Sausage Cacciatore

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
I make this dish often and especially when I have guests over. Very easy and versatile. I often use different types of sausages with this dish to create a diversity. The prep time is simple. This is excellent with a simple green salad. Sometimes I use purple potatoes mixed with baby red potatoes. When using fresh ingredients, the flavors are incredible. 

Sausage Cacciatore
First made in October 2016

sausagecacciatore
Ingredients
1-pound sweet Italian sausage links, bulk or patties. If use fresh sausage, remove the meat from casing and break up into bite-size pieces. If using pre-cooked flavored sausages from brands like Applegate or Al Fresca already cooked, just cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces.
2-3 lbs. baby red potatoes cut into cubes. If small potatoes, just half them.
1/2-pound mushrooms, quartered or halved, depends on the size big or small. Can use either button or crimini, or both.
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 – 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 28-ounce can crush tomatoes with Italian herbs, or 1 pint of halved cherry tomatoes
1/4 bunch, flat-leaf parsley, chopped (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes, mushrooms, onion, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet or 9 x 13 baking dish and cook, tossing occasionally, for 15 minutes.

Add the raw sausage and cook for another 10 minutes. (see notes). Toss the 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the tomatoes and/or pre-cooked sausage (see notes) to the vegetables and stir to coat.

Arrange the mixture in an even layer and continue cooking for 15 minutes.
Take out of oven and sprinkle with the fresh chopped parsley (optional).

Notes
If using raw sausage from links, patties or bulk, break up meat and the cook time is 10 minutes (no olive oil, then add the tomatoes with the 1 tablespoon olive oil and cook for another 15 minutes.

If using pre-cooked sausages from brands like Applegate or Al Fresca, add the sausage with the halved tomatoes and 1 tablespoon olive oil and the cook time is not as long as the raw sausage time.

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE RECIPE

Filed under: Casserole Recipes, Clean Eating, Gluten Free, Simply Healthy Recipes | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Roasted Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Chicken Pot Pie

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam
Comfort food sounded good on this dreary November day. It was a cold, windy and rainy day and I was in the mood to make something that was stick-to-the-ribs kind of filling. I wanted to try and keep the dish more geared to healthy and I think I succeeded to a degree. There is still some carbs in the crust and I used meat in this Pot Pie because I was craving it after not having meat for a few days. I did a different twist to this Pot Pie – using roasted sweet potatoes and butternut squash, baby spinach, chicken and mushrooms and the flavors really came through. Serve this Pot Pie with a nice green salad and you have an awesome meal. Enjoy!

Roasted Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Chicken Pot Pie
Created on 11/09/11

Click on the image to see a larger picture

 

Pot Pie Filling

1 Organic Rotisserie Chicken, meat removed from the bone (use the dark and light meat, no skin) cut in chunks

Half of butternut squash (the bottom part) seeded and chopped

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped

10 oz of button and baby Bella Mushrooms (5 oz of each) dirt brushed off and sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

10 oz of organic fresh baby spinach

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup of organic chicken broth

1 cup of organic mushroom broth

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/16 cup of flour

1 egg

Salt / Pepper

Pie Crust (this makes 2 pie crusts)

2 cups of flour

½ cup of olive oil

1 teaspoon of salt

3 to 4 tablespoons of ice cold water

2 teaspoons of fresh Rosemary chopped

Prep Roasted Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Single layer chopped butternut squash and sweet potato on a cookie sheet or stone and coat pieces with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Toss and coat well.  Put in oven and cook for about 20 to 25 minutes until squash and sweet potato is cooked through. Remove from oven and set aside.

Prep the Pie Crust – (while the squash and sweet potatoes are roasting)

In a food processor, add the flour, salt, olive oil and olive oil. Pulsate in food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add ice cold water 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture comes together looking like a semi ball / crumbs. On a hard surface, dump out the flour mixture and push mixture gently with hands until a large disc forms. Cut disc in 2 and wrap with saran wrap and put in refrigerator for a good hour until pie crust is cold and chilled well.

Make the Pot Pie Filling (while crush is in refrigerator being chilled)

Turn down the oven heat from 400 degrees to 350 degrees. In a large skillet or sauté pan, heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions, mushrooms and sauté for a good five minutes. Mushrooms will have a caramelized look. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute more.  

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Add the chicken and sauté for two or three minutes allowing the cooked chicken to heat through. Add the flour to the mixture to create a roux and absorb all the liquid from the onions and mushrooms.

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Add the chicken and mushroom stock and continue to cook until the stock has thickened. Add the baby spinach and sauté for 2 minutes. The heat will wilt the spinach. When done, add the roasted Sweet Potatoes and Butternut Squash and mix gently with rest of ingredients in the pan.

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 Season the pot pie filling with kosher salt and cracked pepper to taste.

Roll out pie crust and line the pie plate with rosemary crust. Prick the crust with a fork.

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Pour the pot pie filling in the pie crust. Roll out the 2nd crust and cover the pot pie filling. Roll the edge of the pie crust with your fingers underneath around the pie plate edge to give it a rustic look. Make a slit in the pie crust to allow the steam to escape. Crack an egg in a bowl add about 1 tablespoon of water and beat well. Brush the top of the pie crust with egg wash.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown and the filling seeps through the slit in the crust and bubbles. Let the pot pie sit for 10 minutes before serving. 

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Serve with a fresh garden salad.

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE RECIPE

Filed under: Pot Pies, Simply Healthy Recipes | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Cooking Tips: How to Clean Mushrooms

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Simply Healthy Cooking with Pam

This is a short cooking tip on cleaning mushrooms in two different ways

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