Orzo with Tomatoes, Peas and Sausage

We seem to be going through a pattern here. One week we grocery shop the next we scrounge around and become creative with our dinners. I had high hopes of going the the store last night on my way home just like I did the night before. Since it didn't' fit into my schedule (I had to pick up Dave's anniversary gift, much more important) I created this quick meal. We always have a can of tomatoes in the cubbard, peas in the freezer and pasta, always a box of pasta! This was really great! The splash of half and half added a nice dimension and created a light rose sauce. We added mozzarella stuffed chicken sausage to round out this meal. You could leave the meat out or even substitute chicken. Versitile and yummy!

Orzo with Tomatoes, Peas and Sausage
1 box of orzo
1garlic clove
2 C chicken broth
2 C water
1/2 onion, diced small
1 14oz. can of tomatoes, slightly drained (I think fire roasted tomatoes would be really good)
3 chicken sausage, sliced thin
1/2 C frozen peas
3 T half & half
Parmesan cheese
evoo

Cook orzo in broth and water with the garlic clove. Heat skillet over medium high heat. Add a splash of evoo and sliced sausage and cook until lightly browned. Next add onions and continue cooking for 3 more minutes. Add tomatoes, peas and half and half. Continue cooking until heated through. Toss orzo and sauce together and serve passing cheese.

Ravioli Lasagna

Is this a pretty picture? I'd say NO! I just think pictures are needed or else you may not make it. You know the saying, "You eat with your eyes not your stomach." This may or may not be true after you look at this picture! I told myself I would put aside the harsh reality that I cannot take good pictures and focus on the recipe. Its all about the food people! So about the food... Dave made this one up on his own. He really is quite the cook and feels very comfortable making up his own recipe when it is his night to cook. This was really delicious and wonderful meal to come home to. Thanks Dave!

Ravioli Lasagna
10 cheese ravioli
2 C fresh mozzarella
3 hot Italian sausage
4 C homemade tomato sauce

Cook ravioli until al dente and drain. Preheat oven 350 degrees. Slice sausage into disks and cook in a medium skillet until cooked through. Thinly slice mozzarella. Spoon 1 cup of tomato sauce into baking dish. Place 5 ravioli over sauce, then spread half the sausage on top of raviolis. Layer half the mozzarella over sausage and repeat with tomato sauce, ravioli and sausage. Finish with remaining sauce and cheese and bake for 20 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned.

Zucchini, Chicken Sausage and Casserole

I prepped this meal on Monday since we were only having garden burgers and there really wasn't any effort involved. I think that all casserole type meals taste better after the ingredients have had a chance to develop. So letting it sit in the fridge for 24 hours was a bonus. I was impressed with this simple weeknight recipe. Since I used an entire box of pasta I divided this into two casseroles and froze one for another time. You really need to make sure that you under cook the noodles. And if you are looking for a saucy casserole you won't find it here. I adjusted the liquids a bit but really wanted to highlight the light, summery and simple tastes. If you don't have feta on hand then skip it, this isn't a must have ingredient. I would even add either a touch of lemon juice or even a bit of zest to bring out the freshness in the end product. The Chicken Sausage are really quite good. If your local Costco has these put them in your basket. The ingredient list is short and legible (meaning so "foreign" unpronounceable names). I forgot to take a picture of this but hopefully you are still inclined to give this a try!

Zucchini, Chicken Sausage Casserole
1 box Rigatoni pasta
5 chicken sausage (I used chicken, artichoke and mozzarella cheese sausage from Costco)
1 t evoo
2 medium zucchini sliced (I used yellow and green)
1/2 a large onion sliced
1/2 t kosher salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 C chicken broth
1 C reserved pasta water
2 T all-purpose flour
1/4 C crumbled feta cheese
1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400°. Cook pasta in boiling salted water about 6-7 minutes. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add evoo. Add sausage to pan; cook until browned, remove from pan. Add zucchini, onion, salt, pepper, and garlic. Cook 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and zucchini begins to brown, stirring occasionally. Combine broth and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan; cook 1 minute. Drain pasta, reserving about a cup water. Use the pasta water to adjust the thickness of the sauce. (I used about 3/4 C.) Combine zucchini mixture, pasta, sausage, and feta cheese and toss to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Adapted from Cooking Light, JULY 2007

Sausage Hogies with Green Peppers, Onions and Mushrooms

I don't think you can call this a recipe but I feel the need to post this to remind you that it is a good go to meal that we have actually never had in our house! It was also our first night using the grill.

Sausage & Pepper Hogies
Sweet Italian sausage or Italian turkey sausage (or your choice of sausage)
1 green bell pepper thinly sliced
1 a yellow onion thinly sliced
5 button mushrooms sliced
2 t Worcestershire sauce
evoo
salt and pepper
your choice of cheese (I used American this time)
hogie buns

Saute onions until they are soft and lightly browned. Add peppers and mushrooms. Grill sausage until cooked through. Add Worcestershire sauce at and salt and pepper at the end. Lightly toast hogies and place sausage in bun topped with cheese and vegi mixture.