Tag Archives: Plant based sausage

Sausage and Kale Stuffed Shells

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If you search the archives of this blog, you will discover that there are no recipes for stuffed pasta of any sort. I have always assumed that they are too much work to make. As I typed that last sentence, I realized how bizzare that sounds, coming from someone who often posts cakes that take all day to create.

I was inspired to give stuffed shells a whirl after watching Jeff Mauro make these Spinach and Mushroom Stuffed Shells on The Kitchen a few weeks ago. The base of most stuffed shell recipes consists of ricotta, mozzarella, and an egg. You can choose your own flavour adventure. I decided on kale and plant-based spicy sausage. Jeff made a delicious looking vodka-tomato-cream sauce to lay his shells on, but I took the easy route and pulled out a jar of Rao’s Marinara Sauce (Not sponsored, just love it! Great price at Costco this week, by the way.)

Remember to cook the shells for a minute or two less than the package directions, as they will continue cooking in the oven with the sauce. You can put the filling into a disposable piping bag if you like, but honestly, it didn’t take that long to actually fill them with a spoon.

Sprinkle a bit of extra cheese on top of the shells before baking.

The recipe for this serves 4-6. if you are just cooking for two, make the full recipe but divide it into 2 smaller casserole dishes. Bake one for dinner that night and freeze the second for another time. You can bake it frozen without thawing. Freezer meal make me happy.

Click here to print recipe for Sausage-and-Kale-Stuffed-Shells-Download

“Meaty” Vegetarian Lasagna

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I’m very excited to share this lasagna recipe with you guys! I have been working on it for a while now. I wanted to create a “meat” lasagna using plant based meats. After some trial and error, I settled on a combination of Beyond Meat ground beef and Beyond Meat spicy Italian sausage. This is not a sponsored post. I just really love their products. They really replicate the taste and texture of meat, unlike some soy based alternatives I have tried. If you’re curious to know more, you can read abut it here.

The sauce is quick to make, it only needs to simmer for about 15 minutes. Rich and satisfying, it was really difficult to believe it was not real beef and sausage.

For the cheese filling, I went traditional here, using a mix of mozzarella, ricotta and parmesan, with a bit of cream to smooth the whole thing out.

I know that making a lasagna is a big time commitment. This one is worth it. A 9×13 inch baking dish will make about 8 servings. Any leftovers freeze perfectly. I just love pulling dinner out of the freezer on nights when I don’t feel like cooking.

Watch how it all comes together. Pro tip – see how I use a potato masher to break up the ground “beef” and “sausage”.

Please don’t be tempted to use the “no boil” lasagna noodles. They just don’t have the same texture as the regular noodles. It’s an extra step that I urge you to take.

Click here to print recipe for “Meaty”-Vegetarian-LasagnaDownload

Rigatoni with Spicy Sausage and Roasted Tomatoes

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It’s only mid-October, and already I’m missing those sweet local farmer’s market tomatoes. It’s going to be a long winter!

When I’m craving that sweet summer tomato taste, roasting little grape or cherry tomatoes is the next best thing. Roasting caramelized the tomatoes and brings out their inherent sweetness and can mask any bitterness.

This pasta dish comes together in less than 30 minutes. Start with tossing halved little tomatoes with honey, olive oil, garlic salt and pepper and get them into a hot oven for about 15 minutes. While they’re roasting, remove the meat from the sausage casing and start browning it up in a skillet. To keep things vegetarian, I used Beyond Meat Spicy Italian Sausage. It is plant based, but so closely resembles the real thing, in both taste and texture, it’s amazing.

Put on a big pot of water to boil. Add a bit of tomato paste to the browned sausage and a few cups of jarred tomato sauce. I love Rao’s marinara sauce. They sell it at Loblaws now! Just be sure to pick a sauce with no added sugar. Simmer the sauce while the noodles cook. Save about 1/2 a cup of the starchy pasta water before draining.

Add drained pasta and roasted tomatoes to the sauce. Mix well and stir in some of the reserved pasta water to bring the sauce together. Transfer to a platter and add a few spoonfuls of ricotta. Sprinkle with parmesan and fresh basil. Close your eyes and imagine it’s still summer. You’re welcome.

Click here to print recipe for Rigatoni-with-Spicy-Sausage-Roasted-TomatoesDownload