Open-Faced Bruschetta Burgers

This was my first time making a batch of burgers using more than one type of meat for the patties, and I must say I was quite pleased with the results. Mixing Italian sausage in with ground turkey makes for a flavorful burger. Serve it with a slice of toasty Italian bread, fresh mozzarella and some homemade bruschetta and you’ve got quite a grilled delight on your plate!

Open-Faced Bruschetta Burgers 
Serves 8 
2 pounds Roma tomatoes, cored and diced
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for bread
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil, divided
1 pound ground turkey 1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage
½ teaspoon salt, plus extra for bruschetta
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into eight slices
1 loaf Italian bread, cut into one-inch slices (you’ll likely have extra)

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Make bruschetta by combining tomatoes, 2 teaspoons garlic and olive oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, Italian sausage, salt and pepper, remaining garlic and Italian seasoning. Shape the mixture into 8 patties.

Put 8 bread slices on a plate and lightly brush with olive oil.

Place patties on grill, cooking for 5 minutes before turning them over. Top each patty with a slice of mozzarella. Cook an additional 5-7 minutes, until meat is completely cooked and the mozzarella is slightly melted. Remove burgers from the grill and let them sit for a minute.

Put bread slices, oiled side down, on grill for a minute to lightly toast them. Remove from grill.

Build your burger by starting with a toasted bread slice, adding a patty and topping with bruschetta.

Romesco Pizza with Sausage and Peppers

If you’ve never had romesco sauce, you’re missing out. This delicious nut-and-red-pepper sauce is easy to make (I like both The Kitchn and Pinch of Yum’s recipes) and great served with or spread on just about anything, including this fabulous pizza. The sauce, combined with sweet peppers, savory sausage and smoky cheese, creates quite a flavor sensation.

Romesco Pizza with Sausage and Peppers 
Pizza dough (I use one 16-ounce ball of Trader Joe’s dough)
Flour and cornmeal (for prepping the pizza dough)
1-1½ cups romesco sauce (depending on how saucy you like your pizza)
8 ounces cooked sweet Italian sausage, sliced
2 cups sliced sweet bell peppers (I used a mix of red and yellow bell peppers)
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup shredded smoked gouda
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out your pizza dough on a floured surface and transfer to a cornmeal-dusted pizza pan. Bake just the dough for 5 minutes and remove from oven.

Give dough a good coating of romesco sauce and then top with sausage, bell pepper and cheese. Bake 12-14 minutes, until crust and cheese are golden. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes if you’ve got ‘em, and enjoy.

Frittata with Sausage, White Cheddar and Beet Greens

Ever buy a bunch of beets and can’t figure out what to do with the greens? Don’t toss them out -- cook and eat them! I recently chopped some up and tossed them in this frittata and loved how it turned out. Don’t have a bunch of beet greens lying around? Try using kale, swiss chard or spinach instead.

Frittata with Sausage, White Cheddar and Beet Greens 
8 eggs
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper
1 cup grated aged white cheddar
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces Italian sausage, casings removed
2 cups chopped beet greens

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Beat the eggs, onion and garlic powder in a bowl with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in shredded cheese and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, using your spoon or spatula to crumble the meat, until browned. Add beet greens to the skillet and cook for a minute or two. Add the eggs, give a quick stir to make sure everything is evenly mixed, turn off your burner and put skillet in the oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the eggs are set and golden.

Cabbage Rolls with Sausage and Brown Rice

Have you ever made cabbage rolls? This is something I always wanted to try but kept putting off because I thought it might be messy and laborious. Yes, it does take a little time, but I’m glad I finally got around to it, because it’s a lot of fun and the end result is so tasty and comforting on a chilly fall night.

Cabbage Rolls with Sausage and Brown Rice
1 head savoy cabbage, 12 outer leaves removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
½ cup cooked brown rice
1 large egg, beaten
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
⅓ cup grated Parmesan
1 cup chicken broth, heated
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Put the whole leaves in the pot and boil for 1 minute, then place under cold running water and dry.

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, thyme and pinch of salt and pepper. Saute until onion is tender, about 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the sausage, rice, egg and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. 

Without cutting through the cabbage leaves, pare down the rib on the outside surface so it’s the same thickness as the leaf. Spoon ¼ cup of the mixture into the base of each leaf. Starting from the bottom, roll the leaf one turn, fold the sides in and finish rolling. Place the stuffed leaves, seam side down, in a glass baking dish. Add heated broth to the dish, pour tomatoes over the stuffed leaves and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 40 minutes, remove from oven, and enjoy.

Recipe adapted from Cooking from the Farmers’ Market by Jodi Liano and Tasha DeSerio

Quick, easy and veg-friendly weeknight winners

Some of the tastiest meals I came up with during our (now long-forgotten) vegetarian month were quite quick and simple.

For example, I made a speedy tomato sauce that worked well with back-to-back weeknight dinners. All it took was one 28-ounce can of plum tomatoes, one red bell pepper, diced, and a handful of garlic cloves, minced. I crushed the tomatoes by hand and simmered them (and the juice in which they were canned) with the pepper and garlic for a few minutes before puréeing everything.

This sauce tasted great simmered with some sliced Tofurkey Italian Sausage and a can of cannellini beans (rinsed and drained), served atop a huge plateful of spinach which I wilted with a couple dashes of soy sauce and some red pepper flakes.

The sauce tasted equally delicious the next night with Trader Joe’s Meatless Meatballs and whole wheat spaghetti.

Some other successful veg-friendly meals that I’d make again even if I wasn’t trying to avoid meat:

• Trader Joe’s Masala Simmer Sauce heated up with a can of chickpeas and a few handfuls of fresh spinach and poured over brown rice. A piece of masala tandoori naan (also from TJ’s) on the side was great for soaking up the sauce.
• Sandwiches with Trader Joe’s Masala Veggie Patties (toasted in a frying pan), tandoori naan, micro greens and spicy hummus
• Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro, wrapped in wheat tortillas 
• And assembling this trusty lasagna took just a couple minutes without cooking up any Italian sausage.

A hearty soup fit for fall

Fall in Sacramento is a bit screwy. Although October showed signs of change in the form of a couple gray, rainy days, we’ve had highs in the 70-on-up range this week. But hey, the leaves are changing colors, the sycamore’s starting to make a mess of the front yard, and there’s still a nip in the air when you walk out to your car in the morning. Squirrel away this recipe for a rainy day, or just bust it out the next time you’re craving some hearty soup and a big slice of French bread.

Sausage, potato and kale soup
1 pound sweet turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
1 white onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and diced small
10 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 bunch kale, washed, leaves sliced thin
Salt and pepper, to taste
Grated Parmesan (optional)

Brown sausage in a soup pot, remove and set aside. Add garlic and onions to pot, stirring occasionally over medium heat, for a couple minutes so the pot is nice and fragrant. Add oregano and stir for another minute or so before adding broth and potatoes. Bring pot to a boil and then drop heat to a medium flame, cooking potatoes until they’re soft. Use potato masher if you want smaller potato chunks. Add kale to pot -- it should only take two or three minutes to cook. Add sausage to pot, stir, and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle soup with Parmesan, if desired, and serve with French bread.