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.

 

 

Orzo Salad with Corn, Zucchini, Feta and Mint

This was my first time making Orzo at home, so I wanted to do something simple. I found the recipe on Pinterest - and made very few changes, and it was delicious. We did this as a main dish and it made plenty for us and leftovers. I knew we'd like it because of the meditereanian flavors.

 

One Pot Orzo Salad with Fresh Corn, Zucchini, Feta and Mint

 

• 3  tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 small zucchini, diced
• 2 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut from the cobs
• 1 1/2 c. (about 8 oz.) orzo pasta
• 14 oz. can low-sodium chicken broth, plus enough water to equal 3 c. total liquid
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 scallions, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh mint
• 3/4 cup crumbled reduced fat feta cheese
• the juice of one fresh lemon
• salt & pepper, to taste

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and a pinch of garlic salt, and cook stirring occasionally until the zucchini is well-browned and just tender, about 3-4 minutes.Remove the zucchini and put aside on a plate.
2. Add a smidge more olive oil , the corn and a pinch of garlic salt to the pan. Cook until the corn is browned at the edges and just tender, another 3-4 minutes, add corn to the plate with the zucchini.
3. To the skillet, add the remaining another tablespoon of olive oil and the orzo. Cook stirring constantly until the orzo is toasty and browned, 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the 3 cups of liquid and about 3/2 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook, stirring once or twice throughout, until the liquid is absorbed and the orzo is tender, about 15-20 minutes
5. Off heat, add the sauteed veggies, scallions, mint, feta and lemon juice. Stir to combine, season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with a little more mint for serving.

**Makes 4 servings
**2 on Bryce's Dish scale. Cutting board and knife, one pot!

Soba Noodle Bowl with Brussels Sprouts, Kale and Mushrooms

 I had a package of soba noodles sitting in my pantry for months because I had no idea what to do with them. When I searched on Pinterest I found so many different ideas I didn't know where to start. Until one day I stumbled upon one that had a ton of my favorite foods so had to try it. Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, and an Asian flair. It comes from Self magazine, and it is touted as a "slimming superfood" recipe. All I know is it's super good, makes great leftovers, and filled me up. I tweaked the portions based on the package of noodles I had and to make sure there were plenty of leftovers. I also added and left out a few things but am so grateful I found this idea. It's super quick and easy too, soba noodles only take a few minutes to cook!

 

 

 

Soba Noodle Bowl with Brussels Sprouts, Kale and Mushrooms

 

 

• 9.5 ounces soba (buckwheat) noodles (I say 9.5 because that's the size of the package I found at my grocery store, Hakubaku is the brand and they were in the Asian foods section)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 2 cups trimmed and quartered mushrooms ( I used a combo of baby bella and white mushroom)
• 2 cups stemmed and chopped kale ( I bought the pre-washed and sliced kind to save time)
• 1 small zucchini, quartered and sliced
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons agave syrup
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon siracha, plus more for serving on top

1. Cook noodles as directed on package.
2. Heat a olive oil in large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add sprouts and 1 tbsp water; stir-fry 3 minutes.
3. Add mushrooms, kale, zucchini and 1 tbsp water; stir-fry 3 minutes.
4. In a small bowl combine sesame oil, soy sauce, siracha, garlic, ginger, vinegar and agave. Then add to skillet with veggies, toss to coat.
5. Add noodles to the pan. Cook, tossing, 2 minutes. Top with sesame seeds and more siracha.

*Makes 4 servings
*Its a 2 on Bryce's dish scale. A pa, a skillet, a cutting board and knife.

Fall Quinoa with Turkey Sausage and Kale cooked in Hard Cidar

This is a fantastically fall tasting quinoa dish. I actually found it on the Whole Foods website several years ago when I was learning to cook with quinoa. I made a few tweaks and it's become one of our favorite fall and winter quinoas. It's definitely a hearty main dish, and the ingredients are all pretty healthy AND YOU MAKE IT ONE POT.

 

Turkey Sausage and Kale Quinoa 

 

• 12 ounces smoked turkey sausage, cut into (1/2 inch) cubes (getting the fully cooked kind makes it cook quicker) 
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons chopped  fresh sage
• 1 cup apple hard cider (the original says you can use pear too, but I never have)
• 1 cup quinoa , rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• One garlic clove minced
• One teaspoon garlic salt
• 2  1/2 cups chopped kale leaves (I buy the bag of prewashed and chopped)

1. In a large pot, cook sausage, onions, garlic and sage over medium-high heat until just browned, about 10 minute s(no oil needed).
2. Add cider, quinoa, cranberries, salt and 3/4 cup water and bring to a boil.
3. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is just absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.
4. Stir in kale, cover again  for a few minutes so the Kale softens. 

**Makes 4 servings (great as a leftover hot or cold)
***1 on Bryce's Dish Scale - ONE POT! And a cutting board.

Pan Seared, Carmelized Gnocchi with Cherry Tomatoes

 I never cooked with gnocchi until Pinterest came along and taught me how to use it. Im sure it's even better if you make it from scratch, but we know I'm all about fast weeknight meals, so I always use the boxed kind. When I started seeing ideas pop up to "brown" the gnocchi instead of boiling it the traditional way, I was intrigued.  This was my first experiment with it and we LOVED it. I used this recipe I found on Pinterest as a base, then tried to healthy it up a little bit and added a few things. It was delicious and filling. 

 

 

Caramelized Gnocchi With Pan-seared Cherry Tomatoes

• 16 ounces cherry tomatoes (2 pints), halved
• 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves, chopped (plus extra basil for garnish)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves of fresh garlic, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 lb. gnocchi
• 1 12 or 16-oz tub marinated baby mozzarella, drained (but reserve one tablespoon of the marinated oil)
• fresh basil, to garnish
• shaved parmesan (about a tablespoon for each serving)
• (heads up you need 2 non stick skillets for this)

1. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and sauté until it starts to brown, about 1 minute. Add the halved tomatoes  and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Add basil, and salt and pepper.
3. Heat until its bubbly, then turn the heat all the way down to low and let simmer.
4. In another skillet,  heat butter and the oil reserved from your marinated mozzarella. When the butter is melted and the oil is hot, add all the gnocchi. Stir with a wooden spoon to cover them with oil, then spread them out evenly in one layer. Season with salt and pepper. Let brown for 5 minutes and don't stir. You want the gnocchi to caramelize. After Use a wooden spoon or spatula to flip each gnocchi to brown the other side. Cook for another 3-5 minutes until browned. Remove from heat.
5. Turn off the burner with the tomatoes. Add the drained mozzarella balls and stir. You want to heat up the mozzarella without melting completely.
6. Add gnocchi to the pan with the tomatoes.
7. Serve with chopped basil and grated Parmesan on top.

**It's a 3 on Bryce's Dish scale. 2 skillets but only a cutting board an knife.
**Makes 4 servings.

 

A New Grain to Try: Bulgur with corn, tomatoes, basil and BACON

This was my first time using Bulgur. and I loved it. I found it in Cooking Light and it is a great grain to use as a base for a lot of different things. The texture is thicker than a Quinoa, but it's more substantial and has a flavor all it's own. This recipe below is the perfect end of summer meal to use the last of the good corn and tomatoes. It's simple, light and refreshing but good enough for a main dish. I beefed it up a little since I knew we would be doing it as a main.

Bulgur Salad with Corn, Tomatoes and Bacon

 

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup cracked bulgur wheat
• 3/4 cup basil leaves, Plus a few more torn for toppings
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 5 oz  halved cherry(or grape) tomatoes
• 2 ears fresh corn kernels, cut off the cobb
• 1/2 of one small red onion very thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 3 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

1. Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan.
2. Combine the boiling water and bulgur in a mixing bowl. Let mixture stand, covered, 25 minutes or until all water is absorbed.
3. While that soaks - Soak your onions in cold water for 10 minutes, drain after
4. Place the basil, oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a blender (I use the magic bullet); process until pureed.
5. Use a fork to fluff the bulgur. Add the dressing, tomatoes, corn, onion, and pine nuts to the grains; toss to combine. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon and more basil on top.

**Makes 4 main servings
**It's 3 on Bryce's dish scale. Magic Bullet, pan, bowl, cutting board/knife.