Sausage

Flat Bread Italian Sausage Pizzas with Balsamic Glazed Mushrooms

June 30, 2017 by The Partial Ingredients

In honor of the 4th of July, I decided to “Americanize” a traditional Italian food–pizza. And what could be more American than messing with a traditional cuisine? I had heard about flat bread being used as a substitute for dough but I had never tried it and was pretty skeptical at first. Italian Americans might cringe at the idea of using flat bread but trust me it’s worth trying out! I even used my Sicilian American fiance as a tester for this recipe and I got his enthusiastic approval.

My favorite part about this recipe is the red sauce which can, of course, be used on regular pizza dough if you have that available. The longer you cook it the better it tastes but I only had about 45 minutes and it still turned out delicious. The sauce’s recipe is super basic but tasted fantastic with everything else. The secret ingredient is a pinch of brown sugar (not white sugar!) which mellows out the acidic tomato sauce. I sauteed brown baby bella mushrooms with balsamic vinegar which added a little tangy sweetness to the pizza as well. I had Parmigiano Reggiano on hand but some thick sliced mozzarella or Romano cheese would be amazing with this too. The great thing about pizza is you can take this recipe, mess around with it, and make it your own. That’s totally the American way, amirite?

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Slow Cooker Italian Sausage Noodle Soup

January 7, 2017 by The Partial Ingredients

It has been such a wet winter it seems like my slow cooker is constantly being called upon to make soups. I love Italian style soups but I don’t see too many of them ideal for a slow cooker. This one is perfect for the crock. The Italian sausage gets crumbled and tenderized after hours of cooking and all the flavor melts into the broth. You could probably translate this to a quicker over the stove method but honestly I love the way the meat melts into the broth with the slow cooker. I use a 6 qt. slow cooker so this recipe will make a lot of soup. I used a medley of summer squashes which was very nice in this recipe. Yellow squash and zucchini were great accompaniments but I’m sure you could experiment with whatever squash you have on hand. The “secret ingredient” for the broth is….*drum roll*… balsamic vinegar. Alright, so probably not that secret but it does offer a certain je ne sais quoi to the broth. Tomatoes and balsamic is, after all, a match made in heaven. I chose a mild Italian sausage but you could make this a bit spicier using the hot variety. Any type of small pasta noodle will do–I personally chose a small elbow macaroni for this recipe. Parmesan is great for the garnish but a sharp Romano or even slices of fresh mozzarella would be a beautiful addition as well.

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Jambalaya Soup

January 25, 2015 by The Partial Ingredients

Jambalaya is one of my favorite Cajun dishes. Since I’ve made the dish a few times, I realized that it could easily be transformed into a soup! This recipe is filled with delicious Cajun flavors. I’m fortunate to have a local butcher that makes great Cajun sausage which I used for this recipe. It’s not the same as Andouille sausage which is smoked and usually sold pre-cooked. Instead, this sausage is sold uncooked/unsmoked and is flavored with Cajun seasoning. It crumbles apart easily so it makes for a better sausage for soup. If you can find this type of Cajun sausage great, but if you can’t there’s always Andouille sausage which is tasty as well.

When I made this soup I was out of shrimp and didn’t have time to pick some up. In a pinch, I decided to use a traditional ingredient found in, believe it or not, Vietnamese cooking. The secret ingredient to this soup is…wait for it…fish sauce! I know, it sounds crazy but it really is a great way to get some of that briny/salty flavor into the stock without having to shuck and boil several pounds of shrimp shells. If you prefer to use shrimp for the stock, go for it, but this was a handy way to get that good flavor in a pinch. Not having shrimp in this soup wasn’t that big of a deal for me since I felt that all the necessary flavors were there. I served the soup with Cornbread Muffins which made a great side dish (and for dunking!)
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White Bean, Sausage & Cabbage Soup

January 2, 2015 by The Partial Ingredients

Happy New Years! We have officially arrived in January, the doldrums of winter and in my opinion, the year’s worst month. January has the coldest weather and by now I’m missing the holiday cheer. The one thing to look forward to is the days getting longer and more excuses to eat hearty soups! This soup is great for the “mean month” and helps chase away the winter chill. The soup is loaded with spicy sausage, beans, fresh veggies and herbs. Make it with homemade chicken stock and you have a nutrient rich broth to stave off the flu and common cold (no, the old wive’s tale is not a myth; it does give your immune system a boost). Serve it up with crusty french bread for dunking and plenty of sliced parmigiano reggiano!
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Lasagna Soup

July 6, 2014 by The Partial Ingredients

Say hello to your new favorite soup recipe–lasagna in a bowl! This recipe takes all the elements of traditional lasagna and transforms them into an easy and delicious soup. I used elbow pasta for the noodles along with hot Italian sausage and fire roasted diced tomatoes for added savoriness. I couldn’t believe how easy this was to throw together! A mixture of ricotta, parmesan and romano are added to the top which is the pièce de résistance of each bowl! Since it doesn’t take long to put together it makes a great weeknight meal.
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Italian Sausage Soup with Roasted Cauliflower and Yellow Squash

June 29, 2014 by The Partial Ingredients

This soup is perfect for rainy summer nights or chilly fall days. It combines roasted cauliflower, yellow squash, red potatoes with fresh fennel and thyme. You start off the soup by broiling the cauliflower until just charred. I used homemade chicken stock which lends the best flavor to the recipe. I couldn’t get enough of these flavors combined! The spicy sausage combined with the charred flavor from the cauliflower with the fresh herbs really took this soup to the next level. Serve this soup with some fresh parsley, grated parmesan cheese and a crusty baguette.
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Jambalaya

June 23, 2014 by The Partial Ingredients

Jambalaya is the ultimate Louisiana comfort food. This rice dish combines spicy Andouille sausage, shrimp and creole spices in a large skillet and slow cooked over the stove. There are lots of variations of Jambalaya so it’s a fun dish to experiment with. A great trick to get some of that briny shrimp flavor into the rice is cooking the shells in the chicken stock, effectively making a super quick shrimp stock. I went to the local butcher for the Andouille (which I would recommend for the boost in quality and flavor) but you can find it in most grocery stores as well. I pre-make my Creole seasoning which I keep in a marked jar in the spice cabinet. This recipe can easily be served as a main course but also works well as a side to many other Creole dishes. I garnished the dish with plenty of Louisiana-style hot sauce and chopped green onions.
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Roasted Tomato Soup with Italian Sausage

January 12, 2014 by The Partial Ingredients

I’ve never really considered making tomato soup until recently. This recipe is full of roasted garlic and tomato flavor along with the savory spiciness of the Italian sausage. This tomato soup recipe is anything but boring! For the roasting I place the garlic on top of the cut side of the tomatoes. Placing it there helps the garlic roast and allows that flavor to become better infused into the tomato. Call me crazy but it really works! I pan roasted the sausage and you can either blend it into the soup after or finely mince by hand. The soup comes together easily and it has quickly become a staple dinner recipe.
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Italian Sausage and Apple Stuffing

December 28, 2013 by The Partial Ingredients

There are lots of ways to make a great stuffing for the holidays and this one uses hot Italian sausage and granny smith apples to kick things up a notch. The combination of the softened tart apples and spicy crumbled sausage was so delicious! Instead of leaving the bread out over night or using a toaster the bread cubes are baked in the oven until brown and slightly crispy. Everything is combined in a bowl and then baked in the oven once more. So easy and a great side dish for the holidays!…

Turkey Sausage Soup with White Beans and Wild Rice

November 29, 2013 by The Partial Ingredients

After Thanksgiving the food fest continues with new ways to make tasty leftovers! This recipe uses sausage but can be substituted for leftover turkey instead. It’s a perfect comfort food recipe as the days get colder and the nights get longer. It didn’t take long to throw together either! The beans, wild rice and corn made it a very hearty meal. I had never used turkey sausage in soup but it added some really nice flavors. I used a homemade chicken broth instead of store bought which enhanced the flavor of the soup quite a bit. The rice absorbs a lot of the broth so make sure to have extra on hand to add in later.

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