Skillet Chorizo with Gnocchi

Skillet Chorizo and Gnocchi (or Tortellini)

     Nice and spicy, this simple dish is prepared on the stove top and is on the table in no time.  There are so many variations to try!  Add Mini Meatballs, Italian Sausage, Browned Ground Meat, leftover Cooked Chicken, Bell Peppers or Mini Sweet Peppers. Use Tortellini, Shells, Noodles or Ravioli instead of Gnocchi.  If cooking for a crowd, double up the Butter, Shrooms, Onion, Garlic, Tomatoes, and Seasoning.  When it’s ready, ladle half of it into a different pan.  Add a different Meat to each pan AND a different Pasta.  Ta da!  Two dishes with the work of only one!  Your kitchen will smell like Grandma’s Italian Kitchen!

INGREDIENTS:  Yields 3-4 servings

1 tbsp Butter

8 oz Mushrooms, sliced

1 lb Meat (Ground Meat, Andouille, Chorizo, Meatballs, Italian Sausage or cooked Chicken)

1 Large Sweet Onion, chopped

2-3 TBSP Garlic, chopped or minced

2 cups Fresh tomatoes, diced or 1 can Fire Roasted Tomatoes

1 TBSP spicy Seasoning (Creole or Cajun)

Black Pepper to taste

1 tsp each Parsley and Basil

16 oz Tortellini, Gnocchi, Ravioli, or Noodles or Shells, cooked Al Dente

Grated Romano, Asiago, or Parmesan for serving

PREPARATION:

     Cook the pasta in a large pot of water.

     Preheat a 12” skillet, and add Butter.  Cook Mushrooms, Onions, Garlic, (and Peppers if using) until tender. Add your Meat and cook until done.  (Chicken should be precooked.  Leftover chicken is perfect). 

     Add Tomatoes and bring to a simmer.  Cook until the juice has cooked down a bit.  If it seems to runny, add 1 TBSP Tomato Paste.  Add Seasonings and cooked Pasta.  Simmer 5 more minutes.  Sprinkle Grated Cheese to the pan or on top of each individual bowl when serving.  Serve with crusty Bread and a Salad.

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By Tika for CHEW WANNA EAT? © 2019

SLOW COOKER CHEESE TORTELLINI AND SPINACH

This wonderful recipe was contributed by my dear friend of many years, Richard Shear. School days, school days, we broke all the rules days. Ha Ha I’ll stop.

     His creation looks delicious, I must say. Give it a try! Thank you for sharing your recipe, Richard!

CHEESE TORTELLINI AND SPINACH

1 ( 19 oz ) Bag of frozen Cheese Tortellini

1 large bag of fresh Spinach

2 ( 14.5 oz ) cans of Italian Style Diced Tomato ( drained )

1 block ( 8 oz ) Cream Cheese ( softened )

1 lb Ground Sausage ( link sausage chunk small is my preference )

3 or 4 Cups Chicken Broth ( start with 3 , add 1 more if needed )

I use a Slow Cooker Bag in the Crock-pot so cleanup is fast and easy.

Brown the Sausage and chunk up Cream Cheese and put all ingredients in Crock-pot.

Stir after Spinach has reduced .

Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.

Serves 4 – 6

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By Tika for CHEW WANNA EAT? © 2015

TOMATO BISQUE WITH SHRIMP AND TORTELLINI

TOMATO BISQUE WITH SHRIMP AND TORTELLINI

I decided to make tomato bisque today.  Plain old tomato bisque.  Smooth creamy bisque.  I went out to the garage to grab an onion, and I saw my bag of potatoes.  Hmm, maybe a few diced potatoes would be incredibly good in the bisque. I brought the bag inside and began writing down my ingredients and preparation.  Yep, that’s how I cook.  I make it up as I go along.  Later, my husband mentioned shrimp and we both thought that would taste great.  I ran back out to the garage to the big freezer and while I was scrounging around looking for shrimp, I spotted the tortellini.  Just that fast, my mind snapped around it.  (Doesn’t take much for it to snap).  I ran back in the house with two bags while hollering to Bob that I knew how I wanted to make the bisque. Apparently he had gone to the other end of the house and I was talking to myself again.  *Sigh.  It happens a lot around here.

Anyway, here is my newest creation which has already been taste-tested and approved by four people. I put the full 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper in it and it has a big bite, so be careful not to overdo.  Yield is about 2 quarts.

INGREDIENTS:

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Good ½ cup each of diced celery and carrots

2 mini sweet peppers, diced

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 TBSP flour

3 TBSP low sodium soy sauce

1 can chicken broth

1 bay leaf

¼ – ½ tsp crushed red pepper

Black pepper to taste

One 28 oz can chunky style crushed tomatoes

1 TBSP tomato paste

3 TBSP soy sauce (low sodium)

1 can chicken broth

2 tsp sugar

1 TBSP butter

½ cup half and half

1 heaping cup of frozen tortellini
1 heaping cup of thawed, peeled and deveined shrimp

PREPARATION:

In a 6 qt saucepan, drizzle olive oil in hot pan and add celery, carrots, sweet peppers, onions and garlic. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until veggies are tender.

Sprinkle flour on top of cooked veggies and stir, allowing the flour to cook for a few minutes.  Add soy sauce, tomatoes, chicken broth, tomato paste, bay leaf, crushed red pepper and black pepper.  Turn heat down to a simmer and let it do its thing for about an hour.  Stir occasionally.

Remove the bay leaf and use a submersion blender to puree. *  (If you don’t have one, use your blender).  Return the bay leaf to the soup.

Since the soup is at a very low simmer, I cooked the tortellini for 3 minutes in a separate small saucepan.  When it was done, I scooped it out with an Asian skimmer, and placed it in a small bowl.  I brought the water back up to a boil and cooked the shrimp for 3 minutes in the same pan.  They are going to continue to cook, so do not over boil.  **

Remove your bay leaf now.  Add ½ cup half and half and the butter.  When heated through, add your cooked shrimp and tortellini.  Serve.

NOTES: * When using your immersion blender, do not make my mistake.  Don’t turn it on turbo.  I found it to be a very bad idea.

** AT this point, the soup looks suspiciously like the beginning of my vodka sauce.  If you notice that also, do not be tempted to add vodka.  You might be sorry. (Of course if you’ve had a bad day . . .)

ONION, CARROTS, CELERY, AND GARLIC

NOTE THE COLOR HERE AND HOW IT CHANGES SO MUCH LATER. THIS IS BEFORE SETTING MY         IMMERSION BLENDER ON TURBO SPEED

AFTER IT’S BEEN PUREED

TOMATO BISQUE WITH SHRIMP AND TORTELLINI

TOMATO BISQUE WITH SHRIMP AND TORTELLINI

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By Tika for CHEW WANNA EAT? 2015