Experimenting with Bucatini: ONE-POT Bucatini with Turkey Italian Sausage and Zucchini

This is one of those recipes I did backwards. I bought Bucatini because it was on sale and I had never seen it in my grocery store before. Then I went looking for a good way to cook it. I found a million great recipes, a lot of which included similar ingredients to this, but I picked this one because it was a ONE POT meal. That gets me every time when it comes to easy week night meals. The original recommended regular Italian Sausage but I used turkey to make it less greasy. I also changed up portions slightly based on what we had on hand.

 

One Pot Pasta Bucatini with Turkey Italian Sausage and Zucchini

 

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
• 3 spicy turkey Italian sausage links, casings removed
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 zucchini, sliced lengthwise, then thinly sliced (into 1/2 circles)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced thyme
• 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 12 ounces bucatini
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a duch oven. Sauté turkey sausage until browned and crumbled, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon, set aside and discard grease (there shouldn't be much).

2. Place pot back onto the stove and other tablespoon of oil. Sauté onions for 4 to 5 minutes. Add zucchini, garlic and  garlic salt. Continue to sauté for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Stir in thyme and add sausage back into the pot and sauté for 1 minute.

4. Pour stock into the pot and bring to a boil. Add pasta and lower heat to medium. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and pasta is al dente. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Add in parmesan and carefully toss until well combined. Sprinkle a little more parmesan on top before serving.


**Makes 4 servings
**2 on Bryce's dish scale. One pot. Cutting board, knife!

Light Main Dish Salad: Citrus Pomegranate Fennel Salad

This was so very very easy and a great fall salad. I was honestly surprised how much I liked it because of the simplicity but it was a perfect Monday night Main Meal salad after a weekend of eating unhealthy. It feel cleansing and filled me up! I found the original on Pinterest and added a few things to it. Pomegranates are in season so I thought that would add a nice crunch. Also, the original calls for a variety of different oranges, and my grocery store is not well-stocked with orange varieties. If you can find fun ones like blood oranges, and cara cara and Minneola, by all means - mix it up. I could only find Navel and Mandarin in the fresh section. I tried adding a little grapefruit too and it was very tart, I liked it, but my husband said he would pass on that the next time. So adjust as you wish to what you can find. Below is the recipe for how I made the salad pictured. It makes 2 main dishes and again my magic bullet came in handy for the dressing. 

Citrus Pomegranate Fennel Salad

• 2 navel oranges, separated into slices
• 4 mandarin orange, separated into slices
• 1/2 of one grapefruit, separated into slices, then cut slices in half
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1/2 one fennel bulb, very thinly sliced
• fennel fronds
• 1 avocado sliced
• 4 cups mixed salad greens, chopped up a little

Dressing

½ shallot, peeled and sliced

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons champagne vinegar (I had a hard time finding this, but Google told me white wine vinegar is a good substitute)

1 tablespoon honey

kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

¼ cup mint leaves

Reserved fennel fronds

 

 

1. Split up all the salad ingredients between two bowls, starting with the greens. then layering oranges, fennel, pomegranate seeds.
2. Blend the dressing in a blender (I use my Magic bullet, perfect size)- and top the salad with the dressing. It's that easy.

**Makes 2 main dish salads

***2 on Bryce's dish scale, you eat in the bowls you make it in. Cutting board, knife and magic bullet.