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More Family Recipes

Italian Sausage, Peppers and Potatoes

1 lb. Totta “Saucers” Italian Sausage, mild or spicy

1 Green Bell Pepper, cut in wide slices

1 Red Bell Pepper, cut in wide slices

2 large potatoes, cut into cubes

Brown sausage links slightly. They do not need to be fully cooked.

Place peppers and potatoes in a large casserole dish. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add browned sausage links.

Roast in oven at 350 degrees until potatoes are tender.

Serve with Italian bread.

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Italian Sausage Cheese Patties

1 lb. Totta “Toppers” Italian Sausage (mild or spicy)

Mozzarella cheese slices

Marinara Sauce

Hard rolls

Take loose sausage and form into desired size of patties. Cook, either under the broiler or on grill. Place mozzarella slice and allow to melt. Place patty on hard roll and top with a little marinara sauce.

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Mary’s Zuppa Minestrone

1-1/2 cups dried great northern beans: wash, cover with water and soak overnight

In a 6-qt kettle, sauté:

1 lb. Totta “Toppers” Italian Sausage (mild or spicy)

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup diced green bell peppers (or red or yellow, or a combination of these)

Add:

2 qts chicken broth

1 qt crushed tomatoes

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup sliced celery

½ tsp each: thyme, oregano, and basil (you can use a handful of chopped fresh or frozen basil if you have it.)

Simmer for 2-1/2 to 3 hours

Then add:

¾ cup macaroni noodles

1 cup sliced zucchini and/or yellow squash

Simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. Serve garnished with grated parmesan cheese.

Can be made ahead and can be frozen.

Wonton Appetizers

1 lb. Totta’s “Toppers” Italian Sausage (mild or spicy)

1 pkg. Wonton Wrappers (from produce section)

½ cup chopped Green Pepper

½ cup chopped Red Pepper

4 Tbsp. chopped Green Onions

½ cup Ranch Dressing (from bottle; your favorite)

2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese or Colby Jack Cheese

½ cup chopped Black Olives (optional)

Coat mini-muffin pan with Pam spray. Take wonton wrappers and place one in a mini-muffin cup pressing to make a small cup. Bake for 5 minutes at 350-degrees until light brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

Brown sausage, drain and add peppers, onions, Ranch dressing and cheese. Mix well to melt cheese. Place a teaspoon of filling into each chup. Bake an additional 5 minutes to heat through and make wontons crispy.

Note: I normally remove the cups to a cookie sheet for the last 5-minutes of baking. They will hold their shape, allowing you to use your muffin pan to bake the remaining cups.

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Joyce’s Tortellini Soup

3 pods Garlic, diced

1 lb. Totta’s “Toppers” Italian Sausage*, Mild or Spicy

1 can French-Style Green Beans

1 can French Onion Soup

1 can Beef Broth

2 cans Diced Tomatoes

3 cans Water

1 pkg. Cheese Tortellini

2 Tbsp. Basil

Olive Oil

Sauté garlic in olive oil. Add sausage and brown. Add remaining ingredients to sauce pan and simmer 2 hours. Add package cheese tortellini and basil. Simmer until pasta is done.

Serve with grated cheese.

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Vegetable Slaw Salad

1 fennel head, fronds removed and reserved, bulb thinly sliced

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

3 ribs celery from the heart, stalks thinly sliced, leaves roughly chopped

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pkg. Totta Italian Sausage, “Saucers” or “Grillers”, cooked (mild or spicy)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the fennel bulb and fronds, red onion, celery stalks and leaves and parsley.

Place a small pot over medium-high heat with the sugar and vinegar. Bring the mixture to a boil, swirling it to dissolve the sugar, then remove the pot from the heat and pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and toss well to coat the veggies. Let the mixture rest.

Serve on the side of cooked Totta “Saucers” or top cooked Totta “Grillers” in a bun.

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Mama Angelina’s Stuffed Eggplant Italian Style

5 Long Purple Eggplants

3 lbs. Ground Beef

1 lb. Totta “Toppers” Italian Sausage (mild or spicy)

1 cup Grated Romano Cheese

1 cup Seasoned Breadcrumbs

6 Garlic pods, minced

1 Large Yellow Onion, chopped finely

2 qts. Spaghetti Sauce (your favorite)

Red Wine

Olive Oil

Cut eggplant lengthwise and scoop out pulp with household tablespoon, leaving enough meat inside the skin so that it holds its shape when baked. Cut eggplant pulp in approximately one-inch pieces. Salt shell and pulp. Let stand about 3 hours. This will drain some of the bitterness of the eggplant.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add ¼ cup olive oil. Add Totta’s Italian Sausage (loose) and ½ cup of red wine. Simmer, stirring occasionally until cooked. Set aside in a large bowl.

Using the same skillet, add enough olive oil to sauté onions until soft. Add ground beef and saute until all is cooked. Lightly add a little salt. Add to sausage mixture.

Rinse and drain eggplant and pulp. Set in large pot cover with water then parboil—DO NOT OVERCOOK! Drain water and remove pulp. Take shells and place in long, deep casserole dish which has sauce to cover bottom.

Again in skillet, add ¼ cup olive oil and add minced garlic. Cook but do not brown. Add eggplant pulp, toss and cook until pulp is tender. Add to ground beef/sausage mixture. Mix together and add Romano cheese and breadcrumbs. Mix again. Add enough spaghetti sauce for color.

Fill each eggplant shell with meet/eggplant mixture and top with spaghetti sauce and sprinkle with Romano cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and cook in oven at 350-degrees for 1 hour, until sauce is all bubbling.