I really, really like pizza. I know it’s not always good for me, but I just can’t help it! I love the flavors and the possibilities are endless when you are making a pizza too. From your basic cheese & pepperoni to a roasted vegetable pizza- it’s always a big hit for dinner at our house. This week I put some yummy pizza flavors into a delicious and savory pot pie that makes for a great meal on a busy evening. This Cheesy Sausage & Pepperoni Pot Pie takes only a few minutes to prepare is wonderful served with a nice fresh salad for a tasty meal.

The best part about this recipe is that it’s flexible. You can choose which type of sausage you want whether it’s mild, hot sweet or even turkey sausage. Along with the pepperoni, you can also add in some peppers or mushrooms if your family likes them.

I think a good pot pie should be filled with all of your favorites. After all a pot pie is definitely a comfort food!

After browning your sausage in a large skillet, add your pepperoni, the spaghetti sauce and half of the shredded cheese, mix it all together, then let it cool for a few minutes.

*Preparing the filling can be done the night before too if you like! It’s always nice to save yourself a few minutes in the kitchen if you can!

Roll out 1 pie crust and lay it into a 9 inch pie plate.

Add half of the filling, then place tablespoon sized dollops of ricotta cheese on top, add your other cup of Mozzarella cheese and then layer that with the remaining sausage and pepperoni filling and add the remaining ricotta before placing the top crust on your pot pie.

Crimp the edges together with your fingers or a fork, brush with garlic butter, sprinkle with dried parsley and cut a slit or two into the top of the pie before placing in your hot oven to bake.

After the pot pie is bubbly and a nice light golden brown, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

We love how easy this meal is to put together and it gives us a “pizza fix” without having to wait for homemade dough to rise or having to order out.

If you’re a freezer cooking fan, you’ll be happy to hear that this yummy pot pie is freezer friendly! You can easily double the recipe to eat one for dinner and make one to store in the freezer for later! Enjoy!

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Whether you’re making dinner for your family or for a holiday get together, simple but delicious recipes that feed a crowd are always a hit! I don’t think you can ever go wrong with a cheesy, meaty pasta dish either. The best part about these types of recipes is that they don’t take long to prepare, which leaves you more time to relax and enjoy your family. This Sweet Italian Sausage & Rigatoni Bake is a comforting meal that you can enjoy with your family without spending too much time in the kitchen!

I love using Italian Sausage in casseroles, soups and well…I guess pretty much everything. It adds so much flavor to your dishes and if you go with sweet sausage like I did for this recipe, it’s very kid friendly as well.

For this recipe, start by cooking your rigatoni until al dente, then drain it, set it aside in a separate bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil to prevent sticking while you’re working in that yummy tomato & sausage sauce.

In a stock pot, season your sausage with a little salt & pepper and brown it up! Make sure that no pink remains and that the edges of the sausage start to get that beautiful golden brown color. Yum!

Drain any excess fat, stir in a can of your favorite crushed tomatoes seasoned with basil, oregano and garlic and add a handful of freshly chopped parsley. Let the flavors mingle and the sauce simmer for 10-15 minutes, then turn off the heat and stir in your half and half.

I still have a ton of fresh parsley in my garden, so I am using it every chance I get. In this dish, the fresh parsley adds such a bright and refreshing flavor paired with the savory sausage. If you don’t have fresh parsley on hand, it’s okay to use dried, but if you think of it, grab a bunch of parsley at the grocery store each week and keep it in a glass of water in your refrigerator for dishes like this throughout the winter. It just adds a that wonderful freshness to your meals just when you need it during the colder months!

Add the rigatoni to the pot, and toss well to coat. Pour half of the saucy rigatoni into a baking dish, layer with half of the cheese,  and then add the rest of the pasta and sprinkle with the remaining cheeses evenly.

Now you’re all ready to pop this in the oven!

Bake for 30 minutes or until it is nice and golden brown around the edges and bubbly!

This makes a wonderful meal any day of the week and it’s perfect served with a simple salad and some fresh bread. Enjoy!

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I really enjoy the change of seasons. It’s already gotten pretty chilly here in our neck of the woods and we are getting ready for winter. Living south of Buffalo and on the Lake Erie shoreline means we are in for some chilly, windy winter weather along with lake effect snow. I like to warm my family up on chilly evenings with this delicious and comforting Spicy Sausage & Black Bean Soup. It’s full of flavor and preparation is made simple by using your slow cooker!

Hot Italian Sausage slow cooks all day with tomatoes, vegetables, Ragu Chunky Roasted Garlic Sauce, black beans, baby kale, pasta and a touch of cilantro for a hearty soup your whole family will enjoy.

I love keeping Ragu sauce on hand for recipes like these. It gives this simple soup such a wonderful flavor. A great sauce starts with great ingredients. Ragu is an authentic Italian sauce with a rich taste, aroma and texture that’s made the traditional way with the same standards set by Assunta in 1937.

Ragu lets you see, smell, and savor the longstanding tradition of fresh taste. Instead of using shortcuts, Ragu follows Assunta’s secret family recipe using slow-simmering vine-ripened tomatoes, garlic, and fragrant herbs to give you a delicious sauce that never has any artificial flavors, artificial colors or high fructose corn syrup.

To start this soup, I first brown my sausage along with chopped onions, carrots and celery. My slow cooker insert can be used on the stove top, but if yours can’t- no problem. Brown your meat and soften your vegetables in a skillet and then transfer them to your slow cooker. You can then add all of the other ingredients except for the kale and uncooked pasta. Season with a little salt and pepper, stir, cover, turn on the heat and set your timer!

When there’s 30 minutes of cooking time remaining, add a few handfuls of baby kale and your uncooked pasta. Stir and then continue cooking. Your pasta will cook right in the soup!

Even though this soup has a little kick to it, my whole family, including my 4 children all enjoyed this. It wasn’t too hot. We like to top our soup with shredded Mozzarella cheese and serve this soup with fresh crusty bread for a tasty dinner. If you’re looking for a new slow cooker meal to add to your weeknight menu, give this yummy recipe a try!

Do you use Ragu in your kitchen for family’s meals? Now until 11/30, you can ENTER Ragu’s Ready. Set. Cook! Contest. It challenges home cooks like you and I to create new, unique and delicious recipes featuring a sponsored ingredient, plus a set list of other contest ingredients. There will be a Grand prize of $3,000, a Runner-up prize of $1250, and a People’s Choice prize of $750! Get cooking today for your chance to WIN!

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Ragu. The opinions and text are all mine.

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The mornings have been so chilly, rainy and windy here this week! After getting up early and taking the dog out for a little walk, I am ready to come inside, brew a pot of coffee and warm up with a nice breakfast. Quiches are nice because you can add in some of your favorite meats and vegetables with eggs and cheese for a satisfying start to your family’s day. Not only can you eat them for breakfast, they are wonderful for a simple delicious dinner as well. This tasty Sausage & Broccoli Quiche is on our menu this weekend!

One of the things that makes a good quiche is fresh ingredients. Eggs and cheese are very good on their own, but to make this a well rounded meal, I always add a good amount of protein and freshly chopped vegetables.

Creamy eggs are mixed with seasoned breakfast sausage, fresh broccoli florets, crisp chopped red pepper and an Italian blend of cheeses then baked in a buttery pie crust for a warm and flavorful comforting family meal. I think my 2 growing boys would eat this whole thing if I let them!

This yummy quiche can also be served with fresh seasonal fruits, pastries or muffins for a nice brunch during the upcoming holidays too!

To cut down on your prep work in the kitchen, you can even cut up your vegetables for this recipe ahead of time and store them in a container in the refrigerator. I have a day set aside during the week that I prep vegetables for the meals I have planned. It really saves me a lot of time on busy mornings or weeknights.

With all of those veggies to chop, it’s important to always use a nice sharp knife for safety purposes and for better cutting results. I use this NEW Calphalon’s 15 Piece Self-Sharpening Cutlery Set in my kitchen and I just love it! I especially like the comfortably balanced, triple-riveted handle. It makes chopping vegetables easy and less like a chore!

Whether I am chopping up a few simple things for this quiche, a bunch of colorful and fresh veggies for my popular Loaded Vegetable Soup, or just slicing up an apple for an afternoon snack, this set features SharpIN Technology that ensures a beautiful and easy cut every single time. Every time you remove your knife for use it’s freshly sharpened!

This Calphalon Contemporary Knife Set features a space saving elegant design and a beautiful maple wood finish complete with built-in sharpeners in all of the straight edge knife slots! The ceramic sharpeners are built into the slots of the stainless steel part of each storage block to automatically sharpen knives with every use, so that every time a knife is removed or replaced, it is automatically sharpened at the correct angle.

Each knife is labeled for easy identification and is made out of premium German high-carbon, no stain forged stainless steel. You don’t ever have to worry about sharpening your knife in the middle of your dinner prep again! By the way… this lovely set has a Full Lifetime Warranty too!

I’m so happy that this set is now a part of my home kitchen, just in time for the holidays! With all of the family gatherings, cooking and baking that will be going on, I’m no longer dreading all of that food prep!

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This week is definitely going to be a hot & humid one here. I love simple meals that don’t require a lot of work or cooking time on days like these too. Preparing meals in the slow cooker or on the grill sure do make dinner time a lot easier in the summer. One of my favorite things to grill is Italian Sausage. I like to serve it with peppers from my garden and onions for a tasty and quick meal. Even when I’m not grilling though, I like to make dinner with those same delicious flavors like in this simple One Pot Italian Sausage, Pepper & Onion Pasta!

One Pot meals are great! You can’t beat the convenience of cooking, serving and only having to wash just that one pot. Even on a hot summer day, I don’t really mind these types of meals because it’s only one burner on and I’m in the air conditioning. Since I usually have some type of Italian Sausage on hand along with onions, all I need to do is head out the the garden for some peppers. (These however were from the store, because my peppers have a little more growing to do!) When it’s harvest time, I love shopping for ingredients in my garden!

If you’ve got older children to help you in they kitchen, they might even enjoy helping you chop up your colorful peppers and onions to get dinner going. After browning your sausage (I use turkey sausage because it’s lean) and sauteing your onions and peppers in a  little extra virgin olive oil, you are ready to add your freshly chopped garlic, crushed tomatoes, water, and seasonings.

You can go sit down and watch the local news for a bit while that simmers for 20 minutes and your house will smell delicious!

Add in your uncooked pasta, recover and simmer for another 25 minutes and that’s it! Add a few handfuls of freshly grated Mozzarella cheese, give it a stir and dinner is ready! How easy is that?!

I like to serve this saucy pasta meal warm with a fresh salad and garlic bread.

This meal serves 6 generously and is the perfect recipe to put on your menu for the busy back to school season that’s ahead. Are you ready for that time of year again? I’m not!

I hope you’ll like this meal as much as we do! Enjoy!

*Linking up at Miz Helen’s Country Cottage

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I couldn’t be more excited about the warmer temperatures we’ve been experiencing here in Western New York.  This week the temperatures have been between 40 and 50 degrees, and while that may not sound warm to most of you, it sure does feel nice after -20 degree days last month.  It’s especially nice when the sun comes out too!  This nicer, more “Spring-like” weather has also got me in the mood for cleaning.  I spent a whole day this week washing windows and enjoying the fresh air as I did so.  The thing I don’t like about this change in weather is the sinus issues I seem to have when the air and pressure changes.  I’ve been a little stuffy and have had headaches, so at the end of the day I am just ready to get cozy and relax.  This 30 Minute Sausage & Tomato Soup is the perfect quick meal for a cozy evening or for a nice weeknight meal!

The best part about this soup is how easy it is to make.  It takes only 30 minutes from start to finish and it goes great with crusty bread and a salad.  Start by browning your favorite Italian Sausage (sweet, mild or hot- all will do ) with a little onion, carrot and garlic until the vegetables are softened and the meat no longer shows any pink.  Drain the excess fat (if excessive) and add your seasoned crushed tomatoes and chicken stock.

Mix well and bring the soup to a simmer, then add in your uncooked orzo pasta.  After giving everything a good stir, simply cover the soup and let it simmer on low for 15 minutes.

Then turn off the heat and let it cool just a bit before serving.  We like to add a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese to our soup!  The flavorful sausage makes this soup taste like it’s been simmering on your stovetop all day long.  Your house will also smell delicious too!

If you don’t know what to make for dinner during this Winter to Spring change of weather, give this simple and tasty soup a try! If you’ve got slight sinus issues like me this time of year, I hope you find this meal to be a comforting end to your day.  Enjoy!

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*Linking up at The Best Blog Recipes, Just A Girl and Her Blog

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With all of the last minute hustle and bustle this Holiday season, I bet you have a lot of things on your to-do list.  I know I do.  My goal is always to have everything taken care of by at least the day before Christmas Eve.  I really hate running around and feeling anxious throughout this wonderful time of year.  I’m sure you have your menus planned and delicious cookies baked, but have you thought about breakfast on Christmas morning?  We always like to have a plate of cookies out with my mother’s coffee cake, but I also like to have something out on my buffet that is a little more savory and hearty too.  This simple Sausage, Pepper & Onion Frittata is what we’re having, and I think you’re really going to like it too!

I usually make some sort of breakfast casserole for Christmas morning because they can be made ahead of time and feed a crowd.  This year I wanted something a little different, so I decided to try this new frittata.

Now I just love Sausage, Peppers & Onions.  I love that food combination on the grill in the summer, I love it in this tasty soup in the Winter and now I am loving it in this delicious frittata that literally takes only a few minutes to prepare.  The sweetness of the peppers with the savory sausage and creamy eggs makes this the perfect breakfast!

If you want to, you can slice your peppers and onions the night before and place them in a container in the refrigerator to save time.  In the morning all you have to do is get out your trusty cast iron skillet, brown your sausage over medium heat with those fresh peppers and onions until the meat is browned and the vegetables are softened and caramelized a bit.  Yum!

Then quickly beat your eggs with a splash of half and half and a little salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and pour it into your skillet.  Give it a quick stir, add your freshly grated Parmesan cheese and pop it in your preheated oven and bake until the eggs are set.  How easy is that?!  This makes your whole house smell like there is some major breakfast going on in the kitchen and it’s really a wonderful meal any time of day and any time of the year.  If you’re looking for a simple homemade meal Christmas morning, I hope you give this yummy frittata a try!

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*Linking up at Simply Gloria, The Lou Lou Girls, Plucky’s Second Thought, Savvy Southern Style

The post Sausage, Pepper & Onion Frittata appeared first on Cozy Country Living.

I just love breakfast!  Especially on the weekends or a Holiday!  The kind of breakfasts that are rustic, filling, cozy and enjoyed with those you love the most.  Thanksgiving is this week, so that allows our family a little more time to spend together.  Movies, playroom fun, and sleeping in just a bit are some of the little things I am really looking forward to.  The first thing I do when I wake up is turn on my Keurig.  I like to get up a little earlier than my children and have my coffee right away.  I am usually not hungry until I get breakfast going for my family and clean up the kitchen.  These delicious Baked Eggs with Sausage, Kale & Sweet Potatoes make a perfect late breakfast, brunch or even dinner!

I always buy sweet potatoes this time of year.  To be honest, it’s not something my family ever really made a lot when I was growing up, but they are really good for you and I like to take advantage of how reasonably priced they are this time of year.  I absolutely do not like my sweet potatoes in sweet dishes (I know weird, huh?) but I love them in savory dishes.  I think that creaminess with the hint of sweetness makes for something really special on your plate.

I’ve also been trying to get more green, leafy vegetables into our family’s diet.  I’ve been adding organic baby kale to my smoothies, but I really am loving the kale with these baked eggs.  Preparing this tasty meal for your family couldn’t be easier!

In my cast iron skillet, I soften 1 large diced sweet potato with chopped onion, and Italian sausage in a little olive oil and a touch of butter seasoned with salt and pepper, while stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.  When the sweet potatoes start getting those beautiful browned edges, I turn the heat to low and add 2 large handfuls of baby kale to the skillet and stir until they have softened and wilted.  I then turn off the heat, crack fresh eggs over the top, add a little more salt & pepper and bake for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  What you get is a simply wonderful meal that is perfect for any time of the day.

Take a little extra time this weekend after your Black Friday  and Holiday shopping to enjoy a relaxing breakfast like this with the ones you love!

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*Linking up at Simply Gloria

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