Tag: meatloaf

Pasta with Butternut Sauce, Spicy Sausage and Baby Spinach

Spicy chicken sausage is the perfect compliment to this creamy pasta dish made with butternut squash, baby spinach, parmesan and a touch of sage. It’s filling and comforting on a chilly winter night.

Since making Spaghetti with Creamy Butternut Leek Sauce^[1] a few weeks back, I am officially hooked. I love how the butternut squash feels like a decadent creamy sauce without the need for heavy cream. And with the addition of parmesan and hot sausage, the end result is savory and delicious.

I am also loving Giada’s new line of organic pastas sold at Target. I’m picky with my pasta and love the taste and texture of this pasta when cooked al dente. I always go for unusual pasta shapes, here I used a shape called casarecce… love!

As part of the Target Inner Circle, I got to meet Giada in person a few weeks ago at Fun and Fit in the City. Isn’t she beautiful!
She was so sweet in person, I also got an autographed cookbook and a goody bag full of her new food products sold at Target. My favorites were of course the organic pastas. I tried a few shapes, but plan on going back to Target to try the whole wheat.

A few more things: This week I teemed up with 11 other bloggers to host a HUGE HOLIDAY giveaway… Two winners, one will win an iMac Computer! A second winner will win a $500 gift card. Hey, you never know! You gotta be in it to win it… click here for a chance to win^[2]!

And most importantly: Starting today I am making a commitment to run at least 1 mile a day until New Years. You in? It’s part of the 2012 Holiday Running Streak from Runner’s World^[3]. The way I see it, why wait till New Years? Let’s start now, with all the baking and indulging that goes on during the Holidays, this is the perfect way to find a balance. I ran a mile this morning, I’ll be running again tomorrow… if you prefer to walk, that’s fine too, I would love it if you joined me. It could be inside, outside, morning, lunch time, evening… whenever you can squeeze it in. Tell me you’re in, it will help keep me motivated!

Pasta with Spicy Sausage, Baby Spinach and Creamy Butternut Sauce
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 5 • Size: 1 1/4 cups • Old Points: 7 pts • Points+: 9
Calories: 362 • Fat: 8 g • Carb: 55 g • Fiber: 5 g • Protein: 20 g • Sugar: 1 g
Sodium: 419 mg (without salt)

Ingredients:

11 oz (4 links) spicy chicken Italian sausage
1 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 tbsp light butter
10 oz casarecce, or pasta of your choice
1/4 cup shallots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh shaved parmesan cheese
4 sage leaves, sliced thin
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add butternut squash and cook until soft. Remove squash with a slotted spoon and place in a blender, blend until smooth.

Add pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions for al dente, reserving at least 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.

Meanwhile, in a large deep non-stick skillet, sauté sausage over medium heat until browned, breaking up with a spoon as it cooks. When cooked through, set aside on a plate.

Reduce heat to medium-low and melt the butter, sauté the shallots and garlic until soft and golden, about 5 – 6 minutes. Add pureed butternut squash, season with with salt and fresh cracked pepper and add a little of the reserved pasta water (I used about 1 cup) to thin out the sauce to your liking. Add baby spinach and stir in parmesan cheese and sage.

Toss in cooked pasta and sausage and mix until well coated.
Serve with additional parmesan cheese on the side if desired.

Makes about 6 cups.

References

^{^} Creamy Butternut Leek Sauce (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} click here for a chance to win (www.skinny-bits.com)
^{^} 2012 Holiday Running Streak from Runner’s World (www.runnersworld.com)

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Potato Parsnip Mash

Potatoes and parsnips mashed together with a little garlic, sour cream and butter make a surprisingly tasty side dish. The parsnips add a slightly sweet and spicy taste to the potatoes that I really enjoyed.

Hurricane Sandy is keeping most of us New Yorkers indoors today. So far I haven’t lost power so I figured I would share this recipe in case I do later (crossing fingers I won’t).

I had bought these parsnips the other day with no real plans for them, and decided I would try them mixed into my mashed potatoes. Parsnips, quite honestly are not a vegetable I grew up eating, so I never really know what to do with them. In the past, I’ve added them to stews and soups but I was pleasantly surprised how well they tasted mixed in with potatoes. My husband agreed, and they made a wonderful side dish to the roast beef^[1] I prepared in the oven.

Do you have a favorite way you enjoy parsnips? Would love to hear how you prepare them!

Potato Parsnip Puree
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 6 • Size: over 3/4 cup • Old Points: 2 pt • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 142 • Fat: 3.5 g • Protein: 4 g • Carb: 27 g • Fiber: 4 g • Sugar: 5.5 g
Sodium: 597.8 mg

Ingredients:

1 lbs russet (baking) potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 lb parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic
1 sprig rosemary
1/2 tbsp salt, plus more to taste
1/4 cup light sour cream
1/4 cup 2% milk
1 tbsp unsalted butter
pinch of black pepper

Directions:

Cover potatoes, parsnips and garlic with 1 inch of water in a 4 to 6-quart pot, then add sprig of rosemary and salt and bring to a boil, partially covered. Reduce heat and simmer vegetables, partially covered, until very tender but not falling apart, 30 to 40 minutes.

Drain vegetables in a colander. Discard rosemary and mash warm vegetables along with sour cream, butter, pepper, and remaining pinch of salt, to taste; stir to combine well.

Makes 5 cups.

References

^{^} roast beef (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)

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Italian Meatloaf

by Pam on October 8, 2012

I was craving meatloaf so I decided to try a new recipe from Michael Chiarello^[1] instead of my usual meatloaf^[2] recipe. I found this recipe for an Italian meatloaf that looked and sounded terrific. It was very easy to put together, it smelled amazing while it baked, and it turned out really moist and tender. We all liked the meatloaf and it paired well with potatoes & greens I served with it (recipes to post soon).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a loaf man with cooking spray.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, peppers, and mushrooms to the skillet. Cook, stirring often, until tender; about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let them cool.

Combine the ground beef with the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, and balsamic vinegar along with the onion mixture. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste; combine gently with your fingers until evenly mixed – be sure not to over mix. Pack the mixture into the loaf pan. Spread the marinara sauce evenly over the top of the loaf.

Place into the oven and bake for 1 hour or until a meat thermometer inserted in the center reaches 160 degrees. Remove from the oven and let the meatloaf rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Print^[3]

Italian Meatloaf

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 15 min.

Cook Time: 60 min.

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutues

Ingredients:

2 tsp canola oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion, finely diced
2 baby bell peppers, finely diced
3 button mushrooms, finely diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb lean ground beef
3/4 cup of Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tsp dried oregano
3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tsp balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1 cup of marinara sauce

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a loaf man with cooking spray.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, peppers, and mushrooms to the skillet. Cook, stirring often, until tender; about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let them cool.

Combine the ground beef with the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, and balsamic vinegar along with the onion mixture. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste; combine gently with your fingers until evenly mixed – be sure not to over mix. Pack the mixture into the loaf pan. Spread the marinara sauce evenly over the top of the loaf. Place into the oven and bake for 1 hour or until a meat thermometer inserted in the center reaches 160 degrees.

Remove from the oven and let the meatloaf rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Adapted recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net
Original recipe by Michael Chiarello

References

^{^} Michael Chiarello (www.foodnetwork.com)
^{^} meatloaf (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} Print Recipe (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)