Sausage & Broccoli Casserole

Serves 6
Prep Time: 40 m, Additional Cook Time: 30 m, Total: 1 hour, 20 minutes

12 oz Italian bread, sliced about 1/2" thick (I used Rosemary Olive Oil bread from Costco*)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 large red onion, cut into very thin slices
4 cups broccoli florets
1 tsp olive oil
12 oz raw turkey sausage, sweet Italian-variety
1&1/2 cups low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
cooking spray
1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

*Note: I really think the bread makes a difference in this recipe. The Rosemary Olive Oil bread I used has so much flavor, but I think any artesian bread would work great. Regular old Italian bread wouldn't add much flavor.

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.

2. Rub bread with garlic clove. Place bread on one side of a baking sheet; spread onions on other side. Place broccoli on another baking sheet. Coat vegetables and bread with cooking spray. Bake until broccoli is tender, flipping bread over and stirring vegetables halfway through, about 15 minutes total. Remove pans from oven and cut bread into 1/2-inch cubes; reduce oven temperature to 350ºF.

3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Remove sausage from casing; cook sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in broccoli and onion, bread cubes, broth, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.

4. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon half of broccoli mixture into prepared dish; sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining broccoli mixture; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through, about 30 minutes.

Results: The original recipe served 8, but that was definitely not a big enough serving, so I'm going to say it serves 6. It you serve this with a salad, or if you are a tiny bird, you may be able to make it serve 8.

Steven thinks this is going to be another yucky dinner.

This was sooooo good! The bread was nice and crunchy on top, but gooey and cheesy on the bottom, and the vegetables were cooked perfectly. I may, or may not, have licked the serving spoon as if it were covered with cake batter. Steven wouldn't touch it, Henry ate most of it.

Also, I'm starting a new feature to show how long a recipe took to make. I'll list the time it took from beginning to pull ingredients off the shelf to the meal being complete, so you can decide how much time you have to dedicate to dinner. This one took 40 minutes of active prep time, plus an additional 30 minutes cooking in the oven, so a total of 1 hour 20 minutes. I'll add a "tag" to the labels below. I would say this meal is worth the effort, but certainly not for a busy week-night!

Tex-Mex Pumpkin Patties

Serves 4

2 slices firm sandwich bread, crumbled
Several leaves of fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 cup fine, dry bread crumbs, plus extra for coating
3/4 cup grated sharp Cheddar or Montery jack
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped green or red bell pepper
1/2 cup froen corn kernels
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup solidly packed pumpkin mash or canned pumpkin
1/3 cup ricotta
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter

1. In a medium-size bowl, mix together the crumbled bread, parsley, bread crumbs, and grated cheese. Set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a muedium-size skillet over medium heat; add onion, pepper and corn. Saute the vegetables until soft, about 7 minutes, stirring often. Mix in the garlic, chili powder, and cumin and cook it all for another minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and spoon the contents into the bread crumb mixture.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the egg, pumpkin and ricotta. Add the bread crumb mixture, stirring thoroughly, then season with the salt and pepper. Flour your hands, then shape the mixture into six 3/4-inch-thick patties, using about 1/3 cup for each one. Dredge the patties in bread crumbs and refrigerate them for about 1 1/2 hours.

4. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Transfer the patties to the skillet and fry them over medium heat until they turn golden, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet and serve immediately.

Served with scrambled eggs.

Results: These taste pretty good to me, but the boys wouldn't try them. Way too many dishes were dirtied to make this a recipe worth repeating, especially if no one is going to eat them.

Make-ahead Pizza Casserole

Serves 6 (I think it's more like 8)

Cooking spray
1/2 lb shredded mozzarella cheese
2-3 Italian sausages, cooked and diced
3 medium tomatoes, cored and diced
6 cups cubed French or Italian bread (about 1 medium-size loaf)
5 eggs
1 1/4 cups skim milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil (I used about 2 tablespoons fresh basil)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Grated parmesan cheese

1. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the mozzarella, sausage, tomatoes, and bread. Arrange the bread mixture evenly in the baking pan.
3. Using the same bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Add the milk, sour cream, oregano, basil, and garlic powder. Beat well.
4. Pour the egg mixture over the bread, tilting the baking pan from side to side to soak all the bread cubes evenly. Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate at least three hours, or overnight.
5. Remove from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes; heat oven to 350°F. Uncover the casserole and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp on top. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese before serving.

Served with a green salad.

Results: This was very easy to make, you just have to be sure to give yourself the time to let it refrigerate. I made it in the morning so all I had to do was pop it in the oven at the end of the day. Very, very tasty! I would definitely make this again, and next time I'll try freezing half, because we had a lot left over. Steven ate one serving and even asked for seconds! Henry hardly touched it, but he was very grumpy that day. Both boys wanted the tomatoes picked out.