Sausage Risotto with Spinach & Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 3½ cups chicken broth
• 1 pkg. Jimmy Dean® Regular Flavor Pork Sausage Roll
• 2 cups chopped leeks (white portions only)
• 1 cup chopped fennel bulb
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
• ½ cup dry white wine or chicken broth
• 1 pkg. (6 ounces) fresh baby spinach
• 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ cup (1 ounce) grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring broth to a boil in 2-quart saucepan. Reduce heat to low to keep broth hot.

2. Cook sausage, leeks and fennel in large skillet over medium-high heat 8-10 minutes or until sausage is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently; drain. Return to skillet. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in rice; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Stir in wine; cook until wine is almost completely absorbed. Add ½ cup of the warm broth; cook until broth is absorbed, stirring constantly. Repeat with remaining broth, adding ½ cup at a time. (This will take about 20 minutes.)

4. Stir in spinach, tomatoes, basil, and pepper; cook just until spinach is wilted, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with cheese.

Yield:

Makes: 4 servings (1-1/2 cups each)

Jimmy Dean Recipe

Fire Island Ziti

Ingredients

• 1 pound plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon plus 1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces uncooked ziti
• 1 cup fresh broccoli florets
• 1/2 pound Italian sausage links, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Directions

Toss the tomatoes with 1 tablespoon oil, garlic and salt. Place cut side down in a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 450° for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Chop when cool enough to handle. Cook ziti according to package directions, adding broccoli during the last 4 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook sausage in remaining oil until no longer pink. Add pepper flakes; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in tomatoes and heat through. Drain ziti mixture; toss with sausage mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Yield: 2 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1-1/2 cups equals 581 calories, 30 g fat (9 g saturated fat), 56 mg cholesterol, 1,339 mg sodium, 54 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 27 g protein.

Taste of Home, Sept. 2010

Jennie's Notes: On the second and subsequent makings we used sun dried tomatoes instead of tryign to roast the plum tomatoes.

Quick Dirty Rice

Time: 20 Minutes

INGREDIENTS:

1 (1-lb) package ground pork sausage

2 (8.8 oz) packages UNCLE BEN"S READY RICE whole grain brown rice

1/2 (10 oz) package frozen diced onion, red and green bell peppers, and celery)

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Toppings: fresh parsley sprigs, hot sauce

COOK sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium0high heat, stirring often 8 to 10 minutes or until sausage crumbles and is no longer pink. Remove sausage from skillet using a slotted spoon; reserve drippings in skillet. Drain sausage on paper towels.

PREPARE rice according to package directions.

SAUTE frozen vegetables in hot drippings over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until vegetables are tender and begin to brown. Add chicken broth, Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper, bring to a boil. Stir in rice and sausage. Cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Stir in 2 Tbsp parsley. Serve with desired toppings.

Baked Penne and Smoked Sausage

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package Hillshire Farm® Smoked Sausage
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
• 1 1/2 cups French-fried onions, divided
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup frozen peas

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut sausage into 1/4-inch slices.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Add sausage; cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes or until lightly browned.
3. Combine soup and milk in a 13x9-inch baking dish. Stir in uncooked pasta, sausage, 1/2 cup French-fried onions, 1/2 cup cheese and peas. Cover baking dish tightly with foil.
4. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and top with remaining 1 cup French-fried onions and 1/2 cup cheese. Bake for 3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Zesty Penne, Sausage and Peppers

Ingredients

• 3 cups penne pasta, uncooked
• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• Dash crushed red pepper
• 4 ounces PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
• 1/4 cup KRAFT Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Directions

1. Cook pasta as directed on package.
2. Meanwhile, crumble sausage into large skillet; cook and stir on medium heat 8 min. or until done. Drain. Add bell peppers; cook and stir 5 min. or until crisp-tender. Stir in next 3 ingredients; cook 5 min. or until heated through. Add cream cheese; cook 2 min. or until melted, stirring frequently.
3. Drain pasta. Add to sausage mixture; mix lightly. Top with Parmesan.

Sausage Pasta

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound spicy Italian sausage
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and reserve.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil and sausage; cook through until no longer pink. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add onion and garlic to skillet. Add broth, basil and tomatoes with liquid.
3. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes to slightly reduce. Add chopped spinach; cover skillet and simmer on reduced heat until spinach is tender.
4. Add pasta to skillet and mix together. Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.

Smoked Sausage with Pasta

Ingredients

• 4 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta
• 1/2 pound reduced-fat smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
• 1 cup julienned, seeded, plum tomatoes
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, saute the sausage, mushrooms, garlic and basil in oil until mushrooms are tender. Drain pasta; add to the sausage mixture. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper; toss gently. Heat through.

Smoked Sausage Kabobs

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package Hillshire Farm® Smoked Sausage
• 1 onion
• 1 green pepper
• 2 apples
• 14 cherry tomatoes
• 3 potatoes, parboiled
• Apricot preserves
• 2 (16 ounce) cans sauerkraut, drained

Directions

1. Cut sausage, onion, green pepper, apple, tomatoes, and potatoes into 1-inch pieces and assemble on skewers.
2. Grill over medium-high heat for 10 minutes. During the last two minutes of grilling, glaze with apricot preserves to taste. Serve over heated sauerkraut.

Tater Tot Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground pork breakfast sausage
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 pounds tater tots

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and spread evenly in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Spread cheese over sausage.
3. In large bowl, beat together milk and eggs. Pour over cheese. (May be refrigerated overnight at this point).Top with tater tots.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

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