One-Pan Sausage, Shrimp & Veggies

Ironically, leading up to the release of my cookbook, I haven't been cooking!  Is that actual irony?  I never really know, Alanis has me all confused.  Whatever it is, I do find it amusing.  We've had more take-out and meals that friends have graciously cooked for us in the last few weeks than we've had in a long time!  I should probably go ahead and add the pizza delivery guys to my will.

The truth is, I've been so busy trying to share what this cookbook stands for - which is that cooking should be simple, fun and delicious - that I've abandoned my kitchen in the process!  My kitchen is mad at me!  It's saying, "Siri, come back, you belong here..." because my kitchen talks, doesn't yours?

Therefore, to appease my talking kitchen and my family, I finally cooked dinner the other night.  I cooked it up, cooked it up real good.  And, surprise, surprise, I went with a simple, approachable, delicious recipe!  Can you tell I've been promoting my cookbook for the last month?  

One-pan dinners are my jam, if I was the type of person who said things like "my jam" - which I'm not.  They are easy, the flavors all marinate together, and clean-up is a breeze.  Here, I chopped up some veggies, added sausage and shrimp and a bunch of spices and, voila, dinner is done.  Serve it over rice, quinoa or pasta and you've got a yummy week-night dinner that you didn't slave over.  Perfect for those busy times which are, let's face it, all of the times.  Recipe below...    

One-Pan Sausage, Shrimp & Veggies

Serves 4-6

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, sliced

1/2 lb. shrimp (cleaned and deveined)

1 bunch broccoli, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped

1 leek, cleaned and sliced

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

3 Tbsp olive oil, divided

Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  On a large sheet pan, add all veggies and sausage.  Place shrimp in a bowl.  In a smaller bowl, add spices and mix to combine.  Sprinkle 2 tbsp olive oil over sausage and veggies.  Add most of seasoning, reserving about a tsp.  Toss to make sure everything is evenly coated.  Add the remaining olive oil and remaining seasoning to shrimp, and toss to combine.  Place sheet pan in oven and cook for 15 minutes.  Remove and flip veggies and sausage.  Cook for another 10 minutes.  Remove, flip again and add shrimp.  Cook for 5 more minutes.  Serve over pasta or rice with freshly grated Parmesan.    

One Pot Mexican Pasta

Everyone always assumes that because I write a food blog and cook a lot, my kids must be fabulous eaters.  EHHHHHH.  (That's the sound of an annoying buzzer.)  WRONG!  I have picky, picky eaters.  Right around 18 months, each of them have rejected all foods that are healthy (I'm exaggerating, but you get the picture).  It's hard!  I've felt everything from frustration, anger, shame and embarrassment over it.  But on my good days, I realize... they are still growing, they won't be like this forever, and so I go about trying and sneaking, sneaking and trying.  Trying new foods, and when that doesn't work, sneaking them into their meals.  (*Ordinarily, that photo above would be much more beautiful with cilantro, green onions or jalapeños sprinkled on top... but, green things, yeah.)   

Cue this cheesy, one-pot Mexican pasta with a whole lot of, wait for it, SQUASH!  I sneak frozen squash into the ground turkey and it sort of melts into the dish, creating a slightly sweet counterbalance to the spicier Mexican flavors.  Obviously, the best part about this dish is you can make it in under 30 minutes in ONE pot.  And another great thing about this recipe?  I used Chickpea Pasta for some added protein and fiber, which also makes it gluten-free!  (Of course, you can use any pasta that you would like).  My son and toddler loved it. The stubborn middle child?  Well, we had a 1950's style showdown.  She sat there, crying, begging for a treat, resisting even ONE bite, and I held firm and drank a bottle of rose by myself.  

One Pot Mexican Pasta

Serves 6-8

Printable Recipe

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb. ground turkey

1/2 pkg. taco seasoning

12 oz. frozen squash, thawed

8 oz. pasta

2 cups chicken stock

1 8 oz. jar taco sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the ground turkey, and cook until no longer pink.  Add the taco seasoning and squash, and cook for a few more minutes, until everything is combined.  Add the pasta, chicken stock and taco sauce and bring to a boil.  Stir everything up, cover the pot, lower to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes.  Uncover, add cheese, and simmer until cheese has melted and sauce has thickened.  I added a little more cheese on the top before serving.  Top with anything you like!  

*This sort of tasted like a delicious, homemade Hamburger Helper!