Tomato & Red Pepper Pasta with Italian Sausages

January 13, 2013 By 4 Comments

It’s definitely winter in our part of the world.  Right now I’m looking at over a foot of snow!
It’s cold and snowy, but SO beautiful!
And it’s this kind of weather that inspires me to get into the kitchen to make home-y, hearty dinners.

Like a lot of families, spaghetti is a favourite home-y dish here!  My kids could eat it once a week if I made it!  I’m trying to switch things up with this classic dish, so we aren’t eating the same thing all the time.  So when I stumbled upon this recipe, I just knew it would be a great change!

A great thing about this recipe is you likely have the ingredients on hand.  I love when I can make a delicious dinner without having to go out to the store for last minute ingredients.  AND it’s even better if I can make dinner in under 1 hour…this is another one of those recipes!  Yay for that!

This pasta recipe very simple to make, and it makes your home smell amazing while it’s cooking!

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Tomato & Red Pepper Pasta with Italian Sausages
 

Ingredients
  • olive oil
  • 6 Italian sausages
  • 2 large onions, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 red peppers, chopped
  • ½ cup red wine (or broth)
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • 1 – 28 oz can diced tomatoes
  • ½ cup pureed butternut squash (optional)
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt & pepper
  • pasta

Instructions
  1. Add enough olive oil to a large pan to lightly cover the surface of the pan.
  2. Add the sausages and cook on medium-high heat, until the sausages are nice and golden. After this time, remove from the pan and set aside.
  3. Remove most of the oil from the pan, then add the onions and cook until they start to caramelize, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Once the onions are moist and golden brown, add the garlic and cook for a few minutes.
  4. Return the sausages to the pan, along with the red pepper. Stir for a few minutes.
  5. Add the wine (or broth), tomato paste, squash, diced tomatoes, oregano, bay leaves and salt & pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover with a lid, and simmer very gently for about 1 hour.
  6. Serve over the pasta of your choice: whole wheat spaghetti, penne, linguine.

Notes
Things to note:
* This is a very versatile recipe: You can add any kind of bell peppers of your choice, more garlic if you like! You could also add some shredded carrots, shredded zucchini, or squash puree for extra nutrition!
* The Italian sausages from Costco are the BEST! They’re so flavourful and very lean!

Recipe adapted from epicurious.com

 

Also, just in case you didn’t know already, I now have a tab specifically set up with all my dinners that you can make in 1 hour or less!  Just click here!

 

I hope you enjoy it!
Stay warm & delicious!

Yummy Linking:  I should be mopping the floor, Craft-O-Maniac, Under the Table and Dreaming, Chef-in-Training, Nap Time Creations, Buns in my Oven

Filed Under: In The Kitchen, Main Course, pasta, What's For Dinner Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

November 15, 2012 By 10 Comments

Winter in our home means comfort food.  It must be natures way of prepping us for the looooooong, cold months ahead!  But I actually really love cooking comfort food.  I love the whole process of it and I love eating it!  One of our comfort meals are tacos, complete with all the trimmings!

So when the Turkey Farmers of Canada challenged myself, along with some other Canadian bloggers, to make a comfort dish from turkey, I immediately thought of tacos.  But I wanted to make a more healthy and modern version of them!

I started thinking about what to make, and my mind turned to the Asian Lettuce Wraps at Joey Tomatoes!  Have you ever had them?  They’re the BEST.  So, so good.  And I’ve always wanted to try to make them at home, so this was the perfect time to do that!  I just knew that they’d be SO good with ground turkey!

So I took to the internet in search of the perfect recipe for lettuce wraps, and after a bit of trial and error, this recipe is what I came up with!

These are so flavourful!  And messy.  Very messy.  Did I mention they’re messy?!

But they’re worth it.  The kids loved them, and thought they were so fun to eat.

 

Print
Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps
 

Ingredients
Sauce
  • ¾ cup Hoisin sauce
  • 11/2 tsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp liquid honey
  • 3 tbsp sweet chili sauce
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 large clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. freshly grated ginger
Meat Mixture
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1½ lbs ground turkey
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 orange pepper, chopped
  • 1 small onion, chopped
Toppings
  • handful cilantro
  • 3 green onions, sliced
  • 1 head iceberg lettuce, separated into whole leaves
  • ½ cup chopped peanuts (toasted if you like)
  • dry, steam-fried Asian noodles

Instructions
Make the sauce first.
  1. In a sauce pan, combine the Hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, honey, sweet chili sauce, water, lime juice, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Stir and cook until well blended, then remove from the heat and set aside.
Cooking the turkey.
  1. In a frying pan, heat up 2 tbsp of oil, and add the turkey and garlic.
  2. Cook until the meat is no longer pink and the moisture is gone (you may have to drain it).
  3. Mix together the soy sauce and brown sugar in a little bowl, then add it to the ground turkey. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes.
  4. Add the Hoisin sauce mixture that you had set aside, along with the bell peppers and onion. Stir and cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked but still kind of crunchy.
Putting it all together.
  1. All in separate bowls: Set out the lettuce leaves, turkey mixture, peanuts, chopped cilantro, sliced onions and noodles.
  2. Let everyone put together their own wrap!
  3. Enjoy!

Notes

One thing we found was that the noodles were a bit too crunchy for our liking. They could be tossed into the final meat mixture and have them sit for a few minutes before serving, just to soften them up a bit.

Recipe inspired by the Best of Bridge

 

So for your next taco night, think of these turkey lettuce wraps!  They’re so good!   Don’t just wait for the holidays to serve turkey – it’s so lean and very versatile!  Really really good!

Have a delicious day!

In full disclosure I was compensated by the Turkey Farmers of Canada in exchange for writing this post.  But as always, all opinions are my own.  I really, truly do love me some turkey!  ;)

Yummy Linking:  Five Days 5 Ways, Little Inspiration, It’s Overflowing, Positively Splendid

Filed Under: appetizer, In The Kitchen, Main Course Tagged With: , , , , ,

Macaroni & Cheese with Broccoli

November 14, 2012 By 9 Comments

 

Many of us are hunkered down in winter weather!  And what better time for comfort food like Macaroni & Cheese?  Add some broccoli and it’s the full meal deal.
Healthy.  Delicious.  And on the table in under 1 hour.
Love it.

 

My oldest boy, who is somewhat of a picky eater, constantly asks for this.  Even last night, as I set dinner down on to the table, he took one look at it and asked me when I was going to make ‘that’ macaroni & cheese again…  Hmmmm, I’m not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not….  ;)

 

Anyway, a quick dinner idea for your hectic days!

 

Print
Macaroni & Cheese with Broccoli
 

Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • ⅓ cup flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 can evaporated milk (370 mL)
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated (old cheddar has great flavour)
  • 1 lb elbow macaroni
  • 2 cups broccoli, chopped into bite size pieces

Instructions
  1. In a large pot, boil the pasta according to package directions.
  2. When it is cooked, drain the water. Set aside.
  3. In a pot of boiling water, cook the broccoli until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
  4. In the meantime, melt the butter in a saucepan, and add the garlic. Cook for about 1 minute.
  5. Add the flour, and stir to make a paste.
  6. Then slowly pour in the milk, while whisking, and cook until the sauce is thickened.
  7. Add the mustard, paprika and salt. Whisk.
  8. Sprinkle in the cheese, and stir the mixture continuously until it is melted.
  9. Toss the pasta with the cheese sauce. Add the broccoli and stir in.
  10. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Chef Michael Smith

 

Tips!
  • For extra flavourful mac & cheese use old cheddar.  Or if you prefer a more mild flavour you can use a medium cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese.
  • If you don’t have evaporated milk, this recipe works well with using just all regular milk. (so roughly 3 1/2 cups milk)
  • You can serve the macaroni in individual dishes with melted cheese on top.
    • Just sprinkle on some extra grated cheese to each dish, and line the dishes up on a cookie sheet in the oven.  Broil until the cheese is melted, bubbling and light brown.

 

I hope this dinner can make your life even just a teensiest bit easier.  ;)
Have a delicious day!
Yummy Linking:  SNAP, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots & Jello, Funky Junk Interiors, I should be mopping the floor

 

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