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Sausage Tortellini Soup

Sausage Tortellini Soup

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Yield: 4

Adapted from: NY Times

This lighter take on hearty sausage soup is cozy with chicken sausage, delicate tortellini, fennel and whatever green vegetables are gracing your market. Fennel is a late winter-early spring crop that works triple time for us here: The bulb is sweet and soft, sliced stalks are crisp-tender and the fronds are chopped for an herb garnish. While fully cooked chicken sausage adds just enough richness, feel free to use any fresh or fully cooked chicken or pork sausage you have and like (just remove fresh sausage from its casings before browning).

  • 3TBS extra-virgin olive oil
  • 12-16oz fully cooked chicken sausage, any flavor, cut into ½-inch pieces
  • 1large fennel, bulb coarsely chopped, stalks thinly sliced, fronds finely chopped
  • 4garlic cloves, chopped
  • salt and pepper
  • 1½quarts (6 cups) chicken broth
  • 10-12oz (approx.) fresh or frozen cheese, spinach or mushroom tortellini
  • 2cups chopped vegetables (such as snap or snow peas, green beans, asparagus, kale, spinach or escarole), or frozen peas
  • Grated Parmesan, for serving

Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high.

Add the sausage and cook, stirring once or twice, until browned and crisp all over, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add the chopped fennel bulb and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook, scraping up the browned bits as you go, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the broth is flavorful, 5 to 7 minutes. Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Add the tortellini and cook according to package directions.

In the last three minutes of the tortellini cooking, add the chopped vegetables and up to ½ cup sliced fennel stalks. (For some tortellini, that might mean adding the vegetables with the pasta.)

Remove from heat and stir in up to ¼ cup chopped fennel fronds.

Serve in bowls topped with parmesan and more black pepper.

Breakfast Pizza

Breakfast Pizza

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RED BARON ® Sausage Scrambles CC

Yield: 2 10-inch or 6 6-inch pizzas

Dough from Serious Eats

Dough:

  • 400grams (14 oz, about 2½ cups) bread flour
  • 10grams (.35 oz, about 2 tsp) kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
  • 4grams (.15 oz, about 1 tsp) instant yeast
  • 275grams (9.5 oz, about 1 cup plus 3 TBS) water
  • 8grams (.25 oz, about 2 tsp) extra-virgin olive oil

Toppings:

  • cooked sausage gravy (see below)
  • scrambled eggs
  • hash brown potatoes or tater tots (optional)
  • 8oz grated full-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 8oz grated cheddar cheese

Special Equipment:

  • Digital scale with gram measurements, cast iron skillet or mini pizza pans

Combine flour, salt, yeast, water, and oil in a large bowl. Mix with hands or a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains. The bowl should be at least 4 to 6 times the volume of the dough to account for rising.

Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, making sure that edges are well-sealed, then let rest on the countertop for at least 8 hours and up to 24. The dough should rise dramatically and fill the bowl.

Sprinkle the top of the dough lightly with flour, then transfer it to a well-floured work surface. Divide dough into two pieces and form each into a ball by holding it with well-floured hands and tucking the dough underneath itself, rotating it until it forms a tight ball.

Pour olive oil in the bottom of two 10-inch cast iron skillets, six 6-inch pizza pans or round cake pans. Place 1 ball of dough in each pan and turn to coat evenly with oil. Using a flat palm, press the dough around the pan, flattening it slightly and spreading oil around the entire bottom and edges of the pan. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough sit at room temperature for two hours. After the first hour, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 550°F.

After two hours, dough should be mostly filling in the pan up to the edges. Use your fingertips to press it around until it fills in every corner, popping any large bubbles that appear. Lift up one edge of the dough to let any air bubbles underneath escape and repeat, moving around the dough until there are no air bubbles left underneath, and the dough is evenly spread around the pan.

Top each round of dough with sausage gravy, spreading the gravy with the back of a spoon into every corner. If using, sprinkle potatoes over pizza. Spread evenly with mozzarella and cheddar cheese, letting the cheese go all the way to the edges. Season with salt.

Transfer pan to oven and bake until top is golden brown, and bubbly and bottom is golden brown and crisp when you lift it with a thin spatula, 12 to 15 minutes.

Using a thin spatula, loosen pizza and peek underneath. If the bottom is not as crisp as desired, place pan over a burner and cook on medium heat, moving the pan around to cook evenly until it is crisp, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove the pizzas and transfer to a cutting board. Cut each one into six slices and serve immediately.

Sausage Gravy

Yield: 4 Servings

Scott Nowell, Adapted from many

From a bunch of recipes, but mostly Ree Drumond’s. I remove the sausage before making the gravy so I can portion it for other uses such as breakfast pizza 😊

  • 1lb pork breakfast sausage
  • ¼cup AP flour
  • 2-2½cups whole milk
  • ¼tsp seasoned salt
  • salt and pepper to taste

Heat a 10- to 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble sausage into skillet and brown until no longer pink. Remove to bowl.

Reduce heat to medium-low and sprinkle flour into remaining fat. Stir and cook for a minute or two to form roux.

Stir in milk and cook until gravy thickens. Add seasoned salt and adjust seasoning with salt & pepper.

Return cooked sausage to pan and stir for sausage gravy.

For breakfast pizza don’t return sausage to gravy, sprinkle on pizza.

Sausage, Potatoes & Brussels Sprouts

Sausage, Potatoes & Brussels Sprouts

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with Honey Mustard

Yield: 4 Servings

Adapted from: NY Times

Sticky, honey mustard-glazed sausages, brussels sprouts and potatoes only adds to the argument that sheet-pan dinners make the best weeknight meals. As the sausages roast, they yield a delicious fat that coats and seasons the caramelized vegetables. Use any fresh sausage you like, as long as it pairs well with the honey mustard. Feel free to substitute or add other vegetables like squash, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, carrots or cabbage. The mustard seeds and nuts provide texture and crunch but leave them out if you prefer.

  • 1lb fresh sausage, such as sweet or hot Italian, or bratwurst
  • 8oz brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise
  • 12oz small potatoes, like baby Yukon gold or red potatoes, halved
  • 2TBS extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4tsp honey
  • 1TBS Dijon mustard
  • 1TBS yellow mustard seeds (optional)
  • ¼cup almonds or walnuts, chopped (optional)


Heat oven to 450°F and place a sheet pan in the oven to heat.

Prep Sausages: Score the sausages in a few places on both sides, making sure not to cut all the way through.

Mix: Transfer to a large bowl with the brussels sprouts, potatoes and 2 TBS olive oil, and stir until coated. (If the mixture seems dry, add a little more oil.) Season with salt and pepper.

First Bake: Spread the mixture in an even layer on the heated half-sheet pan, and arrange the vegetables cut sides down. Roast 15 minutes, until the brussels sprouts and potatoes start to soften. (The sausages will not be cooked through yet.)

Sauce: Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the honey, mustard and mustard seeds, if using.

Second Bake: Drizzle the honey mustard over the sausages and vegetables and toss or shake to coat. Flip the sausages. Sprinkle with almonds, if using. Roast until the sausages are cooked through and the vegetables are golden and tender, another 10 minutes or so.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

My Breakfast Burritos

My Breakfast Burritos

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Yield: 6

Scott Nowell

A decent breakfast burrito. Used home fries for first go and they don’t have enough crunch. Well-seasoned hash browns or tater tots are better.

Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Burrito:

  • 6eggs, scrambled, seasoned
  • salt & pepper
  • Butter, as required
  • 1lb uncased mild Italian sausage
  • hash browns or tater tots as required
  • onion, bell pepper & jalapeno mix, sauteed
  • Tex-Mex cheese, shredded
  • 612-inch tortillas

To serve:

  • hot sauce

Scramble eggs until medium, season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.

Cook sausage, set aside.

On warm 12-inch tortilla, put eggs down middle. Top with meat, potatoes, pepper mix and cheese. Don’t overfill, the burritos become too big to roll and handle.

Fold in ends of tortilla/burrito and roll sides to cover.

Place seam side down in a hot pan to brown lightly.

Serve, refrigerate or freeze as desired.

To reheat:

For one refrigerated burrito, place on a microwave safe plate and cook for 45 seconds. Flip over and cook for another 45 seconds.

For one frozen burrito, place on a microwave safe plate and cook for 45 seconds. Flip over and cook for another 45 seconds. Repeat until hot.

Sausage Rolls

Sausage Rolls

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Yield: 16 Sausage Rolls
Adapted from Food Wishes

This is a great appetizer for any occasion. Recipe is simplified by using purchased sausage, adding mushrooms, fresh thyme and Worcestershire sauce.

  • 2TBS butter
  • 4oz button mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 1TBS Worcestershire sauce
  • 1TBS fresh thyme
  • 1lb sweet Italian sausage, uncased
  • 1sheet prepared puff pastry
  • 1large egg beaten with a tsp of water
  • sesame seeds to garnish


Heat oven to 375°F and line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan and fry the mushrooms until soft. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the Worcestershire sauce, thyme and sausage meat and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix with a fork until thoroughly combined.

Divide the mixture in two and tightly roll each half in plastic wrap to form logs the length of the puff pastry. Set aside in the refrigerator.

From a package of puff pastry, break the sheet along the seams into 3 pieces. Set the pieces on a sheet of parchment.

Split one of the pieces in half lengthwise and use the halves to make the other two pieces wider. Put some egg wash at the seams and press to make two wider pieces.

Sprinkle with flour and cover with another sheet of parchment and roll to merge the seams to form two single sheets. Roll width wise to widen the sheets. This makes them fit around the meat better.

Remove the top sheet of parchment and press the long edges to thin the pastry. Place the sausage logs onto one edge of the pastry sheets and roll up the pastry to form a log. Egg wash the last inch before finished rolling to seal the seam.

Place back on parchment and place in freezer for 10 minutes to stiffen dough.

Lightly flour board and paint each log with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cut each log into 8 pieces.

Place on a Silpat lined baking sheet. Press the top of each to slightly flatten to prevent them from falling over and bake in a 375°F oven until sausage rolls are golden-brown, about 30 minutes. Make sure the pastry has cooked through.

Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Buttery Breakfast Strata

Buttery Breakfast Strata

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serves 8 – 10
adapted from NY Times

Using croissants as the bread component gives this strata a wonderful buttery taste. The mild nuttiness of the Gruyère compliments it well.  Prepare the day before and bake to serve.

  • 1lb croissants (about 5 to 7), split horizontally into 2 pieces
  • 1TBS extra-virgin olive oil, more for baking dish
  • 1bunch scallions (6 to 7), white and light green parts thinly sliced, greens reserved
  • 1lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
  • 2tsp finely chopped fresh sage (or 1 tsp dried)
  • 8large eggs
  • 3cups whole milk
  • 1cup heavy cream
  • 8oz Gruyère, finely grated, not shredded (about 2 cups)
  • 1¼tsp kosher salt
  • 1tsp black pepper


Heat oven to 500°F. Spread croissants on a large baking sheet and toast, cut side up, until golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes (watch carefully to see that they do not burn). Let cool, then tear into large bite-size pieces.

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add sliced scallions and sausage meat; cook, breaking up meat with a fork, until mixture is well browned, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

In a large bowl, toss together croissants and sausage mixture.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cream, 1½ cups cheese, sage, salt and pepper until well combined.

Lightly oil a 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Turn croissant mixture into pan, spreading it out evenly over the bottom. Pour custard into pan, pressing croissants down gently to help absorb the liquid. Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

When you’re ready to bake the casserole, heat oven to 350°F. Scatter the remaining grated cheese over the top of the casserole. Transfer to oven and bake until casserole is set, golden brown and firm to the touch, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Garnish with sliced scallion tops before serving.

Pasta with Sausage, Broccoli and Sun Dried Tomato

Pasta with Sausage, Broccoli and Sun Dried Tomato

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Yield: 4 Servings
Scott Nowell

Circa 1994: I think I first made this for a church potluck. It makes a nice, fairly simple family meal. Either the broccoli or the sun dried tomato can be eliminated or increased as desired. (hint: double the tomatoes)

Note: 30-Apr-25. Been a long time since I last made this and I didn’t read the hint. I have now doubled the tomato qty in the recipe.

  • 1TBS olive oil
  • 1lb uncooked sweet or mild Italian bulk sausage or links with casings removed
  • 1medium yellow onion, medium dice
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1lb broccoli, stemmed and cut into 1-inch florets
  • 1cup julienne sun dried tomatoes
  • 8oz fusilli, penne or other short pasta
  • ¾cup heavy cream
  • ½cup tightly packed, finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1½ oz), plus more for serving

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon, until it’s no longer pink and is starting to brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a large bowl and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and are just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the sun dried tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove the onions and tomatoes to the bowl with the sausage.

When the water is boiling, salt the water and add the broccoli. Cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer the broccoli to the bowl with the sausage.

Return the water to a boil, add the pasta. Cook according to the package directions until just al dente. Reserve 1½ cup of the pasta water, drain, and return the pasta to the pot; set aside.

Add all the ingredients from the bowl to the pasta, add the cream, and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the measured Parmesan and stir. Add reserved pasta water as needed, and stir to combine.

Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Serve immediately, passing more Parmesan on the side.

Sausage Mushroom Caps Bolognese

Sausage Mushroom Caps Bolognese

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Yield: 24 pieces
Hannah Jack Tavern, Merrimack, NH (closed)

Circa 1988.  This recipe comes from the then chef at Hannah Jack Tavern in NH.  I took a class that he taught at That Kitchen Place in Amherst, NH. Makes a great party appetizer.

  • 1small onion, diced
  • ½green pepper, diced
  • ½sweet red pepper, diced
  • 3cloves garlic, minced
  • 4TBS olive oil
  • 4sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
  • ½cup crushed tomatoes
  • 2TBS chopped parsley
  • 1tsp dried basil
  • ½cup light cream
  • ¾cup shredded mozzarella / bread crumbs
  • 24large mushroom caps, cleaned & stems removed


Preheat oven to 400°F.

Heat 2 TBS oil over high heat until shimmering. Put garlic in oil, sauté for 10 seconds. Add diced onion, peppers, and garlic. Sauté until onion is translucent but not browned.

Crumble sausage into pan with onion and peppers, stir and press into bottom of pan with large spoon to brown sausage. Cook until light brown. Drain excess fat. Add tomato, basil and parsley and cook about one minute. Add cream and reduce until thick. Remove from heat and stir in Mozzarella. Let cool. Add breadcrumbs to bind.

In a large sauce pan, sauté mushrooms in remaining olive oil. Drain and arrange on cookie sheet. Stuff with sausage mixture and bake at 400°F for 5 to 8 minutes.

Tip

With a few changes, the stuffing makes a real tasty filling for stuffed green peppers.

  • ½mushroom stuffing
  • 3green pepper tops, minced
  • 8oz ground beef
  • 1cup white rice, cooked

Brown the ground beef and the minced peppers in a large skillet.  When brown add the rice and the mushroom stuffing.  Mix until heated through.  Follow the prep and stuffing instructions for stuffed green peppers.

Chicken, Sausage, Peppers, and Potatoes

Chicken, Sausage, Peppers, and Potatoes

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Yield: 6 Servings
Adapted from FoodWishes
  • 4large Italian sausage links (Hot is best, but a mix of hot and mild, if needed)
  • 1TBS olive oil, plus more as needed
  • 6-8bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • 2tsp kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 2large handfuls, seeded and cut sweet peppers
  • 1sliced small red onion
  • ½sliced yellow onion
  • 4large Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
  • 2generous tsp dried Italian Seasoning or Herbs de Provence
  • fresh Italian parsley to garnish, optional

Par-cook sausage:
In a large skillet, partially cook the sausage in a TBS of oil over medium high heat for 3 minutes per side. When you flip to the second side, poke the sausage with a knife to release oil and juices.

Remove from heat and cool til able to handle. Cut sausage into 1-2 inch chunks. I use a mix of hot and mild, and cut the hot diagonally and the mild straight.

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Trim up the chicken and make two deep slashes through the skin, down to the bone.

Put peppers in large mixing bowl, add the sliced onion and the quartered potatoes. Add chicken, sausages and all juices and fat. Season with salt, pepper and herbs. Drizzle with olive oil and mix everything well.

Pour into a large roasting pan and arrange to space thighs with the skin side up. Get potatoes exposed to the heat. Drizzle with more olive oil and season with salt.

Cook in the center rack of the oven for 1 hour. Check for doneness, the thighs should be at least 185°F.

Dad’s French Toast

Dad’s French Toast

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Yield: 2 Servings
Scott Nowell

This combination started many a weekend morning.

  • 4slices bread
  • 2eggs
  • 2TBS milk
  • ½tsp sugar
  • pinch cinnamon
  • pinch salt
  • extra sugar
  • 1TBS butter

Heat large frying pan over medium high heat.

Beat eggs in flat bowl. Add milk, ½ tsp sugar, cinnamon, salt and beat some more.

Add butter to pan. Spread around as it melts.

Dip slice of bread in mixture, turn to coat well on both sides. When butter stops sizzling, add coated bread to pan. Dip additional slices to fill pan.

Cook on first side until nicely browned. 3-6 minutes. Turn toast over. Sprinkle with sugar. When second side is brown, turn and sprinkle this side with sugar. Cook for 1 minute, turn and cook for additional minute. This caramelizes the sugar.

Remove to warm plate, butter and syrup to suit. If making a doubled (or more) batch for a bunch of people, I prefer to put a little butter on each piece as it comes off the stove. Stack on warm plate and serve with sausages.

Baked Sausages

  • 1lb Breakfast sausage links (fresh, not that frozen junk)

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Line a sheet pan with parchment. Separate sausage links and place on baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes. Turn sausages over. Bake for additional 8-10 minutes.

Bacon (Baked)

  • 1lb bacon

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Line a sheet pan with parchment and place bacon strips side by side. Some overlap is ok, there is a fair amount of shrinkage.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes to desired crispness.

Remove from oven and set pan on a safe surface and place a small heatproof dish under one side to tilt the pan. This will help the fat drain to the other edge.

If serving right away, remove to paper towel lined plate and blot fat from top of slices.

To freeze, cool completely and store in freezer bag with parchment or wax paper between layers.