Doin' Some Cookin'... Sausage & Roasted Roots

A taste of Fall on your dinner plate! This meal is simple, easy, comfort food and best of all I was able to get Little Man to try something new (well, since becoming a big kid)... sweet potatoes, and he loved them! He loves sausage but refused to try beets because he heard somewhere that they were "disgusting". Oh well! More for me. 

So take advantage of these cooler nights and taste Fall for yourself making this tonight. 

Sausage & Roasted Roots

Adapted From: Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, October 2015

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 12 oz beets, sliced
• 12 oz sweet potatoes, spiraled
• 4 shallots, peeled and quartered
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cooked chicken apple sausage links, scored and halved lengthwise
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp prepared horseradish
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

And Action:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place beets, potatoes, and shallots on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Roast 15 minutes, stirring half way through.

Stir vegetables, push to one side of the pan. Place sausage, cut sides down, on the other side of the pan. Roast 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 

For the sauce, stir together yogurt, mayo, horseradish, and Worcestershire sauce. Serve with vegetables and sausage. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Creamy Sundried Tomato and Chicken Sausage Pasta

Happy Hump Day!

Today just dragged on and coming off of a high from my recent trip to Las Vegas makes it less tolerable. I returned home on Monday afternoon and it's only Wednesday. That didn't last long. I've lost my mojo. Do people still say that or even still remember Austin Powers to understand the reference? Oh well, too tired to care.

After a tiring day at work this pasta dish is easy to make and oh so tasty. The sauce tastes creamy and without dairy. You can feel better about eating this.

Because I was feeding Little Man as well I opted for sundried tomato basil chicken sausages but if you and your littles can handle spice then I would go for a spicy chicken sausage for another flavor layer. Little Man had zero complaints about this meal.

It's been almost two months since I've made a pasta dish and this was worth the wait.

Creamy Sundried Tomato and Chicken Sausage Pasta

Adapted From: Heather Christo

Makes 4 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 pound penne pasta
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 sundried Tomato Basil Chicken Sausages, cut into thin slices
  
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• garlic powder, to taste
• 3 tbsp sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/3 cup coconut cream
• sea salt, to taste
• dried basil, to taste

And Action:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and add the sausages. Fry the sausages until crispy and golden on the outside, about 3-4 minutes. 

Add the onion powder, garlic, and sundried tomatoes, sprinkle with salt. Add the chicken broth and simmer another 2 minutes. Whisk in the coconut cream until well combined and add more salt if desired. 

Add the drained pasta into the pan with the sauce and stir to combine, cooking for another minute or two. Add the basil and toss well. Enjoy!

Doin' Some Cookin'... Rigatoni with Pumpkin, Sausage, and Spinach

It's the tail end of Fall and I'm just now jumping on the pumpkin bandwagon. Remember that Pumpkin Spice Latte I made recently? 

Monday night I needed a recipe that was quick, easy and perfect for Game Night and great for hungry tummies. I also had a can of pumpkin puree that was about to expire and no idea what to do with it. 

I follow the blog, The Larson Lingo, and was excited when an Internet search returned her blog with this recipe. I had everything on hand except the cheese and mushrooms. I also did not have the time to bake this dish another 25 minutes since it was already a late night and well past Little Man's bedtime, so I adapted it and just used it as inspiration.

This dish was delicious and the pumpkin cream sauce was lick-the-bowl worthy. I didn't mention to Little Man what was in this pasta dish so score one for this mom in tricking her kid into eating his veggies. 

The only thing that would have made this dish even better would have been a Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale, or two.

Using the entire box of pasta will yield plenty of leftovers. I froze about half of this dish for easy weeknight meals on those work nights when I can come up with a hundred excuses not to cook. 

Rigatoni with Pumpkin, Sausage, and Spinach

Adapted From: The Larson Lingo

Makes 8 Servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 (1 lb) box rigatoni
• 1 lb ground mild Italian sausage
• 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
• 4 handfuls of fresh spinach
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 12  oz can evaporated milk

And Action:

Cook pasta according to package directions. 

Cook sausage and season with onion powder. 

After sausage is fully cooked, remove the sausage from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, over medium heat add the can of pumpkin, garlic powder, salt and cayenne pepper. 

Stir well to incorporate.

Then add the can of evaporated milk.

Stir until smooth, 2-3 minutes, or until mixture begins to thicken slightly. 

Add the sausage back to the pan. Stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Mix in the pasta and spinach making sure to toss ingredients together to coat well.  Enjoy!