken stock. Stir in seasonings. Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat and slowly simmer until rice is tender, about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

If needed, slowly stir in the remaining cook of chicken stock while cooking. Remove bay leaf before serving. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

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Italian Sausage & Cannellini Beans

January 31, 2011 By Kate 2 Comments

I’ve always said that if I had to choose a favorite bean, I’d definitely pick the garbanzo bean. I do love them and hummus has got to be my number 1 favorite snack. But lately, I’ve really taken to cannellini beans. I love their creamy texture and the way they absorb flavors. Every dish I’ve tried them in has turned out great. In fact, if it weren’t for the flavor from the Italian sausage, I could have totally eaten this dish without any meat.

And that worked out well for my husband since he happily ate my share of the meat after I couldn’t stop eating the beans. It’s not often we don’t have a starch with dinner, but this definitely did need any extra. Although if your family needs some extra carbs with dinner, you could definitely serve if offer rice or pasta.

In addition to that versatility and great flavor, you gotta love that this dish cooks up in a hurry and in one dish!

Italian Sausage & Cannellini Beans

  • 1/2 red onion
  • 1 red pepper
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 lb. Italian sausage links
  • 1 T. olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 lb. fresh spinach, washed and drained
  • 1 t. Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 t. nutmeg
  • 1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (or 3 c. dried cannellini beans, fully cooked)
  • 1 c. chicken stock

Dice red onion, slice red pepper and mince garlic. Refrigerate until using. Slice Italian sausage links; refrigerate until using.

+ 10 minutes cooking time Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add chopped veggies and Italian sausage slices; season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, until sausage is starting to brown. Stir in spinach and seasonings. Cook another 5 minutes, until spinach is wilted. Cover skillet and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, until sausage is fully cooked.

Return heat to medium-high. Stir in rinsed beans and chicken stock.

Bring to a slow boil, stirring until frequently, until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

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