Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Delicious Sausage and Veggie Sauce.


Hi everyone! 

Have you ever been caught not knowing what to make for dinner? Well, that happens to my family and I a lot. It just so happens that this recipe was created during one of those situations. And let me tell you, this is one of the best things I have ever made. I have to give a lot of credit to my mom(Hi mom!) for inspiring this recipe. It came together one of those night when we were in rut about what to make for dinner(as usual), and she suggested pasta with marinara sauce and sausage. I grabbed my pots and pans and all the fresh veggies that I had on hand and got cooking. Not too much later, this beautiful sauce was born! See, everything happens for a reason! If we had something planned for dinner, I never would have even tried to make this! 

The recipe that I'm sharing with you today is one that will be a staple in your kitchen. This is the most flavorful sauce I have ever made, and I guarantee that you will love it just as much as I do! I don't know about you, but I can't stand a bitter, bland sauce. This sauce is neither of those. In my opinion, it is saucy-veggie-sausage perfection! The layers upon layers of flavor come from veggies, Italian chicken sausage, fresh basil, and just a touch of sugar.
Each of these components play an important role in the sauce: 

  1. Veggies: Carrots, celery, and mushrooms add a texture explosion!
  2. Sausage: The Italian Chicken Sausage adds a nice, deep, flavor and a bit of heat. 
  3. Sugar: The sugar is super important, it cuts out the bitterness of the crushed tomatoes that comes from the seeds. 
  4. Basil: The basil adds freshness, so the sauce isn't too heavy! 
Along with other simple ingredients, the veggies, sausage, and sugar all team up to form a dreamy and delicious sauce. Your spaghetti, lasagna, and gnocchi will never be the same! 

Ingredients:
non-stick cooking spray 
8 oz. sliced mushrooms 
1 tbsp. EVOO(extra virgin olive oil) 
5 links(12 oz) sweet italian chicken sausage(I recommend Trader Joe's Sausage)
1 clove of garlic, minced 
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes 
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped 
2 small-medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp granulated sugar 
salt and pepper, to taste 
Handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped 

 First, sauté the mushrooms in a small skillet sprayed with the non-stick cooking spray until all of their water is released. Drain the mushrooms on a paper plate covered in paper towel. Set aside. 

 Heat the EVOO inside a large skillet over medium-high heat. Meanwhile,  cut the sausage links into small pieces and transfer them into a food processor. Pulse the sausage a few times *just* to break it up, you do not want it to turn into a paste. Sauté the sausage in the large skillet until it is cooked through, about 5-8 minutes.

Next, add the crushed tomatoes into the large skillet and stir to combine it with the sausage. Stir in the garlic, celery, carrots, sugar, basil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the carrots and celery are soft, about 1 hour. 

Enjoy! 

Love
Teresa 


Recipe From: Sweet Dreams and Sprinkles 
*Please do not take this recipe from my blog and use it as your own. If you do wish to post my recipe on your blog, please ask for permission by emailing me. Thank you. 



4 comments:

  1. Everybody always needs a recipe for when they're in a rut!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have been looking for other ideas -- THANKS!

    ReplyDelete