Monday, April 12, 2010

Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini


Includes everything I love about italian food; basil, tomatoes, garlic, pasta & yummy veggies. Oh, and of course, sausage!



  • This is based off a recipe I found on allrecipes.com. I tweaked it a little bit, and this is how I like it:

  • 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 5 cups beef broth
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 32 0z. diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup thinly sliced carrots
  • 1/2 tablespoon packed fresh basil leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini
  • 8 ounces fresh tortellini pasta
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

  • In a large pot, brown sausage. Remove sausage and drain, reserving 1 tablespoon of the drippings.

  • Saute onions and carrots in drippings. Add garlic and saute 1 minute.

  • Stir in beef broth, water, wine, tomatoes, carrots, oregano, tomato sauce, and sausage.

  • Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

  • Skim fat from the soup. Stir in zucchini, basil and parsley.

  • Simmer covered for 30 minutes. Add tortellini during the last 10 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on top of each serving.

Click on title...

Thursday, April 1, 2010

California Pizza Kitchen BBQ Chicken Pizza

This is one of our favorite weeknight meals. Quick, easy, and really tasty.  I got the recipe off my friends blog and it got rave reviews from my husband who considers himself a BBQ chicken pizza connoisseur.    



California Pizza Kitchen BBQ-Chicken Pizza

Pizza Crust: (i like to buy the pillsbury refrigerated crust...super quick & easy! follow the instructions on the package for a crispy crust, otherwise it may turn out soggy.)

Topping:
1 boneless chicken breast
1/2 c. BBQ sauce
1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 c. mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 c. smoked gouda cheese, grated
1/2 c. thinly sliced red onion
2 tsp. finely chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 400.

Cut the chicken breast into bite-size cubes. Heat a small frying pan with olive oil in it. Saute chicken for about 3-4 minutes over medium high heat. Once the chicken is no longer pink, add about 1/4 cup BBQ sauce to chicken & let it continue to cook.

Spread 1/4 c. BBQ sauce on lightly browned pizza crust (b/c you pre-bake it to prevent having a soggy crust). Sprinkle 1/2 c. mozzarella and all of the Gouda cheese over the sauce. Add the chicken next and then the red onions. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 c. mozzarella around the center of the pizza & top with cilantro.

Bake the pizza for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted. so yummy! happy eating!

Click on title...