Sweet and Spicy Chicken Apple Sausage Pasta

Do you ever find something on sale at the grocery store that sounds so good you can't pass it up, but then you get it home and have no idea how to use it? I do it all the time. I saw this chicken and apple sausage for a really great price (under $2 for the 1 lb package) and originally thought it would be great to just fry in the skillet and eat for lunch with some fruit and cheese. Then I got it home and lost my nerve to taste it so I threw it in the freezer until I could find a recipe for it.

Fast forward a month and that sausage seemed to be taunting me from the freezer so I turned to Pinterest. I found this awesome twist on one of my favorite dishes, Spicy Sausage Pasta, and thawed those sausages out to give it a try.

I was still a bit hesitant about the sausages. I didn't know if they would be super sweet or if they would have a different texture from the turkey smoked sausage I usually use. I was also concerned about combining apples with the zesty diced tomatoes and green chilies.

Here's what I discovered:

*Chicken and apple sausage is awesome! It has the same general texture and flavor as turkey smoked sausage with just a tiny bit of sweetness to it. In fact, the sweetness is almost an aftertaste, but a good one.
*Apples play well with tomatoes and green chilies. The sweetness of the apple tempers the spice of the green chilies and the tartness of the tomatoes. In the interest of full disclosure I will add that I used a Gala apple instead of a Granny Smith which probably added more sweetness but it was a sweetness that I personally enjoyed. I might try it again with the Granny Smith for a different texture and flavor, but the Gala worked fine for me.
*The cheese is completely optional. I love cheese, don't get me wrong. I just think it's unnecessary in this recipe. I might feel differently if I could finish it off under the broiler like the original recipe recommends, but I don't have an oven-safe skillet. I'll stick with the cheese-free version for now.

This is a fantastic spin on a recipe I already loved. I will be making this again as soon as that chicken and apple sausage goes on sale, and next time it won't spend nearly two months in the fridge before I get around to cooking it.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Apple Sausage Pasta

Source: Inspired by Charm

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb chicken and apple sausage, sliced
1 small onion, diced (optional)
1 small granny smith apple, chopped (or any other firm, tart apple)
2 cloves  garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 can chicken broth
1/2 cup milk (the recipe says cream but I used 2% and it was just fine)
8 oz pasta shapes
1 cup monterrey jack cheese, shredded (optional)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is beginning to soften and the sausage is mostly browned, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the apple and garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes, just until the garlic is fragrant.

Add the diced tomatoes and green chilies, chicken broth, milk, and pasta.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low/medium-low. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender.

Remove from the heat and stir in about half of the cheese. Sprinkle the other half of the cheese on top. If you are using an oven-safe skillet feel free to stick it under the broiler for a couple of minutes to brown the cheese, but if not just give it a few minutes to melt and then serve.

Serve warm with bread to sop up the sauce.

Sausage Gravy (Sawmill Gravy)

When it comes to breakfast, I pretty much like everything about it. I love oatmeal, scrambled eggs, breakfast meats (especially bacon), toast, pancakes, waffles, and fluffy, buttery biscuits. Biscuits aren't biscuits without some creamy sawmill gravy on top.

Gravy is tricky. There's a science to making gravy that can be a bit difficult. First you have to make the rue. A rue is a combination of fat and flour that acts as the thickener in gravy or sauce. The general rule is equal parts fat and flour and 2 Tbsp fat and 2 Tbsp flour per cup of liquid. This is the same way that you would start homemade cream of chicken or vegetable soup. The difference is that you will want to use only milk as your liquid for gravy.

Some people like white gravy while others like it dark. The only difference between the two is how long you cook the rue. If you leave the temperature low and continue stirring constantly you can cook the flour to a nice golden brown color or even darker for more flavor. Personally I like my gravy very white.

Once you have the fat:flour:liquid ration right gravy is a snap. You'll become a gravy expert in no time. The only other thing you need to know is this: If you cook your sausage first and leave the drippings in the pan (and sometimes leave a few crumbles of sausage in the pan as well) your gravy will have the most possible flavor. Then all you need is a little salt and a lot of pepper and your gravy will be perfect!

This gravy is ideal for biscuits and gravy but it's also quite good over breakfast casserole, fried chicken, chicken fried steak, and mashed potatoes.

Sausage Gravy (Sawmill Gravy)

Source: Mamaw Allison's Recipe

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
sausage drippings if available
4 cups milk (I use 2%)
1/2 tsp salt
a generous sprinkling of black pepper, fresh cracked is even better

Begin with a large, deep skillet. Non-stick is fine but if you have one that is not non-stick that's even better because you can use a wire whisk.

Cook your sausage and leave the drippings (and some bits of sausage if you like) in the pan. Over medium heat melt the butter. Wait until the butter is completely melted to add your flour.

Stir or whisk the flour and butter together to make the rue. It really is easier (and smoother) if you use the whisk. Now is the time to cook the rue to your desired darkness. I usually just cook it long enough to get all of it nice and bubbly but you can cook it on medium-low heat until the color pleases you.

Add 2 cups of the milk and whisk until the gravy is smooth (no lumps of flour) before adding the other 2 cups of milk. Whisk again until smooth.

Raise the temperature to medium-high and bring almost to a boil, stirring continuously to keep it from burning or sticking. (The flour will settle back to the bottom of the mixture and thicken rapidly. The continuous stirring will prevent this from happening and result in a smoother, more evenly cooked gravy.)

When the gravy is just beginning to really thicken turn the heat off. The residual heat from the pan and from the burner (if you're using an electric stove) will continue to thicken the gravy. I like mine thin enough to drizzle over my biscuits but Aaron prefers his quite a bit thicker.

Stir in the salt and pepper before serving.

Serve warm over fresh baked biscuits or breakfast casserole... or chicken or chicken fried steak or mashed potatoes.

Skillet Chicken and Gravy

One of the first things I ever learned to cook was skillet chicken. There are dozens of ways you can make it. When I was in 4th or 5th grade I started out making it with some "Tiger Seasoning" (at the time it was called "Praise Allah" I think) and testing various other spices on it. I probably went through my parents' entire spice rack experimenting. I liked to use cooking wine to deglaze the pan and then cook down some peppercorns in the gravy.

Peanut Chicken Stir Fry

I don't get to eat enough stir fry. I miss working down the street from a small Chinese restaurant where I could just drive down and pick up lunch once a week. I miss fried rice and saucy chicken and vegetables and since I don't get to make it often at home I have to compromise and make it for Yaya and Nana for our Monday night dinners.

Skillet Pork Chops

This is a go-to meal for me when I need to make a quick substitution to my regular menu. On those days when I'm unexpectedly busy or just too tired to stand in the kitchen for an hour to cook dinner this is what I make.

Skillet Enchilada Pasta

A skillet meal! You know what that means... easy to cook, easy to eat, and easy to clean!

I am all about skillet meals on busy nights. Any recipe that says "One-Pan" in the title usually leaps to the top of my try it list. What's easier than throwing everything in the pan and letting it simmer for a few minutes?

Homemade Bacon Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper

I've admitted more than once that I actually like Hamburger Helper meals. It's not just the ease of the meal either, I like the taste as well. But as I've said before there are just too many preservatives and additives in those boxed meals that I can't bring myself to ingest on a regular basis, let alone feed them to Bailey.

Chicken and Vegetable Stroganoff

My brother is a big fan of beef stroganoff, but personally I'm not all that fond of red meat. I like a good burger every now and then and I love chili, but I am perfectly happy making both with chicken or turkey instead of beef. Once in a blue moon I will crave a steak, but I like to go out for steak.

I'll admit that beef stroganoff has grown on me. Especially when I can control the ingredients. I can leave out the onions and go easy on the sour cream... and if I want to I can make it with chicken instead of beef!

Beef Stroganoff (or Beef with Noodles)

When I was little we ate Hamburger Helper at least once a week. Sometimes more often. I'll be the first to admit that I actually like Hamburger Helper... well, some flavors anyway. I'm fond of any of the Italian and Mexican kinds, but one that I'm not particularly taken with is the beef stroganoff.

Spicy Sausage Pasta Skillet (updated)

I know it's not been that long since I wrote my original post for this recipe.  I wouldn't have updated it so soon, except that after I made it the second time Aaron decided he didn't care for it.  Since I had made some sacrifices in the recipe for his sake (such as switching the can of diced tomatoes and green chiles for a can of tomato sauce and a can of green chiles) I decided I was going to start making this as a hot lunch option for Bailey and myself.

Sweet Corn and Bacon Skillet Mac and Cheese

It's new recipe night!

I love new recipe night.  Tonight was particularly fun because the new recipe is one of Aaron's favorite foods.  That's an almost guaranteed hit with him.

Chicken and Potato Burritos

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Cracker Barrel Grilled Chicken Tenders

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Bowtie Skillet Lasagna

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Breakfast burritos

I try to keep a variety of foods in our breakfast menu because it seems like Bailey gets tired of things quickly.  I can only feed her Cheerios and bananas and yogurt so many days before she flat out refuses to eat it anymore.  So today I tried out an easy new (to her) meal.

Spicy sausage pasta skillet

I have been so excited about this recipe for weeks.  I don't know if I repinned it from a friend or if I discovered it on my own on Pinterest or when I was blog surfing.  I can't remember, but after making my post on Sunday with my menu for the week I noticed that one of the blogs I follow had the same title for her Sunday night post.  She must have found the recipe and gotten as excited as I did.  Hers sounded almost like mine, except of course I had to make a substitution to please the picky eater around here and hers used a different type of cheese.