Biscuits & Gravy Casserole

 Thanks to In fine Taste for this yummy breakfast!

Ingredients

For Gravy

• 1 pound ground pork sausage
• 4 ½ cups milk
• ½ cup flour
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

For biscuits

• 2 7.5 ounce cans refrigerator biscuits or use our homemade drop biscuit recipe

Instructions

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.Spray 13 x 9 inch glass pan with oil cooking spray.
• Brown sausage in a medium sized pot; transfer sausage to prepared baking dish. Use a paper towel to blot out grease from sausage.
• Add butter to sausage drippings in pot and melt over medium heat. Add flour, salt and peppers and stir to combine and create roux (mixture of fat and flour used to thicken many dishes). Cook 2-3 minutes until roux begins to brown.
• Add milk a little at a time, whisking until smooth. Cook on medium-low, stirring often until thickened (several minutes). Pour gravy over sausage in baking pan.
• Separate refrigerator biscuits and cut each into fourths OR, make homemade biscuit dough and divide into small portions. Top gravy with biscuit pieces. 
• Bake 25-30 minutes until biscuits are golden brown. Serve warm.

Healthy Zuppa Toscana (Whole30, Paleo, Dairy-Free)

I am pretty positive I like this version over the regular one! My whole family devoured this on a cool evening! Make this asap-you won't regret it! Recipe and photo from 40Aprons. (I do not make my own sausage, by the way. Just used store-bought. Keepin it real, folks! )

 Prep Time 5 minutes
 Cook Time 45 minutes
 Total Time 50 minutes
 Servings 6
 Calories 394 kcal

Ingredients for soup (not the sausage):

4 slices Whole30-compliant bacon cut into about 1/2" pieces
1 pound Italian sausage made from below recipe or storebought
1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
4 medium yellow potatoes about 1 pound 3 ounces, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 medium white or yellow onion diced
2 tablespoons garlic minced, about 4 cloves
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 bunch kale stems removed and leaves chopped, 4 cups
1 can coconut milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Homemade Whole30 Italian Sausage:

1 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley or 2 teaspoons dried
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground fennel seed (optional)
pinch dried oregano
pinch dried thyme

Instructions:
If making Italian sausage: combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Alternately, combine all ingredients in the saucepan and stir well when browning.

In a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed medium pot over medium heat, add Italian sausage and sprinkle crushed red pepper flakes over. Use a spoon to break up the pieces. When browned and cooked through, drain and set aside.

Cook the bacon pieces in the same Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 5-10 minutes. Remove the crisp bacon and set aside - don't get rid of the bacon fat! Stir in the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Pour the chicken broth into the Dutch oven with the onions and garlic, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, and boil until fork tender, about 10-20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the coconut milk and the cooked sausage; heat through. Add the bacon and the kale into the soup just before serving and cook 'til the kale is bright green and softened. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Lasagna Soup

This soup was amazing! Super easy, one-pot wonder haha! Photo and recipe from Derafa. 

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 lb lean ground beef
1 large yellow onion, diced (1 3/4 cups)
5 garlic cloves, to taste, minced*
4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, then more to thin as desired
1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 3/4 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 lasagna noodles, broken into bite size pieces (6.5 oz) or a package of other noodles (I used Penne)
1 1/4 cups (5 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup (2 oz) finely shredded parmesan cheese
8 oz ricotta cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

Instructions:

1. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, crumble beef into pot, season with salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally until browned. Drain fat from beef and set beef aside. 
2. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil in pot, add chopped yellow onion and saute until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add in garlic and saute 30 seconds longer. 
3. Add in chicken broth, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, browned ground beef and season with salt and pepper to taste. 
4. Bring just to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, prepare lasagna noodles according to directions listed on package.
6. In a mixing bowl, using a fork, stir together mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta.
7. Stir cooked pasta into soup along with parsley, then thin soup with a little more broth if desired****. 
8. Ladle soup into bowls, dollop with a large scoop of the cheese mixture and sprinkle with chopped parsley (cheese will melt well once stirred into soup).

Sausage Tortellini Soup

This recipe was adapted from Party In My Kitchen and is a keeper! Great filling soup for this fall/winter season!

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked Italian sausage
3 cups uncooked tortellini
4 cups water
16 oz. half & half (or milk)
3 chicken boullion cubes
1 tbsp. oregano
1 tbsp. parsley
1 tbsp. chives
Fresh veggies--mushrooms, diced red peppers, broccoli florets, etc (optional)

Parmesan cheese

Put all ingredients except tortellini in medium size sauce pan and bring to boil.  Allow to simmer about 15 minutes.  Add tortellini and allow to boil according to pasta pkg. instructions.  Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and kale before serving.

Breakfast Enchiladas

These were to die for and were perfect for our book club brunch! Recipe from Julie's Eats & Treats!

Ingredients

• 1 lb sausage, browned
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 (8 in) flour tortillas
• 6 eggs
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 oz package Real Bacon Bits

Instructions

1. Spray 13x9 in pan with cooking spray
2. In a large bowl stir together browned sausage, 1 c. cheese and 1/2 of the package of bacon bits.
3. Place a 1/8 of the mixture down the center of a tortilla. Roll up and place seem side down in baking dish. Repeat until all tortillas are filled.
4. In another large bowl beat eggs, half and half, four and salt. Pour over the tortillas in the pan. You can cover the dish and place in the fridge or baked immediately.
5. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Uncover dish and sprinkle remaining 1 cup of cheese over tortillas. Sprinkle the rest of the bacon bits over cheese. Cover baking dish and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover dish and bake 10 minutes longer or until set and cheese is melted.

Jambalaya (Freezer-Friendly)

This recipe comes from Loving My Nest, with just a couple minor changes. Each recipe makes two bags, so if you're just wanting one, cut everything in half.

4 bell peppers
1 large onion, chopped
1 large (32oz) can of diced tomatoes (leave the juice)
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 bay leafs
1 lb large shrimp, raw and de-veined
4 oz. chicken, diced
1 lb. spicy Kielbasa sausage

2 c. okra (optional)
2 tsp Cajun Seasoning

Split all ingredients except chicken broth to two gallon zip lock bags. (2 bell peppers in each bag, 1/2 onion in each bag….) This recipe makes 2 meals worth. If you have a really large (6.5qt or larger) crock pot you could cook all of this at once or if you had a large family to feed, otherwise split this into two. (Either way you'll have to put it in two bags because there's so much food--if you're wanting to make it one meal though, just label your bags "Jambalaya 1 of 2", "Jambalaya 2 of 2"). Freeze flat. On day of cooking add 1 cup chicken broth and cook on low for 6 hours.

Pioneer Woman's Lasagna

This is the Pioneer Woman's "Best Lasagna Ever" recipe. And let me tell you, it's a-mazing! I made this for our freezer exchange group this month and am pretty excited about how yummy it is!

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 pound Ground Beef
• 1 pound Hot Breakfast Sausage
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 cans (14.5 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes
• 2 cans (6 Ounce) Tomato Paste
• 2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
• 2 Tablespoons Dried Basil
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 3 cups Lowfat Cottage Cheese
• 2 whole Beaten Eggs
• 1/2 cup Grated (not Shredded) Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 pound Sliced Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 package (10 Ounce) Lasagna Noodles
• (add 1/2 Teaspoon Salt And 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil To Pasta Water)

Preparation Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saucepan, combine ground beef, sausage, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. Drain half the fat; less if you’re feeling naughty. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons parsley, basil and salt. After adding the tomatoes, the sauce mixture should simmer for 45 minutes while you are working on the other steps.

In a medium bowl, mix cottage cheese, beaten eggs, grated Parmesan, 2 more tablespoons parsley, and 1 more teaspoon salt. Stir together well. Set aside. Cook lasagna until “al dente” (not overly cooked).

To assemble:
Arrange 4 cooked lasagna noodles in the bottom of a baking pan, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Spread evenly. Cover cottage cheese with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Spoon a little less than half the meat/sauce mixture over the top.

Repeat, ending with meat/sauce mixture. Sprinkle top generously with extra Parmesan.

Either freeze, refrigerate for up to two days, or bake immediately: 350-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until top is hot and bubbly.

Sausage & Pancake Muffins

Okay, it's probably a little ridiculous that I'm even devoting an entire post to these, as they are so easy, but that's the beauty of this blog, right?! Easy, delicious recipes!! So anyway, I've seen lots of variations of these floating around the Pinterest world and decided to give 'em a whirl. So worth it--they are amazing and everyone devoured them!

So basically you just make a normal batch of pancake batter--from a mix or from scratch--to the size your family eats. Then you add in some sausage that has already been browned. I have a family of 5 and to my batter I added 1 pound of ground sausage, which was perfect. I never use pancake mixes, I always use my IHOP Pancakes recipe, but you do what you're used to.

After you've made your mix and added the sausage, you just pour the batter into muffin tins that have been greased, and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Top with butter and maple syrup. Enjoy!!

Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole

Thanks to Doughmesstic for this amazing recipe! We had it for our Easter morning breakfast and it was perfect!

• 1 pound Johnsonville Mild Italian Sausage, cooked
• 1 yellow onion, chopped, sauteed in sausage grease
• 7 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 20 ounce bag frozen Ore-Ida Diced Hash Browns
• 8 ounce brick of Mild Cheddar Cheese, grated
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Spray medium casserole dish (we used 9 x 13) with non-stick spray.  Set aside.
2. Prepare sausage and onions.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, including sausage and onions.  Pour into prepared casserole dish.  Reserve roughly one cup of the cheese for topping.
4. Bake for 35 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with reserved cheese.  Return to oven for 8 minutes.
5. Allow casserole to rest for 15-20 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!

Paulette's Lasagna

My friend, Paulette, and I do a freezer meal exchange once a month. It's awesome! If any of you need ideas on getting a group started or recipe ideas, email me at kayleeandkids @ gmail . com ! Anyway, she made this last month and it was delicious! I didn't remember to take a picture, but definitely want to make it again--so should you!

1 jar. Hunts spaghetti sauce
1 lb. sausage, cooked
1 pkg. mozzarella cheese
1 pkg. oven ready lasagna noodles
1 (8oz.) Pkg. cream cheese, softened

In a pan layer first sauce, then noodles (after you have spread the softened cream cheese on each noodle), sauce, sausage, cheese, noodles, sauce. Repeat 2-3 more times. Then top off the top with cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes - 1 hr. covered.

Mini Sausage Calzones

I forgot to take a picture of these before freezing them, but we didn't forget to taste them--they are delicious! I found this recipe on food.com. You and your kids will love them!! To freeze, prepare them completely; cool and then wrap each individually in saran wrap and foil and place in a labeled ziploc bag. When you are ready to serve from the freezer, thaw and reheat for 10 minutes or until heated through. Easy!

• 1 lb frozen bread dough, thawed
• 4 ounces sweet Italian sausage
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce
• 1/2 cup grated lowfat mozzarella cheese
• 2 teaspoons parmesan cheese
• 1 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk

1. Divide dough into 16 portions.
2. Preheat oven to 425°F.
3. Grease a baking sheet.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add sausage.
5. Cook until brown and crumbly, drain fat.
6. Stir onion, garlic, basil, oregano, and pizza sauce into skillet, simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Roll each dough piece into a 5in circle.
8. Spoon sausage mixture onto each circle, sprinkle with cheeses.
9. Moisten edges of dough with water.
10. Fold dough over to enclose filling, press to seal.
11. Place on prepared baking sheet.
12. Beat eggs with milk.

Upside-Down Pizza Bake

This is delicious! Next time I will double it though, to make a 9x13, instead of an 8x8, so keep that in mind if you have a bigger group to feed.

1/2 lb. Italian sausage
1 c. spaghetti sauce
1/2 c. sliced mushrooms, fresh
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 c. biscuit/baking mix
1 egg
1/2 c. milk

*In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
*Pour spaghetti sauce into a greased 8x8 inch square baking dish. Top with mushrooms, green pepper, sausage and 1/2 c. cheese.
*In a small bowl, combine the biscuit mix, egg, and milk until blended. Pour over top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
*Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

IKEA Swedish Meatballs

These are TO DIE FOR!! Seriously, my family is hooked! I found this recipe on Just Cook Already and have made it several times. I serve this with a side of pasta and veggies. Seriously, go try it now!

Meatballs:

1 pound ground sausage (low-fat version works great too)

1 pound ground hamburger

2 eggs

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 TBSP dried minced onion

1 tsp all-spice

A few dashes of salt and pepper

Gently mix all the ingredients with your hands in a bowl. Form 1 -1.5 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet. (I was able to fit 30 larger balls on one cookie sheet.) Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes until no longer pink in the middle.

The Sauce:

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup water

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

A few dashes pepper

*Heat ingredients in a small sauce pan until combined and warm.

*Serve the meatballs and sauce over a bed of noddles or mashed potatoes.

***The meatballs are also great served as an appetizer. Just make the balls small and serve them covered in the sauce on toothpicks.

Sausage Potato Soup

I actually didn't have a recipe for this soup, I just threw some stuff in the pot and it came out tasting pretty good! I had it all on hand and needed something easy to prepare with a newborn and a toddler who were WiLd tonight!
5 medium potatoes, peeled and coarsely cut into chunks
1/2 lb. smoked sausage, cut into 1/2" slices
Baby carrots, whole
Celery, sliced
2 tsp. chicken bouillon
*Put potatoes in pot and fill water just above. Add remaining ingredients and boil over medium-high heat for approximately 20 minutes, or until veggies are tender.The sausage gives it a great flavor, I didn't even add any salt or pepper.

Sausage Skillet Dinner

This is SUPER easy, per usual, and tastes awesome! Make sure to cut your potato wedges pretty small; mine were too big and didn't get quite soft enough...Prep/total time: 30 mins
3/4 lb. smoked sausage, cut into 1-in. pieces
2 Tbsp. butter
2 cups refrigerated red potato wedges
1/2 med onion, cut into wedges
1 med apple, cut into wedges
1/4 cup cider vinegar (this has such a great flavor! I'd never bought it before but it was only $0.80!)
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. caraway seeds (I left these out)
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
*In a large skillet, saute sausage in butter for 3 mins. Add potatoes, onion, and apple; saute 4-5 mins longer or until apple is tender and potatoes are golden brown. Stir in vinegar, sugar, and seeds.
*Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 mins or until heated through. Sprinkle w/ parsley. Yield: 4 servings.

Creamy Sausage & Potato Soup

This recipe is all mine...So if you hate it, please don't tell me! :) Just kidding, I only share it because my family loved it. My little girl and husband each had THREE bowls at dinner!
5 medium red potatoes, chopped (leave peeling on)
2 cubes chicken bouillon
2 cans corn, drained
Small can evaporated milk
1 lb. Jimmy Dean sausage, "sage" flavor
*Put potatoes in large pot and fill water just above potatoes. Add chicken bouillon. Boil, uncovered, about 15 mins, or until tender.
*Meanwhile, cook sausage; drain. Add to potatoes when finished cooking.
*In a blender mix corn and evaporated milk; add to potatoes.
That's it! Wasn't that easy??

Lasagna Roll-Ups

These little guys are super cute and look like mini lasagna loafs when finished. They are very easy to make and have a great taste for everyone. I have changed up this original recipe a little already, substituting the turkey sausage links for Italian pork sausage and substituting the cheddar cheese for mozzarella--the original roll-ups came out awesome but had more of a pizza taste, so whichever you or your kids prefer!
10 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 pkg (19-1/2 oz.) Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed
1 pkg (8 oz.) low fat cream cheese, softened
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce, divided
1-3/4 cups (7 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
*Cook noodles according to package directions.
*Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage over med heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in cream cheese and 1/3 cup spaghetti sauce. Drain noodles; spread 1/4 cup meat mixture on each noodle. Sprinkle each with 2 Tbsp. cheese; carefully roll up.
*Spread 2/3 cup spaghetti sauce into an ungreased 9x13 baking dish. Place roll-ups seam side down over sauce. Top with remaining sauce and cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for 20 mins. Uncover; bake 10-15 mins longer or until bubbly. Yield: 10 servings.($1.10/serving)

Kielbasa Chili

Oh. My. Gosh. This is delish! The total cost for all the ingredients was only $5.25, too, so only about $0.75 per serving.

1 lb. smoked kielbasa or polish sausage, halved and sliced
2 cans (14.5 oz. each) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 oz.) chili with beans
1 can (14 oz. ) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (2-1/4 oz.) sliced, ripe olives, drained--I left these out
*Coat a deep pot with cooking spray. Saute kielbasa until browned. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 4-5 mins or until heated through. Yield: 7 servings.

Sizzling Sausage Bake

This is a great alternative to your typical bratwurst summer cook-out meal. I'd much rather take this to a BBQ!

2 lb. small new potatoes, quartered

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Salt

16 pork cocktail wieners/6 bratwursts, halved

1 lb. cherry tomatoes (one of the best parts!)

2 Tbsp. green pesto (I didn't have any and just sprinkled basil)

*Preheat oven to 400. Put the potatoes in a large roasting pan with the garlic and oil. Season with salt, toss the potato wedges, then bake for 10 mins.

*Prick the sausages all over with a fork, add to the pan, and toss in the oil. Bake for 10 mins.

*Add the tomatoes, toss in the pesto and bake for a further 5-10 mins, or until the tomatoes and sausages are tender and cooked.

*Divide between warmed plates and serve with green beans. MMM!!

Smoked Sausage Gumbo

This tastes amazing! It's very authentic though, if you don't like as much spice you may want to cut the amount of spices in half (oregano, thyme, cayenne pepper).

2 celery ribs, chopped

1 med onion, chopped

1 med green pepper, chopped

1 med carrot, chopped

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/4 cup flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 lb. smoked kielbasa/polish sausage, cut into 1/2-in. pieces

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 tsp. dried thyme

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

*In large skillet, saute celery, onion, green pepper, and carrot in oil until tender. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add broth. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 mins, or until thickened.

*Transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker. Stir in the sausage, tomatoes, oregano, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Cover and cook on LOW 4-5 hrs, or until heated through. Serve w/ rice. Yield: 5 servings.