Pizza Casserole

This recipe is an adaptation of a recipe from http://www.kitchme.com/recipes/pizza-casserole. I've made it numerous times, and you can adapt it however you like to suit your tastes. It's very versatile.  Try adding browned Italian sausage, onion, black olives, cheddar cheese, etc. - whatever you would like.  This casserole is very good. Use whatever kind of pasta you want. I usually use Ziti or the corkscrew pasta. I have another version of this dish that I will post, soon.

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2 cups uncooked Ziti pasta (about 1/2 of a 16. oz box)
1 pound ground beef
chopped green pepper
1 cup pepperoni slices - I maybe use 1/2 of a package
1 - 2 (16 oz.) jars pizza sauce
4 tbsp milk
1 cup (at least) shredded Mozzarella cheese (I've used shredded Mozzarella-Provolone)

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, brown the hamburger and drain. Add the cooked pasta, green pepper, pepperoni, pizza sauce, and milk. Stir well. Pour into a 9 x 13" baking dish and top with the cheese. Add additional pepperoni slices on top, if you wish. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until cheese has melted and browned.

Notes:
You can sprinkle on Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning on the top of the casserole dish before baking, if desired.

Breakfast Sausage Bake

This is a recipe that I got from my sister-in-law, years ago. It's so old, that the salad croutons the recipe calls for, are no longer made in boxes. You can easily substitute whatever salad crouton that is available in your area. I'm making a guess on the size bag, since I never wrote down the size box at the time - but if I had to guess on the size, I would say they came in 6 ounce boxes. Doing a Google image search, I find that the bags are 5 1/2 ounce bags, so I say, close enough.

This is a recipe that needs to be made ahead of time, since it needs to sit for at least 8 hours in the refrigerator before baking. The original recipe does not call for browning the sausage first, and I never did, but it still came out just fine. If you want to brown the sausage first so that you can drain any grease that might accumulate, please feel free to do so. You could easily substitute chopped up ham, if you would prefer. 

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1 and 1/2 bags of Brownberry seasoned salad croutons (Approximately 5 1/2 oz. bags each)*

1 16 oz. roll regular Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage**

12 eggs ( This also works well using 8-10 eggs, if needed)

1 cup milk

1 tsp dry mustard

1 (8 oz.) bag shredded Cheddar cheese (2 cups)

Grease a 9 x 13" baking pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with the croutons. Take the raw sausage and break it up, spreading evenly over the croutons. (See note below**) Sprinkle cheese over the sausage. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, and dry mustard. Pour over all in the baking pan. Cover, and allow to chill in the refrigerator overnight, or at least several hours to allow the egg mixture to soak into the croutons. Bake in a preheated oven 350 degrees, for 40-45 minutes, until puffy and browned well.

* Note: These used to come in boxes but now they come in sealed bags. I 'm guessing they came in 6-oz boxes, but now come in 5 1/2 oz. bags. Use whatever is available to you. Feel free to use more than what is called for, if you seem to have too much egg mixture. The croutons should absorb whatever is there as it sits overnight in the refrigerator.

** Note: You may use without browning first, or you may brown is and drain any grease that accumulates. Either way, is just fine.

Egg Bake

This is fresh out of the oven.

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My sister Sandy, made this Egg Bake for our family's breakfast on Christmas Day.  It is delicious, and the recipe is pretty versatile.  For any vegetarians, you can easily leave out the meat.  For any that don't like cheese, that can be left out, as well.

1 pkg Jimmy Dean Sausage (cooked, crumbled and drained)
green and/or red bell pepper, diced, and cooked along with the sausage
onion, diced, and cooked along with the sausage
4 cups cubed, day-old bread
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
10 eggs, slightly beaten
4 cups milk (my sister used 2 cups skim milk and 2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp onion powder (my sister did not add, since she used fresh onion)

Place bread in a well-buttered 9x13" baking dish.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Combine the eggs, milk, dry mustard, salt, pepper and onion salt, if using and pour over the bread and cheese.  Sprinkle with the sausage, pepper and onion mixture.  Cover and chill overnight.

The next morning, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Bake, uncovered, for about 1 hour, or until cooked all the way through in the center, and the center is set.  Tent baking dish with foil, if the top browns too quickly.

Remove from the oven and allow to set up for easier cutting, about 10 minutes.  Serve.

See how deep and velvety it is?

State Fair Subs

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I got this recipe from Taste of Home's "Quick Cooking" magazine in 2001. They are one of my son's favorite sandwiches.

1 (1 - lb) loaf French Bread (I use hoagie buns)
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 lb hot Italian sausage
chopped onion, optional
2 cups (8 oz) shredded Mozzarella cheese

Cut bread in half lengthwise, and carefully hollow out top and bottom of loaf, leaving a 1" shell. Cube the removed bread. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, pepper and salt. Add the bread cubes and toss to coat; set aside.

In a skillet, over medium heat, cook sausage and onion until the meat is no longer pink, drain. Add the sausage to the bread mixture. Spoon filling into the bread shells, sprinkle with cheese. Wrap each in foil and bake 400 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Cut into serving-sized slices.

Breakfast Pizza

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 I started making this about 23 years ago, and I made it quite often when my kids were younger. I haven't made it in years ... it was just one of those recipes you sort of forget about, but I'm not sure why. It is very quick and easy to make and it's very good. I know the bacon on the side is a little overkill, and this would be a perfect combination served with blueberry muffins - I just didn't have enough time to make the muffins when I made this. Served with orange juice, and coffee and you have the perfect breakfast or brunch. I probably overcooked this a little bit, so the cheese doesn't have to look as golden brown as it does in the picture when you make it! :]

1 (8-oz) container Pillsbury crescent rolls
1 (10-oz) pkg sausage links (I use Banquet's Brown 'N Serve, Original flavor), cooked according to pkg directions and sliced*
4 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded or sliced
4 oz Cheddar or Colby (I used a whole 8-oz pkg of shredded Co-Jack cheese - original recipe calls for all Monterey Jack cheese. I  have always done half Monterey Jack and half Cheddar or Colby)

4 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Generously grease a 9 x 13" pan and lay the crescent rolls flat, pressing the seams together. Layer on the sausages, and then the cheese. Beat together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over all and bake 425 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes, or until cooked through and cheese is melted and browned. Do not overbake.

*This would be good with a bulk Italian sausage, browned. You can use any sausage you want, really.

Baked Ziti with Sausage

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This recipe is adapted from a recipe in Cook's Country magazine.

1 lb. bulk hot Italian sausage
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-oz) can diced tomatoes

1 tbsp olive oil, optional
Italian seasoning, to taste (I use the "Grinder" kind)
dried oregano and basil leaves, to taste
1 lb box Ziti, Penne or Rotini pasta
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Provalone cheese, cut into small pieces - use as much as you like - I use probably 2-3 oz worth, optional  

(Sometimes I use Sargento's (8-oz) shredded Mozzarella/Provalone blend in place of the Mozzarella and Provalone cheeses listed above)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13" pan. Brown the sausage in a large skillet and drain. Add the crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil and add the seasonings and olive oil. Simmer, covered, until sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in 4 quarts of water, with 1 tbsp salt added in a large pot. Cook until slightly underdone, drain. Return the pasta to the pot and add the meat sauce. Stir well.

Pour half of the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the cheeses. Pour remaining pasta mixture  into dish and top with the remaining cheeses. Bake until cheeses are melted and golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Serve with a tossed salad and crusty French bread.

NOTES: You can use part hamburger or even all hamburger if you want, or even add pepperoni. This is a pretty versatile recipe.

Sausage and Peppers

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The sausages can be either hot or sweet, with fennel seeds or without. Just make sure they are fresh.

1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 onions, sliced
6 bell peppers, green, red or a mixture, cut into 1/2-inch - wide slices
salt to taste
8 hot or sweet Italian sausages, about 2 pounds

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the garlic until it begins to brown, and then discard it. You really just want to flavor the oil. Add the onions and cook until soft, stirring from time to time so they cook evenly. Don't let them brown. Add the bell peppers and salt, stir well and cover and cook over low heat until they're soft, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the sausages. First pierce them all over with a fork and either broil them until they're golden, grill them, or cook them in another skillet over medium heat with several tbsp of water, turning them so they cook evenly. It will take about 15 minutes for the water to evaporate and the sausages to cook.

When the sausages are done and the peppers are ready, mix them together and cook in a skillet for about  5 minutes, for the flavors to blend. Serve with a crusty Italian bread.

Sandy's Egg Bake

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This recipe comes from my sister. It is very good! The remarks and changes that she made to it are in parentheses.

1 pkg. Jimmy Dean Sausage
green and/or red bell pepper, chpd (recipe didn't call for this ... I just added ... I browned it with the sausage)
onion, chpd (recipe didn't call for this ... I just added it ... I browned it with the sausage)
4 cups cubed day-old bread
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
10 eggs, slightly beaten
4 cups milk
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion pwd (I skipped this since I added fresh onion)
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Place bread in well-buttered 9 x 13" baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Combine the eggs, milk and seasonings together and then pour evenly over the bread and cheese. Sprinkle sausage, onion, bell peppers over top. Cover and chill overnight. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour. Tent foil if top begins to brown too quickly.

Sausage Souffle

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This recipe comes from my sister-in-law.

12 eggs
1 tube regular Jimmy Dean Sausage, crumbled and browned
2 cups (8 oz.) cheddar cheese
1 1/2 boxes Brownberry Seasoned (salad) croutons
1 cup milk

Grease a 9 x 13" pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with the croutons. Spread the sausage evenly over the croutons. Top with the cheese. Mix together the eggs and milk and pour over all. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake 350 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes.

Sausage Sandwich Squares

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This recipe comes from Taste of Home

3 - 3 1/2 cups flour
1 pkg (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups warm water (120 to 130 degrees)
1 lb bulk Italian sausage
1 sweet red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
4 cups (16 oz) shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 egg
1 tbsp water
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp oregano leaves
1/8 tsp garlic pwd

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast and salt. Add warm water; mix well. Add enough remaining flour to form a firm dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 50 minutes.

In a skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink; remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the drippings, saute the peppers and onion until tender; drain. Press half the dough onto the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a greased 15 x 10 x 1" jelly roll pan. Spread sausage evenly over the crust. Top with peppers and onion. sprinkle with the Mozzarella cheese.

Roll out remaining dough to fit pan; place over cheese and seal edges. In a small bowl, combine the egg and water. Add the Parmesan cheese, parsley, oregano and garlic pwd; mix well. Brush over dough. Cut slits in top. Bake 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into squares.