Spicy Sausage Soup with Kale

This recipe is very similar to my Toscana Soup in the main ingredients, however the taste is completely different. This soup is spicy and flavorful, tasting like it has been cooked for hours but the good news is it's ready in about 30 minutes (especially if you have a sous chef to chop all your veg!)




1-1/2 T olive oil
1 lb hot Italian sausage
1/4 one yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1-1/2 t fresh rosemary, minced
2 T tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart chicken broth
Two 15-oz cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
6 oz kale, center ribs removed, leaves chopped (approx. 4 c)
1-1/2 t cider vinegar
fresh grated Parmesan (optional)

Heat olive oil in 5-quart dutch oven or heavy bottom stock pot over medium high heat. Add sausage (casing removed) and crumble while cooking until browned, about 8 minutes. Add onion, carrot, celery, and rosemary and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes.

Add tomato paste and garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute. Add broth, beans, and kale and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer gently until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Uncover, raise heat to medium low and cook 5 minutes more to meld flavors. Remove from heat, stir in vinegar and garnish with fresh parmesan, if desired. Serves 4.

Chef's Note: Do not omit the vinegar. It may sound strange, but it adds a wonderful depth of flavor to the spicy sausage.

Italian Sausage Stew ~ adapted from Cooking Light

12 oz Italian sausage, sweet or mild
2 medium green bell peppers, chopped
1/2 one medium white onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ~15 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 ~15 oz can stewed tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
1 t dried oregano
1 t dried basil
1/4 t dried parsley
olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat large saucepan over medium heat and add enough olive oil to coat pan. Add green peppers and onion, saute 5 minutes. Cover saucepan, reduce heat and cook until soft. Add minced garlic and saute until garlic is fragrant.

Remove sausage casing and add to saucepan. Crumble and cook until no longer pink. Add beans, tomatoes and spices and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and crostini. Serves 4.

Chef's Note: Technically, this isn't a proper "stew" because there's no long cooking or stewing time. But the addition of stewed tomatoes gives the taste of a long cooked dish which gives the recipe a nod to being a stew.

Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini

1 pound Italian sausage (sweet or mild), casings removed
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 c beef stock (or low-sodium broth)
1/2 cup red wine
2 ~14 oz cans Italian style diced tomatoes
1 c carrots, sliced
1/2 t dried oregano
1 T tomato paste
1 1/2 c zucchini, sliced
3 T fresh parsley, chopped
8 oz cheese tortellini, prepared
fresh grated Parmesan and red pepper flakes for garnish

Brown sausage in large dutch oven over medium high heat. Remove sausage and drain on paper towel. Saute garlic 2 minutes in sausage drippings in dutch oven. Stir in beef stock, wine, canned tomatoes, carrots, oregano, tomato paste and sausage. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered 30 minutes.

Stir in zucchini and parsley. Simmer covered 30 minutes. Divide prepared tortellini in individual bowls and ladle soup on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes if desired. Serves 4.

Sausage Minestrone

1 pound turkey Italian sausage (sweet or hot)
1 T garlic, minced
3 c beef broth
1 ~16 oz can white beans (drained and rinsed)
1 ~14.5 oz can diced Italian tomatoes
1 c spaghetti sauce
3 small zucchini, diced
2 carrots, grated
2 t Italian seasoning
2 c cooked pasta (elbow or rotini)

Remove sausage from casing. In large saucepan, crumble and cook sausage and garlic over medium heat until sausage is browned. Remove from pan to drain on paper towel.

Add remaining ingredients except pasta to saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and return sausage to pan. Simmer for a minimum of thirty minutes, for best flavor allow to simmer several hours.

Ladle into large bowls, add pasta and top with fresh grated parmesan cheese. Serves 8.

New Orleans Red Beans & Rice with Sausage

1 (12 oz) box red beans and rice (recommended: Zatarain's)
1 (15 oz) can red beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 pound smoked sausage (recommended: Hillshire Farm)
fresh ground black pepper or red pepper flakes, to taste

Mix beans and rice according to package directions, adding beans prior to boil. While beans and rice are simmer, slice sausage lengthwise in quarters and into 1/4 inch thick cubes; brown over high heat until caramelized, approximately 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Allow sausage to drain on paper towel while beans and rice finish cooking. Serve beans and rice garnished with sausage and pepper to taste. Serves 6 as a main dish.

Toscana Soup

4 c chicken broth
1/4 t salt
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1 medium russet potato, un-peeled
3 c kale, rinsed and chopped
1/2 pound sweet Italian Sausage (preferably turkey)
1/4 c half and half
1/2 c freshly grated parmesan cheese

Heat broth in saucepan over medium heat. Add pepper flakes and salt. Quarter potato length-wise and cut into 1/4 inch slices. Add potato and kale to soup. Remove sausage from casing, cook over high heat until brown and add to soup.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer on low until potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally, approximately 20 minutes. Add half and half, stir and remove from heat. Serve immediately topped with parmesan cheese. Serves 2.

No-Boil Lasagne

1 box (9 oz) lasagne, uncooked (recommended: Barilla)
1 egg
15 oz ricotta cheese
4 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
1 lb mild Italian sausage
~18 oz marinara sauce

Remove sausage from casing and cook over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain and crumble.

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl combine egg, ricotta, parmesan and 2 c mozzarella. Lightly coat a 9x13x3 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1 c sauce on bottom of dish.

First layer in order: 4 sheets pasta, 1/3 of ricotta mixture, half of sausage, 1 c mozzarella and 1 c sauce.

Second layer: 4 sheets pasta, 1/3 of ricotta mixture and 1 and 1/2 c sauce.

Third layer: 4 sheets pasta, remaining ricotta mixture and sausage and 1 c sauce.

Fourth layer: 4 sheets pasta, remaining sauce and mozzarella.

Cover dish with foil and bake 50 to 60 minutes or until bubbly. Remove foil and cook an additional 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. Serves 16.

Smoked Sausage and Bell Pepper Skillet Scrambler

1/2 lb smoked sausage, cubed
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
6 eggs
1/4 c milk
1/2 t salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste

In large skillet, heat sausage and pepper over medium heat 8 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from pan to papertowel to drain. Whisk eggs, milk and salt until well combined. Add to pan with sausage drippings. Scramble eggs and cook until almost dry. Return sausage and peppers to eggs and continue cooking until eggs are no longer shiny, about 3 minutes more. Serves 4.

Pene Alfredo with Sausage and Vegetables

1 lb whole wheat pene pasta, prepared al dente
1 lb smoked beef sausage link, cubed
1 ~15 oz jar alfredo sundried tomato pasta sauce
2 c frozen mixed vegetables (corn, carrots, peas and green beans), prepared
1 T olive oil
Grated parmesan cheese
Crushed red pepper flake ~ optional

In large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add sausage and saute until well browned. Drain and add entire jar of alfredo sauce and heat until thick and bubbly. Add pasta and vegetables. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer five minutes. Stir well and garnish with parmesan and red pepper flakes if desired. Serves 8.

Chef's Note: This recipe was originally served by my cousin and contained beef hot links in place of the smoked sausage. Since I was serving this today for children, I substituted a milder sausage and added the red pepper only to my husband's plate.