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In on January 21, 2016 with No Comments

Sausage, Egg and Cheese Muffin Cups

My family doesn’t do well with leftovers. We have good intentions, although the refrigerator often has lots of foil-covered containers that sit in there for way too long.

Last night I made Italian Sausage Roll-ups, and we only had two leftover rolls, which were quickly eaten sometime in the night (we have mystery nighttime eaters!). However, I had leftover sausage filling after I’d made the roll-ups. This morning I decided to wing it and make some baked egg and cheese cups to use up that leftover sausage filling. For the sausage filing recipe, click on the link above, and adjust amounts according to how many muffin cups you want to make.

sausage egg cheese muffin cups baked

 

Sausage Egg and Cheese Muffin Cups

Sausage filling (from Italian Sausage Roll-up recipe)

Shredded mozzarella cheese

7 eggs

1/4 cup milk (approximate)

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a regular-sized muffin tin with cooking spray, or use muffin cup liners.

Place about a tablespoon of the sausage filling in the bottom of each muffin cup. Sprinkle some mozzarella cheese on top of the sausage.

 

sausage filling in muffin cups 2

 

In a measuring cup, scramble the eggs and milk. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the sausage and cheese, filling each muffin cup.

sausage and eggs in muffin cups unbaked 2

 

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the centers of each muffin test clean with a toothpick.

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In , on January 21, 2016 with No Comments

Italian Sausage Roll-ups

My family loves Italian-style meals, and lasagna is probably one of their favorite choices when I ask them what they’d like for dinner. I don’t mind making a huge lasagna, but I wanted to do something a little different for dinner tonight, so I decided to make Italian Sausage Roll-ups. I’ve made these in a variety of ways in the past, using ground beef, adding spinach and mixing up the different cheeses, but tonight I decided to make them with Italian sausage.

These are really easy to make, although they can be a little bit messy, but in the end, this is a fun dish you can make for your family and when friends come over for dinner. This is also a good recipe to get little hands in the kitchen to teach them how to cook.

 

Italian Sausage Roll-ups

1 pound Italian pork sausage

1 package lasagna noodles

1 carton ricotta cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 egg

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 jar of your favorite spaghetti or marinara sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Fresh Parmesan cheese for grating

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook lasagna noodles according to package direction. Set aside.

In a skillet, brown the Italian sausage until no longer pink and nicely browned. Drain.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, egg, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Stir until thoroughly combined. Add the browned and drained Italian sausage. Mix well.

sausage filling

 

To assemble, take 1 cooked lasagna noodle, and place 1 tablespoon of the meat and cheese filling on one end. Roll up the lasagna noodle like you would a jelly roll.

lasagna noodle and filling

 

Place in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan, seam side down. Continue with the remaining noodles until you’ve filled the pan.

lasagna rolls in pan

Pour the jar of spaghetti or marinara sauce evenly over the tops of the lasagna rolls.

 

lasagna rolls with sauce

Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the tops of the rolls, and grate fresh Parmesan cheese over everything.

lasagna rolls with sauce and cheese 2

 

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 30 minutes, or until the cheese on top is nicely browned and the dish is bubbly.

 

lasagna rolls baked

 

Yield: 18 lasagna rolls

 

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In , , on September 30, 2015 with No Comments

Jumbo Stuffed Shells

The boys and I love anything Italian, and while I usually make lasagna when I need a recipe for lots of people, I decided to make stuffed pasta shells last night instead. The ingredients are basically the same, but it gives a fun presentation when I use the shells.

This recipe is one I just “throw together” without a recipe, so the amounts given are just an estimate. Feel free to vary the spice amounts to your family’s tastes. I ended up with 34 stuffed jumbo pasta shells. I almost didn’t get a picture of them either – the boys and their friend simply devoured them.

 

Jumbo Stuffed Shells

1 package jumbo pasta shells
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground Italian sausage
1 small container ricotta cheese or small-curd cottage cheese
2 eggs
1 cup fresh spinach, finely chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
One jar good marinara sauce (or use homemade)

Cook pasta shells according to package instructions. Set aside.

In a skillet, brown the ground beef and Italian sausage until no longer pink. Drain.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, eggs, chopped spinach and spices. Add the drained, browned ground meats. Stir until well combined.

Stuff the meat and cheese mixture into each pasta shell. Place in a greased 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Pour the marinara sauce evenly over the pasta shells. Bake in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for approximately 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling in the shells.

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In on August 31, 2015 with No Comments

Biscuits and Gravy

My favorite breakfast meal, hands down, is biscuits and gravy. Actually, I’d eat this at any meal, but I admit I’m a bit of a biscuits and gravy snob. I’m picky about this recipe. I want to see the meat, not have it all pureed so all you get is the sausage flavor. I also dislike it when the gravy is simply browned sausage in a white, pasty gravy that has no flavor, or all you can taste is flour.

Years ago when Kevin and I first were married, I spent a lot of time at the library looking through cookbooks trying to improve my meager cooking skills. Somewhere along the line I ran across a biscuits and gravy recipe. Perhaps it was from one of Chef Paul Prudhomme’s cookbooks, but I don’t really remember, but the recipe was delicious, and I’ve used it ever since.

 

Biscuits and Gravy

1 1/2 pound sage-flavored breakfast sausage
1/2 onion, diced
3 to 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour (more or less depending how much grease you get from the sausage)
1 pint half-and-half cream
2 to 2 1/2 cups milk (depending how thick or thin you like your gravy)
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4  teaspoon grated nutmeg (I like using fresh)
Hot pepper sauce to taste (I use 5 to 6 dashes – the boys like a little heat!)

In a large skillet, brown the sausage with the diced onion over medium-high heat. Cook until browned. Do not drain. Sprinkle the all-purpose flour over the meat mixture. Mix well, and cook until all the sausage drippings are incorporated into the flour, about 5 minutes.

Add the half-and-half cream and milk to the skillet. Add the poultry seasoning, nutmeg and hot pepper sauce. Combine everything well, and stir until the gravy reaches your desired consistency. I like my gravy medium consistency:

 

 

Serve over warm biscuits.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings (only 4 in my household of a hungry husband and 2 sons with big appetites!)

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In , on April 9, 2015 with No Comments

Days of Casseroles: Day 6 – Sausage Egg Breakfast Casserole

My stepdaughter Jill and her three daughters were coming for a visit, and I decided to do a brunch-type casserole when they were here. It’s a traditional breakfast casserole that can be made the night before and popped in the oven when you’re ready to eat. This is a recipe from Trisha Yearwood on Food Network, although I added the onion because I like onions with my sausage dishes. 🙂

 

Sausage Breakfast Casserole

1/2 loaf white bread (I used leftover homemade white bread)
1 pound sage-flavored pork sausage
1/2 onion, chopped
10 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
2 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs, slightly beaten

Cut the bread into 1/2-inch pieces, and layer them in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

In a medium skillet, cook the sausage and chopped onion until the sausage is no longer pink. Drain the fat from the sausage, and place the meat over the bread cubes in the pan. Sprinkle the Cheddar cheese over the meat.

In a separate bowl, mix together the half-and-half, dry mustard, salt and the eggs. Mix until combined. Pour the mixture over the cheese. Cover the casserole with foil, and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the covered casserole for 50 minutes, or until set and slightly golden. Remove from the oven, and allow the casserole to set for approximately 15 minutes before serving.

Yield:  12 servings

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