SAUSAGE, POTATO, & KALE SOUP

Sausage, Potato, and Kale Soup

altered from The Pioneer Woman Recipe

Prep: 5 Minutes	Level: Easy
Cook: 45 Minutes	Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1 bunch Kale, Picked Over, Cleaned, And Torn Into Bite Sized Pieces
• 12 whole Red Potatoes, Medium slices so they don't dissolve away
• 1 whole Onion, Chopped
• 1-1/2 pound Italian Sausage
• 1-1/2 tsp of  Chili Seasoning (more To Taste)
• 3 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 heaping Tbsp beef Boullion base
• 1 quart Half-and-half
•  1-1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning (to taste)
• 1 tsp salt (as or if needed)
•  Black Pepper To Taste

Preparation

Prepare the kale and set it aside. 

In a medium pot. boil sliced potatoes until tender. Drain and set aside. 

In a large pot, sweat onion and crumble and brown the Italian sausage. Drain as much as the fat as you can. Stir in the seasonings, chicken broth, Boullion base, and half-and-half. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Give it a taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Add the potatoes, then stir in the kale. Simmer an additional 10-15 minutes, then serve.

Breakfast for a Week ~ by Sarah

My co-worker, Mary Ruth, made this breakfast up and when I saw her eating it I had to have the recipe.  It smelled amazing!  She makes a big batch of it on the weekend, stores it in the fridge, and then eats it every morning.  I made my first batch today and it is delicious!  I can't wait to have a quick, healthy, and delicious breakfast each morning when I'm in a rush!

Ingredients:
1 lb. breakfast sausage (not maple--hot or mild regular)
1 bunch kale
1 bag spinach
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 package mushrooms
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
any other veggies you think would be good--she puts jalapeño peppers in hers, but that's too spicy for me!
12 eggs, beaten

Directions:
Cook sausage in large skillet until completely browned.  Take out and drain on a paper towel.  Using a food processor, shred kale and spinach.  Cook in skillet over medium-high heat until tender.  Add sausage back along with the peppers, onion, and mushrooms.  Saute until everything is tender.  Add in beaten eggs and stir pretty constantly until egg is completely cooked.  Season well while cooking.  It will smell amazing!  Cool for awhile and then store in a large airtight container.  Take what you want in the morning and heat it in the microwave.

Sausage-Kale Breakfast Strata ~ by Sarah

I made this for the first time the other day and took it to a breakfast potluck at school.  It is a Pioneer Woman recipe, so it is not fat free.  It got rave reviews.  I liked how I made it the night before and then just had to bake it in the morning.  Kale is growing on me...this is really good!


Ingredients: 
12 whole Eggs
2-1/2 cups Half And Half (or Milk, If You Prefer)
Salt And Pepper, to taste
4 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Oregano (or Parsley, Basil, Etc.)
1 loaf Crusty French Or Italian Bread, Cut Into Cubes
2 pounds Breakfast Sausage Patties, Cooked And Cut Into Cubes
1 bunch (large) Regular Kale, Torn Into Pieces
Olive Oil (for Frying)
16 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, Halved
2-1/2 cups Grated Monterey Jack Cheese

Preparation Instructions: 
*Note: Recipe can easily be halved.

Mix together eggs, half-and-half, salt, pepper, and minced oregano. Set aside. Drizzle olive oil over mushrooms and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then roast in a 425 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat, then throw in kale. Cook for 2 minutes, or until slightly wilted. Remove from heat and set aside. Layer half the bread, half the kale, half the mushrooms, and half the cheese in a large, buttered lasagna pan. Repeat with the other half of all the ingredients, ending with the cheese. Slowly pour egg mixture all over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight if possible. To bake, remove from fridge 20-30 minutes before baking. Replace plastic wrap with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until top is golden brown and slightly crisp.

(Pioneer Woman picture)

If you want to see her step-by-step pictures, you can see her post here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/01/sausage-kale-strata/

Lasagna ~ by Sarah

I have had this recipe for years.  I believe it is Aunt Elaine's that Mom got from her years ago.  I was really surprised when I got my Pioneer Woman cookbook and the same recipe was in there.  The only difference is that PW adds fresh herbs (totally worth it!) and hot breakfast sausage (also totally worth it!).  Grandma Shirley had this on Sunday night and she says it's the best lasagna she's ever had!

Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
salt
10 oz. lasagna noodles
1 lb. mozzarella cheese, grated
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 lb. hot breakfast sausage
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 14.5-oz. cans whole tomatoes (I cut them up with kitchen scissors before using them)
2 6-oz. cans tomato paste
freshly ground black pepper
10-12 fresh basil leaves
1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 c. low-fat cottage cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese (she uses the finely grated stuff in a can, I always buy the shredded)

Directions:
In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the hamburger, sausage, and garlic until brown.  Drain excess fat.  Add the tomatoes with their juice, tomato paste, salt, and pepper.  Stir together well.  Simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Chop basil and parsley.  Add half of them to the meat mixture.  (You can use dry herbs, but it's not as good!)

While meat is simmering, combine cottage cheese, eggs, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and the other half of the herbs.  Also while the meat is simmering, boil the noodles according to package directions.

In a 13x9-inch pan, layer 4 lasagna noodles on the bottom, overlapping them slightly.  Spoon half the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles and spread it out evenly.  Sprinkle half the mozzarella cheese on top of the cottage cheese mixture.  Spoon just under half of the meat mixture on top of the cheese and spread evenly.  Repeat the process beginning with another layer of noodles, then cottage cheese mixture, mozzarella, then meat.  Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes--until bubbly.  Allow to stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

*Pioneer Woman picture. I forgot and it didn't last long!

Six-Bean Casserole ~ by Sarah

This recipe isn't really what I would call a casserole.  It also only contains five different kinds of beans.  But I got it from Wes's mom years ago and it's definitely a favorite around here.  It serves 16, so I usually make it when I'm heading to a barbecue.  It's almost a meal in itself, but goes great with burgers and hot dogs!

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. Italian sausage
1/2 lb. sliced pepperoni
1/2 lb. Kielbasa, quartered
1/2 c. BBQ sauce
1 can pork and beans (undrained)
1 can red kidney beans (undrained)
1 can chili beans (undrained)
1 can white beans (drained)
1 can butter beans (drained)
1 can tomato soup (undiluted)
3 oz. tomato paste
1/2 c. brown sugar
6 slices of bacon (cooked)

Directions:

Form the Italian sausage into 1-inch balls.  Brown in skillet.  (This doesn't make very many, so if you want to do the whole pound, it's fine.)

Combine the sausage with the remaining ingredients, except bacon, in a 5-quart casserole or crockpot and mix well.  Arrange the bacon (cut-up) on the top.  Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 1-1 1/2 hours or in a crockpot on low for 4 hours (or high for 2 hours).  I have always cooked this in a crockpot because I'm usually taking it somewhere and it's much easier to carry!

Cowboy Calzone ~ by Sarah

I love calzone--something about all that pizza dough just does it for me.  This is a Pioneer Woman recipe I've been wanting to try and it didn't disappoint!  The calzone are huge--and very filling!  This recipe may seem like a lot of work, but it's really very easy and didn't take much time at all.  This makes 8 calzone...

Before you make the calzone, you need to make the pizza dough:
Ingredients:
1 t. or 1/2 packet active dry yeast
4 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. kosher salt
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Directions:
Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a bowl.  Sprinkle the yeast over the water and set aside.  Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.  With an electric mixer on low speed, drizzle the olive oil until just incorporated.  Gently stir the yeast/water mixture and then drizzle it into the flour/oil mixture; mix until the dough forms a ball.  (You can also mix by hand until the dough comes together.)  Drizzle a little olive oil into a clean bowl.  Toss the ball of dough in the bowl and turn over to coat in oil.  Cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel and set in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours, or cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Now it's time for the calzone:

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. hot breakfast sausage

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 onion, finely diced

1 can Rotel

8 oz. ricotta cheese

1/2 c. grated mozzarella cheese

1/2 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese

1 egg, beaten

salt and pepper, to taste

olive oil for brushing

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  In a large skillet, combine the sausage and hamburger with the onion.  Brown over medium heat.  Drain the excess grease.  Pour in the tomatoes and chilies.

Stir to combine, and cook for 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.  In a bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and egg.  Add a dash of salt and pepper.

Add the cooled meat mixture to the cheese mixture and stir gently to combine.

Divide the pizza dough into 8 equal-sized balls.  With a rolling pin on a floured surface, roll each ball into a 6-inch circle.  Place 1/8th of the meat/cheese mixture in the middle of each circle.

Fold half of the circle over the other half, gently pressing to slightly spread and flatten the filling inside.  Press a fork along the edge to seal closed, then transfer to a greased baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.  Brush the calzone with olive oil.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.  Transfer the calzone to a basket or wrap individually in foil.

I like a little sauce with my calzone, so I served these with marinara sauce for dipping.  Delicious!