Some of our favorites include: Sausage Stuffed Shells and more!
Sausage Stuffed Shells Recipe
Sausage stuffed shells are a delicious and easy Italian appetizer or entree with very simple ingredients. They’re cheesy, creamy, savory, garlicky, and loaded with so much delicious ricotta flavor!
PREP: 15 minutes
COOK: 30 minutes
TOTAL: 45 minutes
SERVINGS: 22 shells
Section 1: Ingredients
20-22 jumbo shells, 16-ounce box
24 ounces marinara
14-16 ounces of ground sweet or hot Italian sausage, or ground beef
1 3/4 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
6-7 basil leaves, chopped, plus more for garnish
Section 2: Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta shells 1 minute before al dente, strain, and rinse with cool water to prevent overcooking.
3. Meanwhile, in a cast-iron skillet, cook sausage until fully cooked through and browned. About 5-7 minutes. Use the tip of a spatula to break the sausage into the smallest chunks possible as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove the pan from the heat.
4. Transfer the sausage to a medium bowl with ricotta, basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, and egg. Stir until fully incorporated and creamy. Place 1 cup of marinara in the bottom of the now-empty skillet.
5. Cut a 1-inch hole in a pastry bag or corner of a large Ziploc bag. Transfer the ricotta filling to the bag and fill each shell to the top with ricotta. You can alternatively fill shells with a spoon.
6. Arrange shells in the skillet as tightly as possible. You can usually fit 20-22 shells in a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Top each shell with a heaping tablespoon of marinara. Layer the entire dish with about 1 cup of shredded mozzarella (more is OK too).
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is fully melted and golden. Finish with a quick broil to give the cheese a little sear if desired. Let cool for 5 minutes, top with extra chopped basil, and serve immediately.
Notes
~ The easiest way to fill stuffed shells is with a pasty bag or Ziploc bag. This makes quick and neat work of filling the shells. The most important tip is to cut a solid inch off your pasty bag so the meat can easily slide through. Assuming your ricotta is adequately mixed, this shouldn’t be a problem.
~ If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you can bake shells in a baking dish instead. If making additional, You will need to scale the ricotta filling as it’s enough for roughly 20-22 shells. There will be leftover shells in the box.
~ Finish the baking with a quick broil. It will slightly crisp the cheese and give it a beautiful golden finish. Broil on high for 1-2 minutes, watching carefully to avoid burning.
~ Cook shells just under al dente to prevent overcooking. Rinsing the shells with cool water after straining will prevent them from cooking further. This is so they don’t break apart when filling.
Spicy Sausage and Potato Soup
This Spicy Sausage Potato Soup is super flavorful, made in one pot and made with real food ingredients. It's filled with potatoes, sausage and kale.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Section 1: Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb ground sausage (mild or spicy)
3/4 cup yellow onion diced
1/2 cup carrot sliced
1/4 cup celery sliced
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 garlic cloves minced
1 lb. yukon gold or red potatoes diced
2 cups kale stems removed
32 oz. chicken broth
1 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh parsley for garnish
Section 2: Directions
1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat; add sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes; Use a slotted spoon to remove sausage and set aside, keeping the oil and sausage grease in the skillet.
2. In that same skillet, add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and paprika, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes. If onion starts browning too quickly, add 1 additional tablespoon of oil.
3. Next, add the potatoes and kale, stirring to combine, and then pour chicken broth and water into the skillet.
4. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and place a lid on top. Simmer soup until potatoes are cooked, approximately 15 minutes, and then add the cooked sausage back into the skillet; stir to combine.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste, and top soup with fresh parsley.
Ingredient notes
~ Sausage - the recipe calls for spicy sausage, like a spicy Italian, andouille or chorizo, which will add depth and flavor
~ Potato - can use russet/Idaho/baby gold/red; I kept the skin on the potatoes, but you can peel them if you prefer
Soup variations
~ Don't love sausage? Try chicken instead!
~ If you want this soup to be a little creamier, add ½ cup of your favorite milk to the soup and stir so that everything is mixed together.
~ Lacinato kale takes a bit longer to cook, so it's perfect in soups, but curly kale works just fine too.
Classic Biscuits and Gravy Recipe
Our homemade Biscuits and Gravy Recipe is an easy-to-make classic Southern breakfast of creamy sausage gravy over warm buttery biscuits. It's a quick and filling meal you will love.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Section 1: Ingredients
For the biscuits:
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 Cup salted butter cold
3/4 Cup milk
For the sausage gravy:
1 lb Italian sausage - or sausage roll, mild or your favorite flavor (make sure to use uncooked ground sausage)
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
2.5 cups milk - any kind
1-3 teaspoons ground black pepper - optional, to taste
Section 2: Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425° F.
2. Combine dry ingredients in bowl. Cut in the cold butter until resembles small peas.
3. Slowly add 3/4 Cup of cold milk and mix with fork until dough is just slightly sticky.
4. Remove dough from bowl and fold over 10 times on floured surface.
5. Flatten the dough using your hands until about 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits using biscuit cutter.
6. Place biscuits on un-greased dark baking pan. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until golden brown.
7. While the biscuits are baking, make the sausage gravy so they are ready at the same time.
Instructions for the sausage gravy:
1. In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium high heat until there’s no pink left, stirring and breaking up the sausage into smaller crumbles.
2. Once the sausage is cooked, sprinkle the flour over the sausage. You want to make sure the flour soaks up all of the oil. Once the flour has soaked up the oil, allow it to cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Slowly pour the milk into the skillet, mixing until everything is combined.
4. Add pepper, to taste, if using.
5. Turn your heat to low and allow the gravy to bubble. Once the gravy has bubbled, turn off the heat. The gravy will continue to thicken, so stir it for another few minutes. Serve hot over your freshly made biscuits!
Notes
~ Leftover gravy can be stored in a closed container in the fridge for up to 1 week. It will thicken more as it cools and some liquid might separate out, so stir it back together and add 1 tablespoon milk at a time until you get a desired consistency. Reheat in a skillet or in the microwave.
What to make with leftover sausage gravy
Tired of eating sausage gravy as a breakfast sauce? Here are a few ideas for how to repurpose it into a delicious new meal!
~ Sausage gravy pasta: Add some grated parmesan, a splash of milk, a little garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Mix it all together in a saucepan as you reheat and combine with pasta as a unique take on an Alfredo sauce with sausage! It's DELICIOUS!
~ Creamy gravy soup: Use the sausage gravy as a base for a creamy sausage soup or chowder. Just sauté some diced onion, celery and carrots, add sausage gravy, chicken broth, diced potatoes, then cook until the potatoes are fully cooked.
~ Sausage gravy poutine: Cook some frozen fries according to the packaging directions, then pour some reheated sausage gravy over the fries. YUM.
~ Baked potato: Spoon some sausage gravy over your baked potato, along with your favorite baked potato toppings.
~ Breakfast casserole: Mix some sausage gravy into a breakfast casserole recipe.
~White pizza: Spread it on rolled out pizza crust with some grated mozzarella and bake!
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