Pasta Frittata

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Rest Time: 5 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (July 2014)
Recipe Source: Amercia's Test Kitchen Season 15

This recipe is a little more work than your average, dump some left over pasta and eggs together. But the result is very good. 

In this recipe you cook angel hair pasta in the saute pan with water and olive oil. The water eventually is absorbed and evaporated, and the pasta starts to fry a bit in the oil. Then you add the other ingredients and that take a bit of effort as well to get it quite right. The end result is a very tall frittata with a lot of flavor. 

I skipped the hot peppers and used a little more cheese. I used a little less oil than the recipe called for (half in the eggs) and 1 teaspoon less in the pasta water.  You don't want to eliminate the oil from the pasta water, but I might try skipping the oil in the eggs next time altogether and see if I notice a difference. The add-ins to the recipe like the sausage and cheese are probably endless, once you get the technique down. 

Ricotta Calzones with Sausage

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Rise Time:  90-120 minutes
Rest Time: 30 minutes
Prep Time: 60 minutes
Bake Time: 11-15 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (September 2003)


The prep time includes the rolling of the dough, and assembling. Assembling took 30 minutes of the time. It could maybe be done quicker.

I started making the filling while dough was still rising. Then I made 6 balls of dough, and did nothing during the 30 minutes rest time. Then I was able assemble the calzones. So there is a little overlap, but overall, these do take about 2.5 - 3 hours to make and bake. I had to bake in two batches because I only have a round pizza stone and they won't all fit.

The actual recipe calls for Broccoli Rabe which I did not have, so I just left that out. I'm sure it would be a nice addition though.

This recipe takes a bit of time, but it makes 6 large calzones. I managed to usually eat one full one, but was pretty hungry when I ate these. Sometimes 1/2 of one would suffice.

I froze the leftovers and reheated in the over. These were just as good as original. Actually maybe better, because there was no effort involved and we could just enjoy.

Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Italian Sausage and Fennel

Time: 27 minutes

Grade: A

Make again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cooks Illustrated (March 2010)
Recipe Source: Pasta Revolution

This was really good and simple. I lightened it up a bit using turkey sausage and 1/2 the oil and it was still pretty rich and filling. I used Ronzoni 100% whole wheat pasta and it was good. I thought I had bought the blend pasta which is not 100% whole wheat and that I've used often.

I will definitely make again because the sauce and turkey is made in the time it takes the water to boil and pasta to cook, so this is a keeper recipe.

This recipe is also featured (cut in half, for two people) in the ATK's Pasta Revolution cookbook, which I have out now from the library.

Braised Spanish Lentils and Sausage

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cover & Bake (There is no on-line version of the recipe) 

It has been a while since I've posted. Life has been busy, but also, all the new recipes I tried were not worth blogging about. There was also one disaster with a coffee cake recipe I tried from America's Test Kitchen TV show. It was totally my fault, so I want to try it again, to see if I can do better. 

I made this a long time ago (pre-blog) and really liked this. It didn't turn out quite as tasty this time, probably because of my substitutions with what I had on hand.) But it was still decent. This took me longer to make that it probably should have. I used regular lentils not the small green ones, so that made it longer. But it was fairly easy prep with some of the 25 minutes hands-off.

I also used Turkey smoked sausage instead of lentils, to make the dish a little lighter. I used regular paprika instead of smoked, but I bet smoked is better.

Overall, a decent simple recipe.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Fennel and Sausage

Total Time: 35 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (March 2010)

It seems like Cook's Illustrated is trying to do some easier recipes recently. That is fine with me. This one is really easy, fast and good. It would have cooked faster if it wasn't for my slow stove top (electric.) If I had a nice gas cook top, I'm sure it would be faster (as would a lot of my cooking.)

I only used 2 tablespoons of oil, and I still felt like this was a little greasy actually. I will do it with 1 T. next time and use some pasta water to stretch the "sauce". I also felt like the 6 T. of garlic was a little bit much, and would probably use half of that next time. Turkey sausage will work here too to make a little lighter.

I didn't have any lemon with me, or fresh basil and it was still good. I think the basil would be nice, but I don't think it needed the lemon. It is definitely a good recipe for whole wheat, and I'll use again. I don't care for raw fennel, but love it when it is cooked, so this is a good recipe for that also.

Red Beans and Rice

Soak Time: overnight
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 90 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 2010)

This was delicious and easy. I have wanted to make red beans and rice for a while, but never have before. I think the recipes I've seen often require something I didn't have. But the most unusual ingredient was andouille sausage, which was easy to find. You can also substitute kielbasa. It wasn't the most attractive dinner ever, but it was very flavorful. I was glad to have a simple meal before I have a lot of more complex cooking to do for Christmas.

The recipe says small red beans are better than kidney beans and will cook up creamier. I could only find kidney beans, and they were fine. I did end up cooking them longer than 90 minutes total though. But they were very creamy, so I don't think it necessary to search for red beans if they aren't at your grocery store.

Skillet Baked Pasta

Total Time: 40 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (December 2007)

I have enough skillet pasta recipes, so I'm not sure why I tried this one too. Probably just because there was a pretty picture of it in the Best of 2009 book. It was pretty good. The only reason it gets a "-" is that the skillet pastas don't make great leftovers. The other reason is that it requires a non-stick pan that can handle being under the broiler.

Otherwise, this is a nice quick and tasty recipe, that took about 20 minutes of work, and then just some stirring. I love it when the end of the recipe doesn't require much work and it is possible to clean up, or get other things done while the meal finished.

Tomato and Sausage Risotto

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food

This was good comfort food for our first real cold spell. I liked the flavor of this a lot, and although it did require stirring, otherwise is a very easy recipe. I made lighter, by using only 1 t. oil and 1 T of butter, and using Turkey sausage (and only 2 links, instead of 3). Overall, a pretty healthy and nice one-pot meal, since you get vegetables, protein and rice combined.

I happened to make this with rice that said "best by March 2005". But it was fine. I will probably make this again, if I can remember to do so.

Skillet Penne with Chicken Sausage

Total Time: 40 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: The Best Chicken Recipe

This was good. I've tried a lot of the skillet pasta recipes don't always like them. Actually, I usually like them, but feel like they are more effort than I want. This one is pretty easy. The total time is not all work, and entire dish probably could be made in less than 30 minutes if you were quick. (I bet this recipe is in the Best 30-Minute cookbook too, or at least something VERY similar.)

I loved that this had spinach in it, so it truly is a one-pot meal. I might add more spinach next time (just because I like it!) I felt like the Pine nuts were kind of lost in this dish, so I may just skip them next time.

Strata with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Sausage

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Chill Time: 30 minutes to overnight
Cook Time: 35-45 minutes

Grade: A+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (December 2003)

This is another good Strata recipe from Everyday food. I made this along with the Canadian Bacon Strata for an Easter brunch and both were very well received. This one ends up almost tasting like pizza so has a completely different taste than the other one. It takes a bit more time because you need to chop and onion and brown the sausage, but still an easy dish with less than 30 minutes of work and ready to just pop in the oven in the morning.

Orecchiette with Sausage and Roasted Peppers

Total Time: 28 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2004)

This is a good recipe for under 30 minutes. It doesn't call for broccoli but you can cook it in the pasta water before the pasta. I'm always happy when I can add broccoli or more veggies to a recipe and this works well. You can use jarred roasted peppers, but I roasted mine from scratch, and was still able to finish recipe in under 30 minutes, by starting the water and peppers at the same time.

Polenta with Sausage and Peppers

Prep Time: 55 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cover & Bake

Mmmmm, I love this recipe, it is very good comfort food. I have made several sausage and pepper recipes lately, but this one is the very best. (It is also the most time consuming, but freezes well and is worth making on occasion. It almost ends up being like a polenta lasagna.

The recipe calls for instant polenta, which I didn't have, so it would probably be quicker if you used that. Also, I use 1 lb of sausage instead of 1.5 pounds, and I think 1 pound is plenty. The only other adjustment I made was to use orange and yellow peppers, because I think it makes a prettier dish than using the red peppers. You are getting the red from the tomotoes, so this makes it more colorful.

Pan Pizza

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Rise Time: 30 minutes
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (April 2006)

This was the best pan pizza I have ever made for sure. It is similar to Pizza Hut, but less greasy. Actually, the recipe calls for 3 T of olive oil on the bottom of each pan, but I use 1.5 to 2, which I think is a perfect amount, for a tasty crispy crust, but not greasy.

This recipe makes 2 9" pizzas, which is nice for making two different kinds. I cheat and use Trader Joe's Pizza sauce, which I think it pretty good. I prep the other ingredients during the 2nd rise, which lasts 20 minutes. The entire pizza is done in 90 minutes, which is kind of amazing actually.

Italian Sausage with Peppers, Onion and Potatoes

Total Time: 37 minutes

Grade: B

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Best 30-Minute Recipes

This was fine, but I didn't love the potatoes in it, so I would probably just stick with the Hoagie version next time which is a little bit easier.

I used less sausage then recipe called for and I would have preferred more.

Potato and Sausage Breakfast Popover Casserole

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
Cool Time: 5 minutes

Grade: B+/A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (December 2006)


This tasted good, but was not really what I expected. The word "popover" in the title led me to believe that the dough would be more popover-like and it wasn't. It was more biscuit-like. I might make this for company, but it does involve some work, so I would probably be more likely to do a strata type recipe instead.

Italian Sausage, Pepper and Onion Hoagie

Total Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Best 30-Minute Recipes

This was quick and easy. AND there was time to clean up during final cooking, which I really like. I did spend more time browning the sausage than recommended, otherwise it might have been even quicker.

Orecchiette with Broccoli, Sausage and Peppers

Total Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (November 2002)

I like this recipe because it is quick and easy. It uses a pretty small amount of sausage, which gives it flavor, but the meal remains fairly light.