bell peppers Archives - The Midnight Baker

Classic Stuffed Peppers

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 00:00:45 +0000

Classic stuffed peppers are a perennial favorite comfort food.

Classic Stuffed Peppers–All-Time Favorite

When you think of favorite family meals, classic stuffed peppers come to mind.

There’s so many iterations on this recipe, it’s hard to keep up with them! I’ve even done a vegetarian version of quinoa stuffed peppers (it’s one of my favorites btw). However there comes a time you want a traditional version, and this more or less is it.

Each traditional version has slight variations, but the main ingredients are ground beef, rice and, of course, bell peppers. I use a combination of green and red bell peppers. Visually, the colors give eye appeal and I do find the red variety tastes a bit sweeter.

Prepping The Peppers

Whole or half? That’s pretty much up to you on how you like your stuffed peppers. I’ve stuffed them whole and half. My mom used to slice each pepper in half lengthwise and to be honest, I’m partial to that method for a number of reasons.

The first reason is that they are more stable in the pan and don’t fall over. The second reason is that they are easier to seed and remove the filaments. Doing this with whole peppers can sometimes destroy the pepper. I’ve had that happen a few times and I hate having to try to put it back together again.

Last but not least is that it plates up better and is much easier to eat. On the heels of that is that sometimes a humungous whole pepper with tons of filling is just too much for some people to get through. If anyone wants more, they can take another half. Less waste in my opinion.

Breadcrumbs?

Yes, breadcrumbs. And eggs too.

I remember my mother’s stuffed peppers and that was just ground beef, cooked rice and seasonings. To my taste, the ground beef filling was a little dry and mealy. Adding breadcrumbs and eggs to hold the meat together gives a much better texture–for my taste.

And yes, the sauce is based on good old condensed tomato soup. I find that it has a sweet-ish quality that goes very well with these stuffed peppers. Not to mention that it’s very convenient and has a creamy texture. That way, the sauce doesn’t have to be reduced if you prefer it thicker and less watery.

The Recipe

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Classic Stuffed Peppers

A classic comfort food meal

Prep Time25

Cook Time40

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: classic stuffed peppers, one-pan stuffed peppers, stovetop stuffed peppers

Servings: 8

Calories: 454kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef
2 tbs finely chopped onion
1 cup cooked rice
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 medium bell peppers sliced in half lengthwise seeds and veins removed

Sauce:

1 can tomato soup
1/2 can milk or water
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp basil
1/8 tsp oregano

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Mix the ground beef, onion, cooked rice, breadcrumbs, cheese, eggs, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Divide mixture equally between the 8 bell pepper halves.
Add the sauce ingredients to a large deep skillet or dutch oven; stir to combine.
Place peppers in pan with the sauce. Heat over medium heat until the sauce begins to bubble. Reduce heat tp lpw, cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until the center of the meat reaches 160F/80C/
Nice served with noodles or over mashed potatoes.

Nutrition

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Roasted Red Pepper Relish

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 23:00:17 +0000

Roasted red pepper relish is great on…everything! Make up a batch and see why.

Grilling Season Is Here

Yep, the grilling season has arrived! This makes grilling veggies all the more convenient–and tastier.

But even when outdoor grilling isn’t in season, this roasted red pepper relish is easy to make. You can always roast peppers in your oven when you can’t cook outdoors. Since it will be a big hit, you’ll want to make it year round.

It’s ridiculously easy to make and comes together in a flash. It lends itself to many different foods and it’s quite versatile. You can even eat it by itself! Yes, it’s that good!

Roasting The Peppers

Roasting peppers is a rather easy affair no matter which way you do it.

In order to prepare them, what I do is slice them in half and take out the seeds and the white filaments. This way, I don’t have to deal with it after they’re cooked. However, that’s a personal preference and not an absolute requirement.

You can also roast them whole, but bear in mind, the process will take a bit longer. Regardless, it produces the same results.

If you want to do them on your BBQ grill, just coat them with a bit of oil–and that’s optional–and place them on the grill over a medium heat making sure to turn them so they’re evenly seared.

In the oven, do the same as the grill in a 400F/200C oven. If you’ve got a convection setting on your oven, that’s perfect for this task. Of course an air fryer is also excellent.

If you want to easily peel the skin, again optional, all you have to do is cool them slightly and put them in a plastic bag then seal it. Once the peppers are cooled completely, the skin will just slip off.

If You Like Some Heat

For those who would like a bit of zip in this relish, then by all means substitute part of the sweet bell pepper for something with a bit of sass. My choice is my beloved jalapeño, but use whatever you like.

You can also do the whole recipe with hot peppers if your taste tends toward that. So why not make it both ways–one for the heat lovers and one for the non lovers.

The Recipe

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Roasted Red Pepper Relish

Great on...everything!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: relish recipes, roasted pepper relish recipe

Servings: 4

Calories: 96kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 medium onion roughly diced
1 1/2 cups roasted red bell peppers
2 cloves garlic finely minced
1 tbs fresh parsley chopped
2 tbs olive oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To roast the peppers--cut them in half and remove seeds and filaments. Toss with a light coating of olive oil. If doing on the outside grill, roast over medium-high heat, skin side down, until the skin begins to blister and the skin begins to scorch. Remove and cool completely. In the oven, place skin side up and roast at 400F/200C for about 10 minutes or until skin blisters and begins to scorch. Air fryer--same as conventional oven. When cool, roughly dice.
Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until caramelized; about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl (oil and all) then add remaining ingredients.
Serve warm or cold.

Notes

Store-bought roasted red peppers may be substituted for your homemade.

Nutrition

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Sheet Pan Sausage & Peppers

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 23:00:22 +0000

Sheet pan dinners are popular because they’re easy. Try it with sausage and peppers!

Convenient Sheet Pan Dinners

Complete dinners made on one baking sheet have been amazingly popular lately.

It’s the same thing as a one-skillet meal only done in the oven. Making your dinner and especially your veggies on a baking sheet also yields roasted veggies which taste so much better than steamed.

So with this method, you get the deliciousness of roasted vegetables along with roasted meat and that’s a perfect deal in my opinion. Another bonus is if you line the baking sheet with parchment or heavy-duty aluminum foil, there’s little to no clean up!

Sausage Variety

Any variety of Italian sausage will do.

There’s very fancy ones that have more herbs, cheese and other flavorings. They would be very good in this dish.

But the plain old sweet or hot (or a combination) will do just as well. I’m partial to hot sausage so I used them in here. And the ones I used were locally sourced and they were excellent. They weren’t as hot as the ones you get in the store. If you could call them “mild hot” that would be a perfect description. If you are local (or visiting) to the Mid Hudson Valley in New York, the sausages are from Sugar Hill Farm and I get them from my friends Chrissy & Ben from See And Be Kitchen.

Peppers

Since I love a lot of color, I used red and green bell peppers. Plain old green will do as well because they taste the same and are often on sale for a lot less than their red brothers.

If you’re using mild sausage, you may want to consider using a hotter pepper to spice things up a bit. Poblanos would be good here since they’re not too hot. But by all means, spice things up with super hots if you want–or a combination of mild and hot.

The Recipe

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Sheet Pan Sausage & Peppers

Quick and easy way to a great dinner

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Course: Dinner, Main, Main Course

Keyword: locally sourced sausage, quick dinners using sausage, sheet pan dinners with sausage

Servings: 4

Calories: 491kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 lb Italian sausage any flavor
1 green bell pepper sliced in strips
1 red bell pepper sliced in strips
1 medium onion sliced
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbs grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F/200C
Slice sausage in 1-inch pieces (2.5 cm).
Place the sausage, peppers and onion in a large plastic zipper bag (I used the 2 qt size). Drizzle with the olive oil.
Spread on a medium baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes or until sausage is done and peppers are roasted.
Sprinkle with the grated cheese.

Nutrition

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Chicken Piperade

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 12 Oct 2019 23:00:19 +0000

Colorful bell peppers make this chicken piperade not only beautiful but tasty too.

Where This Chicken Recipe Starts

This chicken recipe starts with a basic recipe I posted before. That was simple sautéed chicken. In fact, it’s what chefs call a “master recipe,” since many dishes that are totally different begin with it.

Most basic sautés are master recipes. You actually don’t have to go much further if you’re looking for something simple and delicious. The best part about these basic recipes is not just that they’re quick; the bar is raised by making the reduction sauce. And you can do a lot of fancy stuff with those, but that information will come in later posts.

Chicken With Peppers Recipe: Using Excess

I sure wish I knew about this recipe years ago when my late husband used to make a big garden. He always planted bell peppers and for some reason, they were prolific every season. I’d make relish with the ones I couldn’t use, and would dice and freeze some of them. However, there wasn’t much I could think of doing with the rest besides stuffed peppers and pepper steak. Let me tell you, we got tired of those meals very quickly!!! I wish I had and arsenal of more recipes using excess peppers. We would have loved a chicken recipe that used some of those peppers.

Chicken piperade is a delightful change to the usual and it does use at least a cup of each colored pepper. I do find that the minimum amount called for isn’t really enough so I double and triple the amount when I make this. I also love onions so I double up there too. However, if you’re not a great lover of onions, stick to the one large onion. This is a great way to use up those excess peppers

Avoid Overcooking

Because peppers look really blah when they’re overcooked, you’ll want to avoid doing that.

Cook the peppers until they are just tender–that should be less than 10 minutes. What I do is slice them as thin as I possibly can. That way, they cook pretty quickly and maintain their great taste and color.

The Recipe

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Chicken Piperade

Chicken with sauteed onions and peppers. Nothing better

Prep Time15

Cook Time35

Course: Chicken, Dinner, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: French

Keyword: bell pepper recipe, chicken recipe, quick chicken dinners

Servings: 4

Calories: 137kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

recipe Sauteed Chicken

Pepper Mixture:

1 cup red bell peppers cut in strips
1 cup green bell peppers cut in strips
2 cups sliced onions
1 large clove garlic finely minced
1/2 tsp thyme
2 tbs butter
1 tbs oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Follow the recipe for Sauteed Chicken but omit the beurre manie. Remove chicken and the sauce to a deep dish and keep warm
Wipe out skillet and again heat over medium heat.
Add the butter and the oil and let the butter melt. Add the onions and cook until they are translucent. Add the pepper strips, salt, pepper, thyme and garlic. Cook about 5-10 minutes or until onions are tender, but not browned and peppers are tender but still a bit crisp.
Add chicken and sauce to the skillet and toss in the veggies. Cover and heat for 5 minutes or until chicken is hot.

Notes

I double and even triple the amount of each pepper and use another cup of onions too. That way it’s a complete meal in itself.

Due to the limitations of the app for nutritional information, refer to the linked recipe and add the calorie count for 1 serving to the amount of calories stated here.

Video

Nutrition

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Rainbow Rice

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 17 Sep 2019 23:08:15 +0000

Rice with a rainbow of colors! Perfect side for any meat or fish dish.

Rice Side Dish For All Occasions

This is a side dish I’ve been making for a long time. And when I say a long time, I mean since I was 12 years old!

I can remember all those years back when I had to get dinner started because my mother was delayed somewhere. At the tender age of 12 I was hardly a kitchen expert but I knew what I liked and worked with it.

Fish was on the menu that night and all I knew about making fish at that time was simply broiling it with butter. However what could be the side? Well, there were bits and pieces and leftovers. And that’s what this rainbow rice is made from–leftovers and bits and pieces. Hey, lots of times this stuff didn’t exactly work out, but sometimes it did and this rice proves it.

Change The Seasoning To Suit

The beauty of my rainbow rice is you can change the seasoning packet to go with whatever you make it to go with.

My mom was a big fan of G. Washington’s Brown Seasoning. That’s what I used, but I realize this may not be something available in all areas in the US. I’m pretty sure you can’t get it in Europe either. G. Washington’s is available from Amazon in bulk and I am now getting it from there. However, you don’t have to use that. Many dry broths are available nationwide, such as Herb-Ox so use that instead.

I used leftover rice, but if you cook rice specifically for this recipe, then the dry broth seasoning can be eliminated if you cook your rice in a flavorful stock.

Build On The Basics

The flavor of this rice side dish depends on three ingredients, so they are a must. Those ingredients are the dry seasoning, onions and bell peppers. Apart from those, add anything you like to it, especially any leftover vegetables.

I like to make this colorful to look at so I try to use several colors of peppers. But if you only have one or the other on hand, use what you have or what is the least expensive to buy. It’s the flavor of the peppers that you are after with this.

The Recipe

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Rainbow Rice

A perfect rice side dish for any meal

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Course: Main/Side, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: rice recipe, using leftover rice, vegetable rice recipe

Servings: 4

Calories: 170kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 cup cooked white rice leftover is fine
2 packets dry seasoning mix i.e. Washtingtons, Herb-Ox, Oxo
3 tbs olive oil
1 small onion sliced
1 cup bell peppers diced
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms optional
salt & pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the veggies and cook until they are almost tender.
Add the rice and the seasoning packets; stir to combine and heat through.

Notes

May be made vegetarian by using a meatless seasoning.

*Post contains affiliate link(s)

Nutrition

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Sweet And Sour Chicken

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 10 Mar 2019 00:00:17 +0000

No need to do take-out or go to the restaurant when you can make this authentic sweet and sour chicken at home!

Popular Restaurant Dish

Sweet and sour chicken has got to be one of the best-selling items on any Chinese restaurant’s menu. It’s a perennial favorite.

There are many recipes online that you can find to make it at home. Some are good and some are not so good.

This recipe is about as authentic as you can get. Because it’s authentic, there’s a little fuss and prep work involved. Most Asian dishes have a bit of prep involved so this shouldn’t shock anyone who has made these recipes before. This is not one of those quickie meals where you’re done and dusted in less than 30 minutes. I’m generally a fuss-free one-pot gal but making this sweet and sour chicken every so often–because it’s not an everyday thing–is well worth it to me.

Yeah It’s Not Diet

I’ve seen “healthed up” recipes for this and they just don’t cut it. I’m not saying that they don’t taste good (a lot DON’T) but they are not authentic and if you want to bypass the restaurant and make this at home, please bypass these quickie “healthy” versions.

The chicken must be battered and deep fried. You don’t need a deep fryer to do it. Any old large and heavy skillet, such as a cast iron skillet, can be used. You don’t need gobs of oil either. You need to have the oil level about 1/2-inch up the side of the pan. Unless you are using a very large pan, over 12-inches diameter, you’ll probably use 1-1 1/2 cups of oil.

Nope, you can’t do this in an air fryer because it will not have the taste nor the texture. Plus because the batter is so gloppy, it will really mess up your air fryer; not to mention it will be for naught because it won’t even taste good.

Sauce And Veggies

The sauce is made right before you fry the chicken and it’s put on just before you serve it. If you’ve noticed in the restaurant that the sauce is tinted, it is. This is one step you can eliminate if you don’t have food coloring on hand. Omitting it will not alter the taste, but it will alter the appearance. For the family, this is probably not an issue. However, if you are making this for guests, I’d tint it for presentation purposes.

I chose to use a variety of colors for the bell peppers. That’s not necessary, but it looks so nice. You really only need the green or red ones (or a combination if you have them on hand) and about two very large peppers is the proper amount. They are not cooked either and that adds a wonderful crisp and cool crunch that really makes this dish work!

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The Recipe

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Sweet And Sour Chicken

No need to do take-out or go to the restaurant when you can make this authentic sweet and sour chicken at home!

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Total Time50

Course: Main

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: Asian chicken recipe, sweet and sour chicken

Servings: 5

Calories: 614kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

20 oz canned pineapple chunks pineapple chunks, drained (reserve the juice)
16 oz boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch chunks
oil for frying
2 large bell peppers cut into 1-inch chunks

Sauce

1 1/2 cups water
reserved pineapple juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar white vinegar is OK too
orange food coloring 1 drop red, 3-4 drops yellow OPTIONAL
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup cornstarch

Batter

2 1/4 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 cups water
2 tbs oil
1 egg
2 tbs cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground white pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the sauce: In a saucepan, combine the 1 1/2 cups
water, sugar, vinegar, reserved pineapple juice, and food coloring. Heat to boiling. Turn off heat. Combine 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; slowly stir into saucepan. Continue stirring until mixture thickens.
For the batter: Combine flour, oil, cornstarch, salt, white pepper, and egg. Add the water gradually to make a thick batter. Stir to blend thoroughly.
Add chicken pieces to the batter, and stir until chicken is well coated.
Heat oil in skillet or wok to 360 degrees F. Fry chicken pieces about 5 minutes each side, or until golden. Remove chicken, and drain on paper towels.
When ready to serve, layer green peppers, pineapple chunks, and cooked chicken pieces on a platter. Pour hot sweet and sour sauce over top.

Nutrition

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Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 23:00:27 +0000

Slow cooker pepper steak is a meal sure to please. Easy to make with simple ingredients and making it in the slow cooker keeps your kitchen cool!

A Restaurant and Take Out Favorite

Pepper steak is one of the most popular dishes in Asian restaurants and take outs. It’s easy to see why because the flavors blend so well together.

Pepper steak is actually a stir fry recipe but it is easily adaptable to the slow cooker. While the slow cooker method may not be “authentic,” it certainly tastes good. Less expensive cuts of beef can be used with slow cooking and that makes this meal very economical.

Cuts of Beef to Use

I made this with the last piece of sirloin tip steak I had in the freezer. Sirloin tip was on sale a few weeks ago and I took advantage of that. However, chuck, rump and round are excellent choices too. These cuts are less tender and lend themselves to slow cooking.

Your Slow Cooker Is Great for Summer Use

A slow cooker isn’t just for fall and winter cooking!

I used to only think of using my crock pot during the winter and so do a lot of other people. But the fact is, it doesn’t heat your kitchen, which makes it a boon in the summer. Many places get triple-digit temps in the summer and who wants to cook in that weather, let alone turn on the oven!

Bell Peppers Are Delicate

All the main ingredients may be added at the beginning. However, I make this a two-step process because of the bell peppers.

Peppers are delicate and will turn to mush during the long cooking time. I add them about 15-30 minutes before I serve this. Adding the peppers towards the end helps preserve their colors and a bit of crunch.

The Recipe

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Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

Slow cooker pepper steak is a meal sure to please. Easy to make with simple ingredients and making it in the slow cooker keeps your kitchen cool!

Prep Time10

Cook Time8

Total Time8 10

Course: beef, Everyday Meals, Slow Cooker

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pepper steak, slow cooker beef

Servings: 4 -6

Calories: 287kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 lb sirloin tip steak cut in 1-inch strips
1 cup sliced water chestnuts drained
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion sliced
2 cups bell peppers cut in 1-inch cubes
2 cloves garlic crushed
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp dry white wine

THICKENING

1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup water

Instructions

Place beef, mushrooms, onion, garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, water chestnuts and wine in slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours, high 4-6 hours.
About 15-30 minutes before serving, add the peppers (see NOTES).
If thickening is desired, mix cornstarch and water and stir into the slow cooker. Turn to high (if you cooked on low) and cook for 15 minutes.

Notes

You can add peppers at the beginning, but this dish will taste better if you add them later--as per recipe.

Nutrition

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Quick Chicken & Peppers Stir Fry

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 23:00:00 +0000

Quick Chicken & Peppers Stir Fry

Delicious chicken stir fry that’s on the table in 15 minutes! Quickest dinner ever!

If you want a hurry-up dinner that really involves no fuss and is ready in 15 minutes, this is the dinner for you!

I had lots of bell peppers because my store had all four colors on sale for the same price, so I used an assortment of colors. You don’t have to. You can use green only (but you’ll need 2 medium-sized peppers if you only use one color) or do a mix and match. Whatever you decide, you will need the equivalent amount of 2 peppers–as stated above.

Lightening-quick supper

Want to use what you have in the veggie crisper or freezer? Go right ahead! As I said, I used peppers because I had an abundance of them, but this would be just as good with broccoli, carrots, bok choy, celery–you get the picture. The list is endless.

The sauce is just my basic “white” stir fry sauce. Feel free to embellish that too. Sometimes I add a little bit of fresh ginger if I have it or a pinch of the ground, but you don’t have to. As I say, this one’s pretty basic.

I served this over jasmine rice because I simply love the flavor. But if all you have is regular long/short grain or even Minute Rice–that works too! Point here is use what you have to make a delish dinner that’s lightening quick!

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Quick Chicken & Peppers Stir Fry

Delicious chicken stir fry that’s on the table in 15 minutes! Quickest dinner ever!

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Chicken, Everyday Meals

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken, stir fry recipe

Servings: 2

Calories: 399kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 skinless chicken breast, sliced
1/2 of one red bell pepper cut in 1/4-inch strips
1/2 of one green bell pepper cut in 1/4-inch strips
1/2 of one yellow bell pepper cut in 1/4-inch strips
1/2 of one orange bell pepper cut in 1/4-inch strips
1 clove garlic crushed
1 small onion sliced
3 tbsp oil

SAUCE

2 chicken stock cubes crushed
1 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp dark sesame oil
2 tbsp dry sherry or dry white wine

THICKENING FOR SAUCE

2 tbsp cornstarch
2-3 tbsp water

Instructions

Heat oil over high heat in a large wok or skillet. Add chicken and garlic and stir fry until chicken is lightly browned on all sides.
Add onion and peppers, and stir fry until peppers are crisp-tender and have turned bright colored--I usually use the green pepper as a guide--when it turns bright green, that's generally when they are crisp-tender.
Add the sauce and heat to boiling.
Mix the cornstarch and water and add to the wok, stirring while adding. Bring to boil and boil for 1 minute.
Serve over rice (I use jasmine rice)
Serves 2

Nutrition

Quick Chicken & Peppers Stir Fry

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Sausage and Quinoa Risotto

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 05 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Sausage and Quinoa Risotto

This is OH SO GOOD!! And easy too. One-pot meal.

I have to admit. This was one of those suppers I threw together because it was one of those days I’d forgotten to defrost something.

Sausage defrosts quickly and cooks SO nicely in a rice cooker or pressure cooker. I cooked this entire meal in my 5 cup rice cooker. Of course, it was a single portion, so if you’re cooking it for a family, use a larger model!!

Quinoa cooks exactly like rice, so perfect to be made in a rice cooker. I also sauteed the onion, peppers and mushrooms in the rice cooker–set to COOK, which is the high heat. If you are using a pressure cooker, then HI or BROWN (on electric models) will do fine.

A rice cooker will switch to WARM once the liquid is evaporated, so when the cooker switches to OFF or WARM, the dish is done.

If you are going to do this in a pressure cooker, then set it to HIGH or MEAT and cook for 15-20 minutes.

I was so surprised at how tasty and succulent the sausage was cooked this way. I’m so used to baking them, and thought they were good then, but I think I will use my rice cooker in future to do this. This was oh-so good and definitely a keeper.

And to think, this was one of those “toss what you have on hand in” kinda meals. What a pleasant surprise! I used sweet Italian sausage in here, but hot would be good, or any variety sausage!

This can be cooked by conventional methods on the stovetop. Use a covered skillet or everyday pan. After you add the quinoa & water, bring the water to a boil, cover, reduce heat and cook until all water is absorbed.

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Sausage and Quinoa Risotto

This Sausage and Quinoa Risotto is OH SO GOOD!! And easy too. One-pot meal.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Pork

Cuisine: American

Keyword: italian sausage, pork,, quinoa, risotto recipe

Servings: 2

Calories: 1547kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

6 Italian sausage links
1/4 cup diced green or red bell pepper or a combo of the 2
2 tbsp chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 pkg G. Washingtons Brown Seasoning mix or 1 beef or chicken stock cube
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Set rice cooker (or pressure cooker) to HIGH. Add oil and heat. Add the peppers, onions and mushrooms. Saute until onion is translucent.
Add water, quinoa, seasoning mix (or stock cube) and sausages. Stir.
Leave rice cooker on HIGH. If using pressure cooker, seal and set on HIGH or MEAT for 15 minutes.
When rice cooker switches to OFF/WARM dish is done. With pressure cooker, let pressure drop naturally for 5 minutes, then release pressure.
Serves 2 (larger servings) or 3 smaller servings.

Nutrition

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Sausage & Pepper Primavera

Judith Hannemann — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

I’m out here to prove 10 can live as cheaply as one. OK, I’m joking, but you can reduce your food budget with some creative meals that use meat as a condiment. This is one of them and it’s low cal too.

An Economical Family Dinner

Anyone following my blog knows I took the challenge shopping as if I were on a limited SNAP program budget. I was actually amazed at the food I could purchase that would adequately feed a family of 4 and for under the amount allotted as well.

Tasty budget dinner

The store had Italian sausage on sale in a bulk package for $1.99 per pound. I took advantage of this since this was a super price. A “sale” on Italian sausage is usually $2.99 per pound. I believe there were 14 or 15 sausages in the package. If you are feeding 4 for this meal you would only require 4 sausages.

I’m using the green bell pepper I bought in this as well. I didn’t use all the pepper either–I still have 1/2 left and that’s going in another dish–a well-loved Asian specialty with chicken. Hint: it’s got orange in it.

I also included a few of the purchased mushrooms here as well, and of course the pasta I purchased that day. To see pics (some of them are not up to the quality of my food pics–sorry shaky hands with cell phone camera) of my shopping trip may be found on this post.

I had chicken stock on hand and also some diced red bell pepper in the freezer that I made the sauce from. I also had onion and garlic in the pantry.

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Sausage & Pepper Primavera

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: pasta, Pork

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: peppers, primavera, sausage and pasta meals

Servings: 4

Calories: 688kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4 Italian sausage links
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1 medium tomato sliced in wedges
1 clove garlic minced finely
1/2 medium green bell pepper sliced thinly
1 small onion thickly sliced
1 cup rich chicken stock I used Knorr concentrate, 1/3 of the tub
2 tbsp finely diced red bell pepper optional
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cups cooked pasta any shape

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place sausage links on a rack and set rack in a pan. Bake for 30 minutes, turning sausages after 15 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside to cool slightly.
When sausages have cooled enough to handle, slice in 1/4-inch slices.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, green pepper, the mushrooms, the garlic and the onion. Saute, stirring or shaking frequently, until the sausage begins to brown and veggies start to brown around the edges.
Add the chicken stock and optional red bell pepper. Stir and bring to a boil. Add tomato wedges.
Mix cornstarch and 2 tbs water. Add to the sausage mixture and stir frequently until mixture boils. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
Serve over hot pasta. Parmesan/Romano cheese is a nice topping.

Nutrition

Sausage & Pepper Primavera

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