Spicy Sausage Lentil Soup

When I was fortunate enough to live near a Carrabba's Italian Grill, I really enjoyed their sausage lentil soup. Then one day I was craving the soup... and now living 2 hours away from the closest Carrabba's... so searched All Recipes for a good substitute. I found this recipe, altered it a bit, and loved it; but honestly I don't remember the Carrabba's version well enough to say whether this is a close replica of theirs or not. It doesn't really matter to me though since I simply enjoy it for what it is, a deliciously spicy soup. Try using turkey Italian sausage to cut some calories.

Spicy Sausage and Lentil Soup

3/4 to 1 pound hot Italian sausage (substitute sweet sausage if you don't want it too spicy)
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup (about 3 ribs) celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pound dry lentils, sorted and rinsed
1 1/2 cups carrots, sliced or diced
5 cups water
7 cups chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

In a large pot, brown sausage until no longer pink. Drain grease and return to pot. Add onion, celery, and garlic, and saute until tender. Stir in lentils, carrot, water, chicken broth, tomatoes, garlic powder, parsley, bay leaves, salt, black pepper, oregano, thyme, basil, and red pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, or until lentils are tender. Remove bay leaves and discard. Serve topped with grated cheese. Yields 10 to 12 meal-sized servings.

Recipe adapted from All Recipes.

Sausage and Mushroom Quiche

Last week I was craving breakfast sausage, so decided to throw together this quiche using my mom's quick quiche recipe as a base. I hardly ever make the same quiche twice since quiche is so adaptable that its my go-to meal when I need to use up ingredients, so it tends to turn out differently each time. That's the beauty of this dish - you can change the filling ingredients (even altering amounts, within reason) based on your preferences and what you have on hand without worrying about having to adjust the egg mixture. This filling combination makes a savory breakfast dish which also works well as breakfast-for-dinner (which is how we ate it). And to make it healthier, I used turkey breakfast sausage instead of regular pork sausage. For the veggies, since we don't like our veggies too soft, I threw everything in raw but if you prefer very soft veggies, you could always soften them first in a pan with a little butter.


Susage and Mushroom Quiche

1 box (10 links) breakfast sausage
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/8 cup onion, chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
3/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
4 eggs
1/2 cup baking mix (such as Bisquick)
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Brown the sausage according to the package directions, then place on a plate and allow to cool. When it's comfortable to handle the links, cut them into small pieces and place them in a small bowl. Add the onion, scallions, mushrooms, and cheese and toss gently to combine. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, baking mix, milk, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Evenly distribute the filling ingredients in the bottom of buttered 9-inch pie pan. Pour the egg mixture on top. Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Yields 4 servings (8 slices).

Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup

This recipe combines three of my favorites - soup, garlic, and tortellini - into one delightful meal. What could be better? I also love how the faint aroma of garlic lingers in the air for the rest of the evening, even after the soup's been stowed away in the fridge. For the tortellini, even though I'm usually a store brand kind of girl, I like using the Louisa brand (I get it at my local Wal-Mart). Louisa tortellini tastes excellent and at less than $3 for a bag doesn't cost much more than the store brand. I realized when I was typing the recipe up just now, that I forgot to chop my spinach before throwing it into the soup. So that step is not really necessary, except for those that don't like big pieces of spinach floating around in the broth.

This also makes quite a bit of soup, which is great for freezing. I have a nice container tucked away in my freezer right next to some of the Lentil Vegetable Soup that I fixed a few weeks ago.

The original recipe calls for Italian turkey sausage which admittedly is a delicious addition, but I usually skip that to make the recipe less expensive and lower in calories. But that's just me... so I've included optional instructions should you desire to include sausage.


Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup

1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cups onion, medium diced
12 cloves garlic, minced
7 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3-1/2 cups water
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 bag (20 ounces) frozen tortellini
1 bag (9 to 12 ounces) fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil or 4-1/2 teaspoons fresh minced basil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

In a large pot, cook the onions with olive oil over medium-low heat until onions begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the broth, water, and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Add the tortellini and simmer for about 5 minutes (test a tortellini for doneness). Stir in the spinach, basil, pepper, and pepper flakes and simmer for an additional 3 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Serve with grated or shredded Parmesan cheese. Yields 8 to 10 servings.

Optional sausage version:
Remove the casings from 1-1/2 pounds of Italian turkey sausage and place sausage in a pot with the diced onion. Omit the olive oil. Cook, breaking up the sausage as you go, over medium heat until sausage is no longer pink. Add the garlic and proceed to follow the remaining directions in the recipe above. Yields 10 to 12 servings.

Recipe adapted from Healthy Cooking October/November 2008.

Children's Delight

I was introduced to this recipe after my daughter Liberty was born last summer and a friend brought me a meal. She did not mention the recipe's title but my mom, who was staying with us at the time, thought it tasted a lot like a dish she had made once, something called Husband's Delight. I barely remember having it then, but the reason she only made it once was that my brother and I absolutely hated it. So much so, in fact, that my brother dubbed it "Children's Horror"! Well, when my mom thought it was the same recipe, I thought that since I had disliked it as a child, then surely my friend's dish could not be the same thing. But sure enough when I asked for the recipe I learned that it had a similar title. I guess my taste buds have matured!

The original recipe calls for ground beef, but I like to use turkey sausage for extra flavor. I also cut the sour cream back from 16 ounces to 12 ounces so that it's not quite so rich (though it's still pretty rich1). For those who don't prefer a dominant sour cream flavor, try adding some plain canned tomato sauce to enhance the tomato element of the sauce.

Children's Delight

1 lb. rotini or penne
1 lb. ground beef (or meat of choice such as turkey sausage)
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. butter
1 can condensed tomato soup
12 oz. sour cream
1 Tbsp. milk
8 oz. shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

In a large skillet, brown meat until no longer pink and drain. (If using cooked sausage, skip right to browning the sausage together with the onions/garlic.) Add the onion, garlic, and butter and saute until onions are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions and drain. Return to pot and stir in soup, sour cream, milk, cheese, pepper, and salt until well combined. Add the meat/onion mixture and stir gently. Place in a 9x13 dish and bake at 350° for about 30 minutes. Yields 6-8 servings.