Sausage and Cheese Skillet Gnocchi

This literally took 20 minutes from start to finish. Gnocchi, sausage, cheese, tomatoes, basil...what's not to like? This recipe came from Cooking Light. The original recipe can be found HERE. I may have added a LITTLE extra cheese, some extra olive oil, some more sausage, etc to make it not so "cooking light," but it was worth the extra calories. I used the Godfather sausage from Lowe's Foods SausageWorks. I did not use frozen gnocchi, but if you do, make sure you fully defrost it and pat it dry before you cook it. One tip...the original recipe doesn't tell you what to do with the chicken broth, but I added it with the tomatoes and garlic and scraped all of the brown bits off of the bottom of the pan. This is the PERFECT weeknight meal.

Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
16oz prepared gnocchi
1/2 lb Italian sausage, ground or casings removed (I used The Godfather from Lowes Foods SausageWorks)
1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Method:
Preheat oven to broil on high. Make sure your rack is near the top of the oven. Meanwhile, add olive oil to large, oven-safe skillet and heat over medium heat on your stovetop. Add the prepared gnocchi and cook until lightly browned. You will need to stir this constantly to avoid it burning. It's okay if some sticks to the pan. Remove gnocchi and place in large bowl. Brown sausage in the same skillet you used for the gnocchi. Once completely cooked, drain the sausage and add it to the bowl with the gnocchi. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and chicken broth to the skillet. Use a wooden spoon to scrape off all of the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Return gnocchi and sausage and to skillet and mix well. Top with cheese and place into the oven on the top rack. Broil for about 5 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned. Remove the skillet and top with fresh basil. **make sure you leave a potholder on the handle so you don't forget how hot it is and burn yourself...not that I'm speaking from experience.

Happy Cooking!

Kappa Muffin Casserole aka Sausage, Egg, Cheese & Biscuit Breakfast Casserole

This is a variation on the Kappa muffins recipe that I use all the time. My mother-in-law, Susan Lawson gave me the recipe, and this evolved from there! I wanted to make something easy to pull out in the mornings for the kids before school. I am not the hugest breakfast fan, so I have a hard time being creative with breakfast especially during the week. I wanted to make something filling, packed with protein, and easy to feed my children in the mornings. I also didn't have a ton of time this afternoon to prep, and while the Kappa muffins are really quick and easy, this was even quicker and easier. I'll serve this with some fruit on the side this week and hope that this casserole will help with getting us all back into the swing of a routine this week.

Ingredients:
1 12oz can Pillsbury Grands Jr. biscuits
1 lb ground pork or turkey sausage
8 eggs
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded swiss cheese (can substitute mozzarella or monterey jack if you have on hand)




Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Brown sausage, drain, and set aside. Spray 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Break biscuits apart and further separate them in half like you would after they were baked (lengthwise). Spread biscuits along bottom of dish. Sprinkle cooked sausage over biscuits. Whisk together eggs and cheeses. Pour egg mixture over top of the sausage/biscuits. Bake for 35 minutes or until eggs are set and toothpick comes out clean.

Happy Cooking!