Why Should You Make Pickled Red Onion

Let’s actually start with the why. Pickled red onion add a punch to many dishes. I am not a fan of raw onions, but pickled onions are different. They are milder but add flavor and that extra umami to many dishes.

Some Ideas for Using Pickled Onions

How to Make Pickled Red Onion

• 1/2 red onion, cut into half moons
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1 tablespoons peppercorns
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• cilantro

Why Red Onion?

Red Onion are often my choice for many dishes as they are sweeter, less pungent do you lower levels of pyruvic acid and sulfur compounds.

Red onion is always my choice for pickling. They turn a pretty pink and they maintain a slight crunch. You could also try shallots, but you’ll pay more. You could use sweet onion, but the texture isn’t optimal.

Equipment

• Mandoline or sharp knife
• Colander
• Mason Jar

These are my favorite tacos which would be enhanced with some pickled red onion.

• Slaw for Taco
• Salmon Tacos
• Ground Beef Taco Meat
• Easy Carnitas Tacos
• Shrimp Tacos

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Pickled Red Onion

A perfect addition to tacos, salads, sandwiches to add an extra flavor.

Prep Time 4 minutes minutes

Resting Time for Pickled Onion 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

Pickled Red Onion

• 1/2 red onion sliced into half moons
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar optional
• 1 tablespoon peppercorns or some black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic cut in half

Instructions

Pickled Onion

• Slice into thin half moons and place in colander.
  
• Place raw onion in colander.
• Pour boiling water over onion.
• Put vinegar in jar with sugar and peppercorns.
• Put onion in jar. Will be ready in 30 minutes. Dice as needed.

The post Pickled Red Onion, Ready in 30 Minutes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Sometimes it’s beef/pork, or beef/veal or beef/pork/veal. Today it was all ground beef, because it’s what I had on hand, but it was very high quality ground beef and suited the gnocchi perfectly.

Gnocchi with Bolognese is Italian Meat and Potatoes

Over the last decade or so the idea meat and potatoes has gotten a bad rap. The “thin” generation of the 1950-70’s ate meat and potatoes several dinners a week. It’s all in portion control, healthy ingredients.

It’s not typical to serve bolognese with gnocchi. I usually serve it with a paparadelle pasta, but I thought it would be fun to make a serious comfort food dish as a play on meat and potatoes. Everyone loved it and I actually made it twice in one week with no complaints.

You can make your own gnocchi with the recipe below or buy they store bought. The big advantage of using gnocchi is that they cook in about a minute.

I’ve made no egg version here, but this version uses egg yolks, and they come out perfectly soft. The other thing I did differently from my other recipe is changing the flour to an Italian flour.

Gnocchi Ingredients

• 1 pound potatoes
• 1 cup unbleached flour, more as needed
• 2 egg yolks

I baked the potatoes and while still warm put through a ricer, which also makes the best mashed potatoes.

When you rice the potatoes warm with the skins, they come right off. Don’t use more flour than necessary or the gnocchi will be tough.

Bolognese Sauce

I have made no less than six bolognese recipes here. The basic technique is always the same, but the variations come with the meat chosen and sometimes a fun addition for the fall season. Whatever you choose from the very classical recipe or a recipe with a twist, you will find them hearty, delicious, and perfect for gnocchi.

• Five Bolognese Recipes
• What is Bolognese, Your Questions Answered and One New Bolognese Recipe

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Gnocchi with Bolognese

An Italian meat and potatoes comfort meal, Potato gnocchi with Bolognese.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Gnocchi Ingredients

• 2 pounds potatoes
• 2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 4 egg yolks

Instructions

Gnocchi Instructions

• Bake potatoes in 375 degrees oven, until tender in middle. This is better than boiling the potatoes, because it will dry them out. If you rice the potatoes, you will not need to peel. The peel comes right off.
• Do not add all the flour at one time. Start by adding a half cup and then keep adding, just until you have a dough you can work with.
• Add in egg yolks. Don’t overwork. If the mixture seems too wet, add a little flour a tablespoon at a time. Too much flour will make gnocchi tough.

  Roll into cylinder, cut in 3/4” pieces and taking it lengthwise across a fork, depress center. The center should be thinner than the edges, which helps to keep the gnocchi tender.
• The ridges serve to hold the sauce.
• Use 4 quarts of water in sauce pan to boil. Add salt. In the beginning, add 3 gnocchi and cook only FOR TEN SECONDS. Taste and if too floury, add only 2 or 3 seconds. If you are tempted to cook your gnocchi behind this point, they will become the dreaded piece of rubber.
• Time your gnocchi to be ready when your sauce is done, cooking the gnocchi in the last stretch of those 45 minutes. When gnocchi is ready, add grated cheese, and then the sauce.
• Serve immediately. Season to taste.

Notes

Double recipe for 4 to 6 servings.

The post Gnocchi Bolognese (Italian Meat and Potatoes) appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Spinach Tiger loves ground beef. It’s our go to for easy meals that are fast, but not fast food. A meal like this can be made in about twenty minutes, Those of us who don’t want to rely on processed or frozen food need these ideas.  

Crack slaw is one of those easy, approachable recipes that is a savior when you’re eating low carb and you’re short on time. I’m not sure where this was invented or created. There are many recipes for it on the web and everyone puts their own spin on it.

My take for crack slaw is to slather it with an easy three-ingredient comeback sauce.

One of the ways I like crack slaw is to use a mixture of ground beef and ground pork because it makes me feel like I’m eating an egg roll. You can choose your ground meat. Most use beef, but the pork adds in a little extra flavor, resembling more of  that egg roll taste.

How to Make Crack Slaw with Comeback Sauce

It generally start with a little olive oil or avocado oil with some garlic, followed by ground meat. Once the meat is browned, l’ll add in the cabbage, fresh ginger, sesame oil, tamari or soy sauce. My secret for crack slaw is using my own homemade comeback sauce at the end.

Tip for Browning Ground Beef

This is a great tip that actually works for browning ground beef. I don’t know why it works, but it does.

• Add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda to 2 tablespoons water. Pour over raw beef and wait 15 minutes before frying.

The Comeback Sauce

My comeback sauce is pretty simple. I use sriracha, mayonnaise, and a touch of soy sauce (tamari). I’ve seen recipes with a long list of ingredients, but this does it for me. I’ve tried adding in various ingredients and they did not work!

The ratio is mayo/sriracha is 4/1 and the tamari is to taste. You may want to add a tablespoon of tamari, but I would start with a teaspoon at a time. It’s so good.  It has the acid, fat and salt necesary. Creamy, tangy, and cool enough to counteract some of the heat in the crack slaw.

So tell me, do you have a secret sauce recipe? I’d love to hear about it.

More Ground Beef Ideas

• Ground Beef Cabbage Stir Fry
• Stuffed Cabbage
• Ground Beef with Peas and Onions, (most popular recipe).
• Ground Beef Stuffed Peppers
• Sautéed Cabbage with Bacon and Onion
• Beef Cabbage Soup

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Crack Slaw with with Three Ingredient Comeback Sauce Recipe

An easy ground beef and shredded cabbage dish, using bagged cole slaw mix, sesame oil, sriracha and ginger.

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Prep Ground Meat

• 1/3 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil more if needed once the slaw is added
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 pound ground beef see notes
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• salt pepper
• 1 bag cole slaw mix shredded cabbage
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon sriracha

Comeback Sauce

• 8 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sriracha
• 1 tablespoon tamari sauce or soy sauce more if needed

Instructions

• Mix baking soda and water. Pour over meat. Wait 15 minutes before cooking. This helps to brown the meat. In meantime, gather rest of ingredients.
• Saute the garlic in the oil just to soften.
• Add ground beef that has been seasoned with salt and pepper
• After meat is browned, add in the cole slaw mix.
• Mix thoroughly. It will seem like a lot of cabbage, but it will cook down.
• Add in sesame oil, ground ginger, sriraacha.
• Season to taste. You may need to add more oil.

Comeback Sauce

• Mix mayonnaise and sriracha together.
• Add tamari sauce one teaspoon at a time. Add as much as you need to taste, but not so much as to make this salty.

Notes

You can mix half ground pork, half ground beef for more flavor

The post Crack Slaw with Comeback Sauce Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

First things first. Gather your ingredients for the sauce, because you want it to chill in the fridge for an hour if you can.

Burger Sauce

• Mayonnaise (hopefully, made with avocado oil)
• Dijon Mustard
• Dill Pickle
• White Onion
• Paprika
• Worchestershire Sauce (or vinegar)
• Black Pepper

This is actually a riff on my big mac sauce but adding worchestershire and using dijon mustard. I really like this version a LOT. I did not include salt because pickles and worchestershire sauce is salty enough.

Technique for Cheeseburger Stir Fry

You want to get the meat crispy enough to be likened to a smash burger. Grey ground beef is not appetizing nor tasty.

Season your meat and use best baking soda technique. The baking soda technique helps to keep meat moist, and browns meat better.

How to Brown Ground Beef

Per each pound: 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. 1 tablespoon of water. Mix and pour over meat and wait 15 minutes prior to cooking. This really works. Each bite will have that smash burger crispiness on the edges.

Break the meat up as it is browning. I love this tool, or you can use a potato masher.

Once you are satisfied your meat is cooked, season as desired with salt the pepper, which happens to be the best two seasonings the world has ever seen.

Sprinkle with cheese of choice. Stick in oven just until cheese is melted. Or cover with lid and wait for cheese to melt.

Serve with chopped tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, and my best burger sauce. Of course, use lettuce of choice, but the crunch of iceberg works. Also, if you want to you could serve stir fry cheeseburger as lettuce wraps.

Variations

• Sautéed Mushrooms
• Crispy Bacon Bits
• Avocado Chunks
• Make dinner roll burgers (easier to fit into small rolls)
• Make cheeseburger tacos
• Make cheeseburger salad

My Other Favorite Low Carb Ground Beef Recipes

• Mini Meat Loaf Recipe
• Ground Beef and Cabbage Stirfry
• Ground Beef, Peas
• Keto Ground Beef Taco Meat

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Cheeseburger Stir Fry with Special Sauce

Cheeseburger Stir Fry with Special Burger Sauce

Course Salad and Salad Dressing

Cuisine American

Keyword Big Mac Salad, Big Mac Sauce

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Sauce Time 10 minutes minutes

Ingredients

Burger Sauce

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire
• 2 tablespoons sugar free ketchup
• 3 tablespoons dill pickles finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons onion finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon pickle juice or white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

Cheeseburger Stirfry

• 1 pounds ground beef
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-2 cups shredded cheddar

Instructions

Burger Sauce

• Make sure pickles and onion are very finely chopped.
  
• Mix together with all ingredients.

Cheeseburger Stir Fry

• Mix baking soda with water and mix into the ground beef. This will make the beef cook up crispier. Wait 15 minutes before cooking.
• Heat oil in pan.
• Fry the ground beef on medium heat. Allow the edges to get a little crispy similar to smash burgers. This should take about 10-12 minutes.
  
• Add cheese and cover to melt.
  

The post Cheeseburger Stir Fry with Best Burger Sauce (Keto friendly) appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I am republishing this 20 minutes RECESSION DELICIOUS recipe (initially posted in 2012) because grocery prices are crazy right now. This is fast, delicious and can be altered.  We love this ground peas and peas just as is, but you can add in pasta, potato or rice.

One day in the past, I stumbled upon a video of a 91-year old Italian-American grandmother, cooking pasta and peas just the way her mother cooked them nearly every night for her family during the depression.

She used an onion, a potato, and a can of peas,…. all items that didn’t need refrigeration and cost mere pennies.

This took me back to a year ago when I attended a pot luck at the Italian Club in Nashville. Someone had brought this dish that I couldn’t stop eating.

It was a sauté of ground beef, peas, onions, and olive oil. Out of all the things I could have treated myself to, this dish took my plate back for three helpings.

I am not hear to talk about socio-economic times, discuss politics or to depress you. I’m not a complainer, but I am a dreamy realist. I see the world through food. (that statement was written in 2009 during the recession, and here we are today in 2024), in strange times for different reasons.

Can I be brutally honest with you?  While I count my blessings every day to have a warm bed and good food to eat, I am in sticker shock every time I go to the grocery store.  I shop daily because it’s convenient for me. I can walk to my local Publix and I make myself walk almost daily to the Whole Foods (3.5 miles one way).

I try to choose grass fed beef which is healthier, but let’s face it, at $8 a pound, sometimes I choose something else.

As a food blogger, I probably do cook in my kitchen more than most and am acutely aware of how the prices have gone up. I’m also aware of how diseases related to fast food are on the rise, and how families no longer sit at the table the way they probably did for that Italian grandmother.

Ground Beef and Peas is Budget Friendly

If we need to adjust our budget (and we do), my first concern is my food budget.  What do I need to sacrifice?

That’s why I have easy, healthy, real food choices, that are fast, and practically brainless.

The grandmother in the video made me think of my grandmother, who lived through the depression, but was like me, in that she liked good food good. And, she knew how to make a five minute meal taste like a new culinary invention.

Today is my grandmother’s birthday. She would be 105 years old. She would still be cooking the exact same way…healthy, flavorful, uniquely fast, perhaps influenced a bit by the depression. Don’t try to picture the little Italian grandmother standing at the stove for hours cooking for her family.

My grandmother owned her own beauty salon, and cooked exactly once a week on Sunday night, only after all her clothes and sheets were pressed, and her newspapers were read. She was a rare beauty that never stepped foot in town in a “uniform.” She was a fashionista, donning heels, hat and gloves and threw her curvy body on a bus every day to get to down town, making a scene as if the paparazzi were following her.

Her allure and charm weren’t cut out from her Sunday night quick fires. Everything she made was authentic, such as spinach fritters, chicken and olives, or crabs and spaghetti, but it was fast, quick, earthy and a bit sexy, always hitting the senses with a surprise.

Italian Ground Beef with Peas and Onions from an Italian Grandmother

There would be lecture that “americanos” pronounced “ameriganos” don’t know how to eat. I look at their skin and I can smell their hair and know the garbage they are eating. But, you my Angela (pronounced Ahngela) have a grandmother that knows about food. Just look at me and you can see that I eat right.” Yes, she said that.

Since her day, the American diet has changed in that on one hand it has gotten worse, and on the other hand it has gotten much better. There are two different kinds of kitchens cooking (or microwaving) in America today. I’m grateful my grandmother Rose Dee (mother of Retro Rose) pointed me in her direction and never owned a microwave.

How to Make Ground Beef with Peas and Onions

Ground beef with peas and onions may not exactly be a “depression” dish, but perhaps a bit reminiscent of the peas and pasta dish that blanketed many Italian Americans during the true depression era and even my grandmother’s table.

A sauté of peas and onions is very Italian. You must use olive oil for the right flavor and a good sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Simplicity always requires great ingredients. Peas and onions are good alone, or combined with rice or with potatoes, but with ground beef, it’s dinner.

I will not tell you to mix three kinds of ground meat together to make it more “foodie” or to pretend this is restaurant fare. It’s not. It’s meant to be Sunday night home cooking.

You can use whatever ground meat you desire, even ground lamb would be quite tasty, but this is just ground beef and not extra lean. You want good (I mean animal-treated right) good, ground beef that has some fat in it, because that is where the taste is.

Ground Beef Ideas from Spinach Tiger

I would eat this any time, though because it’s just good food and so would you. Don’t you dare call it hamburger helper or ground beef casserole or I will come and put tape over your mouth and eat this in front of you. It’s rustic, but that doesn’t mean it’s a compromise.

It’s good food, in fact, it’s delicious food that will stretch your budget and your view of ground beef and what fast and affordable can be. Just serve with a nice loaf of crusty bread to sop up the juices, and don’t forget that glass of red wine.

Here is a different version of this recipe, with added greens.

More Ground Beef Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Hamburger Steaks 
• Burger Steak Recipe with Mushroom Sauce
• No Beans Chili
• Ground Beef Taco Meat
• Eggroll in a Bowl
• Ground Beef and Cabbage Decontructed
• Stuffed Cabbage with Ground Beef
• Ground Beef Cabbage Stir Fry
• Picadillo

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Recession Delicious – Italian Ground Beef, Peas and Onions

An easy delicious way to eat ground beef with an Italian twist, green peas, onions.

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 large white onion diced
• 1 pound ground beef seasoned with salt and pepper
• 1 – 2 cups frozen peas
• olive oil
• 1 teaspoon butter
• red chile flakes
• freshly grated parmesan or pecorino optional
• fresh herbs mint, parsley, basil, oregano, thyme…they all work

Instructions

• Heat olive oil and butter. Add onions, saute until soft.
• Add ground beef that has already been flavored with salt and pepper. Cook until medium rare.
• Add in frozen peas, right at end and allow them to defrost and heat up, while the meat is on its way to medium-well done. Toss in fresh herbs, red chile flakes. Season to taste.

Notes

This is an EASY recipe. You may be tempted to keep adding other ingredients, but the simplicity is what gives this dish it’s proper structure and flavor. More is not always more.

The post Italian Ground Beef, Peas and Onions appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Peas is one of those things you love or hate. My MOST POPULAR RECIPE OF ALL TIME is my hamburger and peas recipe.

If you love peas, you also know they brighten up a lot of dishes, like stews, meat pies and are a great accompaniment to starches such as boiled potatoes, rice or pasta.

Peas paired with some crispy bacon, sauteed shallots, some parmesan cheese wake macaroni up, not just in taste but also in looks, because this dish is appetizing.

Frozen peas work the best and are thrown into the pasta while still frozen. The bacon gives the peas flavor and half should be reserved to add at the end (to have some crispy).

As far as using butter or olive oil, both fat choices work, or use both like I do, and as I always say, don’t forget the pasta broth, which serves as a thickner.

Ingredients

• Pasta
• Peas
• Bacon
• Butter
• Olive Oil
• Parmesan or Pecorino
• Pasta Water
• Shallots

Recipes Where Peas Shine

• Italian Ground Beef, Onion, Peas
• Veal Stew with Purple Peas and Potatoes
• Peas with Ricotta Appetizer
• Salmon with Tarragon Peas Sauce

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Pasta Peas and Bacon

Easy Tasty Pasta, Peas and Bacon with Shallots, Pecorino Cheese

Course Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Keyword bacon, pasta, peas

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound pasta
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 4 slices thick bacon
• 2 shallots chopped
• 3 cups frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• pecorino cheese
• pasta water as needed
• salt, pepper for seasoning

Instructions

• Cook pasta according to instructions.
• In large frying pan crispy bacon. Depending on what bacon you use, save just one tablespoon of bacon grease in the pan.
• Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. You will add bacon at end.
• Add shallot to bacon grease. saute for five minutes until softened, stirring.
• Add frozen peas and continue to cook on medium heat until peas are cooked through.
  
• Once pasta is cooked through add to frying pan with a little bit of the pasta water. Add in each tablespoon of butter, and olive oil, more if needed.
• Add bacon, pecorino cheese and toss. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Keep in mind bacon and pecorino are already salty.
  

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Sloppy Joe’s are really sloppy. Made with a crumbled ground beef, ketchup or tomato sauce, mustard, or barbecue sauce, they pack a lot of flavor inside a bun. I remember the grease dripping down and that wasn’t a bad thing.

It’s hard to enjoy a true sloppy Joe if you don’t have a burger bun. Keeping sloppy joe’s a little less greasy, but still sloppy, enjoy these free on your favorite bun or try these carnivore buns which are completely carb free. You’re welcome.

Sloppy Joe’s Sauce

• 1 – 1/2 cup sugar free tomato puree or sugar free tomato sauce
• 1 pound ground beef of your choice (I like 80/20 for this recipe)
• sweetener of your choice (swerve brown sugar) to your sweetness desire
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• salt, pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar free maple syrup (optional)

NOTE: You can use half of tomato sauce and half sugar free barbecue sauce. Add sweetness to your own taste.

Keep it Sweet and Sugar Free

Make sure your tomato passata (puree) is sugar free). Add in some of their delicious barbecue sauce to make it sweet. There are quite a few sugar free barbecue sauces, which make sloppy Joe’s easy to make. G.Hughes is my favorite. These are sold at your local grocery store.

Sloppy Joes are Best on a Burger Bun

You could use traditional buns, but to keep this sugar free, grain free, I love these carnivore buns. Here are some great choices.

• Carnivore Buns
• Keto Tortillas
• Keto Cheddar Grain Free Biscuits

More of My Favorite Ground Beef Recipes

• Cuban Picadillo
• Stuffed Cabbage
• Eggroll in a Bowl

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Sugar Free Sloppy Joe Recipe

Delicious Sugar Free Sloppy Joe Recipe with Low Carb Roll Options

Course Sandwich

Cuisine American

Keyword sloppy Joe’s

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 pound ground beef 80/20
• 1 cup sugar free tomato sauce see notes
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce or red vinegar
• 1 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar free maple syrup or sugar free brown sweetener

Instructions

• In a bowl mix ground beef with salt, pepper, mustard, worchestshire sauce. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and cook onion until softened.
• Add ground beef mixture. Crumble and cook through.
• Add tomato sauce and maple syrup (and sugar free barbecue sauce) if you have it. Add a little bit of water if it seems too dry.
• Simmer on low for 30 minutes. Taste for more seasoning. Adjust sweetness to your taste with monk fruit or more sugar free maple syrup.

Notes

You can add in some sugar free barbecue (1/4 cup) in place of some of the tomato sauce.

A fattier ground beef works best for this kind of recipe for that old school flavor.

The post Sugar Free Sloppy Joes with Low Carb Rolls appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Italian sausage will find itself in appetizers, breakfast, lunch and dinner, but we especially love the Italian sausage meals we have come to love and I’ve added more sausage recipes here so there are more than 15.

Creamy Sausage Ragu

This is one of my newer recipes that I made for the twins’ lunch before they ventured a big bike ride. Not a bite left.

Stovetop Sausage and Peppers

Sausage Crusted Three Cheese Pizza (Low Carb Delish)

Baked Italian Sausage with Broccoli Rabe

This is one of the Italian Sausage Meals that my husband loves the most. Broccoli rabe marries the flavors of Italian Sausage so well, and you will see this repeated pairing in many recipes.

Italian Sausage Lentil Soup

Italian Sausage Ricotta Frittata

This is how we celebrate holiday mornings, but it’s also wonderful for lunch or dinner. Italian sausage, greens, and a dollop of ricotta.

No Beans Chili with Italian Sausage and Ground Beef

My husband makes the best chili and since I don’t eat beans, he developed a fantastic no-beans recipe just for me, and it has Italian Sausage.

Italian Sausage with Cauliflower and Spinach in Air Fryer

This is such a fun, easy, dinner that can be made in a sheet pan, fryer, or stir fried.

Orecchiete with Broccoli Rabe and Italian Sausage

This is a classic Italian dish made with a special shaped pasta and takes full advantage of this great pairing of flavors.

Italian Sausage, Mozzarella Stuffed Biscuits

This is the all in one delicious Italian sausage biscuit.

Spicy Italian Soup with Italian Sausage

I made this soup about every other month because it has all the good things like cabbage and tomato broth,  and especially the flavor driven from Italian sausage.

Italian Roasted Chicken Thighs with Sausage and Peppers

The one pot, Italian chicken dish only made better with links of Italian sausage.

One Pot Chicken and Italian Sausage with Greens and Beans

Beans, greens, broth, chicken, and of course, Italian sausage makes this one hearty meal.

Keto Sausage Crusted Pizza with Broccoli Rabe

This clever idea for no-dough pizza has made us both so happy, and is our new Friday night dinner.

Spaghetti Squash with Italian Sausage

Spaghetti Squash topped with Italian sausage, mushroom, cream, and sage is hearty, healthy and a bit umami.

Three Cheese Italian Lasagna

Oh my goodness, who wouldn’t love this dish? Filled with spaghetti squash, meat, cheese and a lovely quick tomato sauce.

Italian Eggplant Soup with Italian Sausage

Chicken with Italian Sausage and Muscadine Grapes

When Autumn rolls around, you will see muscadine grapes and now you know what to do with them.

Sheet Pan Pizza with Italian Sausage and Trader Joe’s Pre-Made Dough

You can now see just how versatile Italian sausage is. What’s your favorite way to eat it?

The post 15 Italian Sausage Meals Your Family Will Love appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Here are a few of my favorite things to cook, bake, eat while hunkered down in a storm. If you have to be stuck inside, at least enjoy the food. Or perhaps take time to try some new recipes.

Smoothies

You might be stuck at home too many days, but still want to feel good and stay healthy. Try any of these smoothies which are tried are true for my family. The twins were sick last week and asked for the red beet smoothie. By chance, I had red beets and all the ingredients.

• Vitamin C Smoothie and Tips for a Fever
• Two Green Smoothie Recipes Kids Love
• Blueberry Banana Protein Smoothie
• Red Beet Smoothie (kids love, so do teens)
• Blueberry Protein Smoothie Bowl
• Chocolate Fix: Chocolate Avocado Smoothie

Snacks

Try some healthy snacks if you start getting bored.

• Olive Feta Salad
• Italian Sausage Balls
• Loaded Deviled Eggs
• Cowboy Caviar (Bean Dip)

Soups

I know EVERYONE is making soup this week. Here’s a few of my favorites.

• Chicken Vegetable Soup
• French Onion Soup
• Italian Meatball Soup
• Sausage Lentil Soup

Bread

Perhaps have always wanted to know about how to make your own sourdough starter. I just made a new one and it was ready in five days, just using all purpose flour. The bread was great.

• Sourdough Bread (Easy)
• Sourdough Starter (will be ready in five days)
• Best Traditional Southern Fluffy Biscuits

Stews

• Beef Bourguignon (low carb option)
• Old Fashioned Beef Stew
• Four Chicken Biscuit Pot Pie Recipes (Low carb options)
• Chicken Chicken Pot Pie with Best Crust
• Irish Stew with Soda Bread

Pasta

You can make most of these with any kind of macaroni.

• Tuscan White Bean Pasta
• Creamy Sausage Ragu
• Stuffed Shells
• Three Cheese Pasta Chicken Bake

Easy Delicious Ground Beef Recipes

• Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls
• Italian Ground Beef and Peas (my STILL number one post)
• Picadillo (Cuban ground beef with olives) serve with rice
• Our Favorite Taco Meat (made with bacon)

Eggs, Eggs, Eggs

I know you all have a huge amounts of eggs and here are some great ideas.

• Eggs in Purgatory (Italian Shakshuka)
• Arugula Hash with Oven Baked Eggs
• Spinach Frittata with Manchego
• Homemade Egg Pasta (even if you don’t have a pasta machine, you can do this using a rolling pin).

For Fun

• Snow Cream

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Osso Buco is Italian for bone with a hole. The bone marrow is cross cut and is typically made with veal. Originating in Milan and the Lombardy Region of Italy, osso buco showcases their culinary genius, transforming modest cuts of meat into long-standing recipes.

In its earliest version, osso buco was made with butter, onion, white wine and broth, using very typical ingredients found in many northern Italian dishes. Tomatoes are now part of a more modern recipe, and I think adds to its heartiness.

What is Osso Buco?

Basically ossobuco is a meat shank (usually veal) which used to be a very inexpensive cut with the bone marrow cut crosswise (thus, bone with a hole).

Osso buco requires a long braise in a tomato broth with vegetables. In this recipe, I served it with creamy white beans (it was New Year’s Day), but it’s most often served with risotto ala Milanese and topped with gremolata to cut through the richness.

Eat the Marrow

The marrow is considered a delicacy and is especially good with bread or eaten on a spoon. I recommend crusty bread like my sourdough to enjoy every bit of the sauce and marrow.

Why This Dish is Represents Italian Values

• Italians are known to take modest, humble cuts of meat to create spectacular gourmet recipes. Peasant food achieves elevation and Osso buco is now a proudly recognized Italian National Dish.
• Italians are known to respect the whole animal, wasting nothing, even bone marrow.
• Italians not only embrace slow food, Italians embrace eating ingredients which can be locally sourced, which is why the menu changes often radically in each region of Italy.

The History

The first mention of osso buco found its way in cookbooks in the mid to late 1800’s, particularly Pellegrino Artusi (1891) which helped it become a national Italian dish.

What Kind of Meat is Used in Osso Buco?

Veal is most often used, but other choices could include beef or pork shanks. This time, I served with cannellini beans, put in the pot at the last twenty minutes.

Top with Gremolata

Gremolata is a mixture of chopped parsley, garlic, lemon zest and salt. It brightens up the dish and cuts through the richness.

Other Hearty Italian Dishes You May Like

• What is Bolognese? Answers to all your questions.
• Ground Beef Stuffed Peppers
• Italian Meatball Soup
• Braciole – Italian Rolled Steak
• Beef Stock and Roasted Bones
• Beef and Veal Stew Shepherds Pie

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Osso Buco

Osso Buco, the quintessential veal dish from the Lombardy region of Northern Italy.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 cup onion
• 2/3 cup carrot finely chopped
• 2/3 cup celery finely chopped
• 4 T butter
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 4 veal shanks
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup meat broth
• 1 large can San Marzano tomatoes coarsely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• several sprigs fresh thyme
• several sprigs parsley
• freshly ground pepper
• sea salt

Gremolata

• 1 handful parsley
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon garlic clove
• sea salt to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F, for two to three hours of braising
• Pat Veal shanks dry. Season with salt and pepper. Coat veal in flour, and when pan is hot, brown veal on both sides in separate frying pan.
• Choose heavy pot (dutch oven with lid) to cook vegetables, which can be put in oven.
• Heat butter in dutch oven. Saute onion, carrot, lemon zest, celery on medium heat, 8-10 minutes. Then add garlic and cook a few more minutes.
• Once vegetables are done, stir in white wine and cup of broth. Cook on low for ten minutes to cook off alcohol.
• Add in tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. You want the veal to be covered 2/3 in broth.
• Add in veal shanks. Cover and braise for 2-3 hours, until fork tender.
• Serve with a garnish of gremolata.

Gremolata

• Chop together, parsley, garlic, lemon zest and add in sea salt.

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