Roasted Tomato Sauce with Turkey Sausage

Warning: This is not a quick and easy recipe. You do not want to make it on a weeknight when you get home from a long day at work. Now that we got that out the way... this is an entirely delicious pasta sauce that you DO want to make! And make it soon- before tomato season is over!! As I have said before, I was always "anti- making my own pasta sauce" because I didn't think it could be that much better. But, I have to say, it is really worth it when you have the time. This recipe is similar to the sauce I made earlier this year, but the big difference is that it uses fresh tomatoes!Ah, so good....

Roasted Tomato Sauce with Turkey Sausage (adapted from Culinary Disaster)
Ingredients:

• 3 lbs tomatoes (I used fresh Roma from our farmer's market)
• 1 red pepper
• 5 cloves garlic
• olive oil, about 2-3 Tbsp total
• 1 cup red wine (I used a pinot noir)
• 1 onion
• 1 lb spicy turkey sausage, casing removed
• pinch of rosemary, thyme, and oregano
• dash of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cut an X in the bottom of the tomatoes (just enough to break the skin).
3. Place the pepper, tomatoes, and garlic cloves on a baking sheet and rub with  1-2 Tbsp olive oil.
4. Roast for 45 minutes to an hour. If they do not look charred at this point, you may want to broil them for a few minutes. (I broiled mine on low for about 5-10 minutes at the end.)
5. Remove pan from the oven and cover with plastic wrap for 10 minutes. This will make everything easier to peel.
6. Peel tomatoes, pepper, and garlic once they are cool enough to handle. 
7. Heat a medium or large pan with about 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat.
8. Add turkey sausage to the pan, stirring to crumble. Once sausage is cooked, remove it from the pan. 
9. Add onion to the pan and saute until it softens.
10. Add the cup of wine to the pan to deglaze, scraping any browned bits from the sausage and onion with a wooden spoon. Reduce wine by half.
11. While it is reducing, blend the peeled pepper, tomatoes, and garlic. I used my wonderful stick blender, but you can use a regular blender if you don't have one. 
12. Add tomato mixture and spices (oregano, rosemary, and thyme) to the pan with the wine and onion. Raise to a simmer.
13. Add the sausage back to the pan and simmer together for about 30 minutes.   

Clean Eating Turkey Sausage Ragu

 I saw this recipe when reading Clean Eating Magazine and knew I wanted to try it. I never make my own pasta sauce because it seems so time consuming, but in this case it was definitely worth it (and it didn't take that long)! I love the texture of the these wide egg noodles, also known as pappardelle,  and  the sauce was delicious! We actually had this about a month ago for my dad's birthday dinner because he loves pasta, and Nick has already requested that I make this again soon!

Turkey Sausage Ragu (adapted from Clean Eating Magazine)(Serves: 4)

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 8 ounces spicy italian turkey sausage, casings discarded
• 1/4 tsp chile flakes
• 3 cloves fresh garlic
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 14.5 ounce can chopped tomatoes in juice
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves, torn
• 1 large bunch fresh kale, cleaned, stems discarded, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• kosher salt and pepper, to taste
• 8 ounces whole wheat pappardelle (I couldn't find a whole wheat version so I used regular)
• Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, for garnish

1. Add 1 tbsp oil, onion and thyme to a medium pot over medium heat.  Stir to coat, cover and cook until onion is softened and just beginning to color, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.  Uncover pot, add sausage, chile flakes and garlic, and continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Off the heat, carefully deglaze by adding wine.  Return to heat and reduce for 1 minute.  Add tomatoes, oregano, and kale.  Stir well, cover and cook for 5 minutes.  Remove cover and continue coking until sauce is reduced and slightly thickened, 10 minutes.  Stir in additional 1 tbsp oil plus vinegar.  Season with salt and black pepper.
2. When sauce is almost finished cooking, add pasta to large pot filled with boiling salted water and cook until al dente, following package directions.  Drain well and immediately toss with tomato sauce to coat.  Then serve with parmesan cheese shavings.

Review: Bertolli Sauces

As a part of the Foodbuzz tastemaker program, I received two sauces from Bertolli to try- arrabbiata  and four cheese sauce. Last weekend for dinner, Nick had gnocchi with spicy turkey sausage and a mixture of these two sauces. He let me steal a few bites of his, and I have to say I was surprised by how much I liked it. The sauces combined were creamy without tasting too heavy and had a kick of spice. I thought they complemented the turkey sausage and pillowy texture of the gnocchi perfectly. Nothing about this meal is a recipe but rather just combining some pre-made ingredients. But there are only so many hours in a day and sometimes you just have to take shortcuts!

Ingredients:
* Pre-made gnocchi
* Bertolli Arrabbiata sauce
* Bertolli Four Cheese sauce
* Spicy turkey sausage

Directions:
1. Cook turkey sausage in a skillet stirring to crumble.
2. Cook gnocchi according to package directions.
3. Once both the turkey sausage and gnocchi are cooked, add gnocchi to pan with sausage and then add both sauces (as much or as little as you want) in a 1:1 ratio.

Clean Eating's Tuna Noodle Casserole

Now, I typically avoid casseroles because you never really know what's in them, but in general I think it's safe to say that whatever it is is not healthy! Obviously some are better than others, and I am not saying they taste bad- just generally not good for you. I came across a recipe for a tuna noodle casserole when I was reading Clean Eating Magazine (my favorite!) and thought i would like to try it because it was cheap to make, looked good, and I was kind of craving "comfort food." I really liked it for a change (and it was nice to have leftovers to take to class). I can't say that Nick liked it as much as me, but he still thought it was pretty good.  I don't think he appreciated the "healthiness" factor as much as I did!

I halved the recipe that is below, which provided 4 generous servings.

Healthy Tuna Casserole
Clean Eating, Sept/Oct 2009
(Serves 8)

6 slices whole-wheat bread
8 oz whole-wheat macaroni pasta
olive oil cooking spray
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium yellow or white onion, diced
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp whole-wheat flour
2 cups skim milk
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 carrots, peeled, cooked and diced
2 6-oz cans tuna packed in water, drained
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 Tbsp fresh dill, finely minced
1 Tbsp low-fat Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toast bread in oven for 15 minutes or until just browned and crisp. Leave oven on at same temperature after removing bread. In a food processor fitted with a standard cutting blade, grind bread into breadcrumbs. Remove 1/2 cup for use and reserve remainder for another recipe.

Bring a large stockpot filled with water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat another large stockpot over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Mist with cooking spray and add celery and onion. Saute for 2 minutes or until onions become translucent.

Add oil and flour and whisk briskly. Add milk whisking in 1/4 cup at a time (this will create a roux or thickener, for your soup). Reduce heat to medium. Whisk in Dijon. Then stir in drained pasta, carrots, tuna and peas. Add dill. Remove from heat.

Pour tuna pasta mixture into a large 8-to 10-cup casserole dish. Top with 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes or until browned on top.

Nutrients per 1 cup serving: Cal 230, Total Fat 3g, Sat Fat 0.5g, Carbs 32g, Fiber 6g, Sugars 9g, Protein 20g, Sodium 250mg, Cholesterol 15mg.

Pasta with Roasted Vegetables and Sausage

We had this for our "Thanksgiving" with Dad, Carla, Josh, and Annie. It's obviously not your traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but we didn't want to have like 5 Thanksgiving dinners and Josh had to run in a 5 mile race the next morning. There is nothing better than pasta for a pre-race meal! Everyone seemed to like it, and it is great for cooking for a group because it doesn't require much extra work for the extra portions :) It is also really healthy because of the whole wheat pasta, vegetables, and using chicken or turkey sausage instead of regular. I will definitely make this again- In fact, I think I am going to make it next week for our K group (church community group)!

Ingredients
* 1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 in pieces
* 1 red or yellow pepper, sliced
* 1 cup sliced mushrooms
* 1 small yellow onion, diced
* 2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and slices
* 1.5 jars spaghetti sauce (We used Trader Joes Arrabiata)
* about 16 oz whole wheat bowtie pasta
* 1 lb spicy chicken or turkey sausage
* olive oil
* salt and pepper

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet (or 2) with tin foil and place veggies on baking sheet.
3. Mist veggies with olive oil (or drizzle if you don't have an olive oil spray thing) and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Put baking sheets in oven and cook until vegetables are tender, about 30 min.
5. While they are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to directions on the box.
6. While the pasta is cooking, remove casing from sausage and cook over medium heat, stirring to crumble until sausage is not longer pink.
7. When pasta is done, drain and return to pot.
8. Add spaghetti sauce, roasted vegetables, and turkey sausage to pot and stir to combine.
9. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Serve in individual bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Serves 6-8 people.

Mediterranean Shrimp and Pasta

I made this for Nick's birthday this year. We have had it several times because my mom used to cook it pretty often and always when we go to the beach. It has always been a favorite and a crowd pleaser :) I usually serve it over whole wheat pasta and with steamed green beans as a side. YUMMY!


Ingredients:
*1 lb. unpeeled medium-size fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
*5 green onions, sliced
*3 cloves garlic, minced
*2 Tbsp. olive oil ( I only use 1 Tbsp)
*1 (12 oz.) jar marinated artichoke hearts,undrained (I used canned quartered artichoke hearts- not marinated to cut back on fat and calories)
* 1/4 cup white wine
*6 plum tomatoes, chopped
*1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
*2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
*1/4 tsp. dried, crushed rosemary
*1/4 tsp. salt
*1/4 tsp. pepper
*fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Sauté onions and garlic in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until tender.
2. Add wine, Italian seasoning, and rosemary.
3. Stir in artichokes, tomatoes, and mushrooms.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Cook until vegetables are tender, and then add the shrimp and cook until pink.
6. Serve over pasta and add fresh grated Parmesan on top, if desired.

Serves 4 people.

Penne Pasta with Turkey Sausage and Vegetables

This pasta dish is from Cooking Light, but I make a few modifications so my version is below. It is even better the next day because the flavors meld. Yummy




Ingredients

* 1/2 pound hot Italian turkey sausage
* Cooking spray
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1 cup mushrooms, quartered
* 1 small red bell pepper,diced
* 1 small yellow bell pepper, diced
* 1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
* 1 small yellow squash
* 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained
* 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced fire roasted tomatoes
* 1/4 - 1/2 cup fat-free greek yogurt
* 4 cups hot cooked whole wheat penne (about 1/2 pound)
* salt and pepper

Preparation

Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, bell peppers, squash and zucchini; sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender and sausage is done. Stir in tomatoes; cover and cook over medium-low heat 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream. Add pasta and salt and pepper; stir well. Cook over medium-low heat 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated.