Ravioli with Sausage and Brussels Sprouts

Lately I’ve been doing very sneaky things with food at dinnertime in my house.  Hubby has come a long way in terms of eating a wide variety of food he never used to, but he still turns up his nose sometimes.  I refuse to take a low blow and sneak in his most loathed food: mushrooms {which I freaking love by the way!}, but I will sneak in some of his lesser-favorite veggies.  Like two nights ago when I made this ravioli dish...he scarfed it down with no questions.  Yesterday when he was chowing down on the leftovers at lunch, he said “What is in this?”.  I said, “Um, ravioli, sausage, a little sauce made with chicken broth and a splash of white wine...”, he said, “What’s the green stuff?”...  “Ummmm...shaved brussels sprouts...”.  He made a face but kept right on eating.  Score!  Sometimes things just look like you might not like them....like when you’re staring face down into a pile of mini cabbages.... but shred ‘em up and you’ve got a nice little pile of veggies on your plate.  Much easier to tackle!

I made this dish with some fantastic Lamb-Rosemary sausage that I picked up at the Italian Market in Philadelphia the last time I was there, but feel free to use any sausage you prefer -- turkey, chicken, anything really!  

Ravioli with Sausage and Brussels Sprouts (serves 4)

adapted from Women’s Day Magazine, January 2013

1 lb. cheese ravioli

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 lb Italian turkey sausage, casings removed {or any sausage you prefer}

12 oz. brussels sprouts, cut and thinly sliced

salt and pepper

1/2 c. low sodium chicken broth

1/4 c. dry white wine

2 tbsp butter

grated parmesan or romano cheese, to serve

1. Cook ravioli according to package instructions.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned, 6 to 7 minutes.
3. Add brussels sprouts, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and cook, tossing for 2 minutes.  Add broth, wine and butter and bring to a simmer.  Serve over ravioli and sprinkle with cheese if desired.

Ravioli with Pesto, Squash and Sage

Today’s recipe absolutely screams fall and since the weather here in South Carolina has been on the chilly side, it was a perfect {easy} and satisfying.  This is pretty much a  “Semi-Homemade” meal if there ever was one....using frozen cheese ravioli and prepared pesto.  It took about 30 minutes total to prepare this dish and even though it’s a vegetarian meal, the husband really enjoyed it {of course he did request that there is bacon in it next time I make it...lol}.  If you think you want a heartier dish, feel free to add diced chicken breast or bacon.  Also, the most tedious part of this recipe is peeling and chopping the butternut squash, but I have seen bags of peeled and diced squash in the grocery store with the other prepared chopped veggies.  Huge timesaver!

Ravioli with Pesto, Squash and Sage

from Redbook Magazine

12 oz. large cheese ravioli

8 oz butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch dice

1/4 c. pesto sauce

1/4 c. walnut pieces, toasted

16 sage leaves

1/4 c. grated fresh parmesan

1. Heat a large saucepan of salted water to boiling.  Add squash and cook for 5 minutes.  Cook ravioli according to package.  Toss with pesto.  
2. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium high, add squash, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes.  Remove to bowl.
3. Add 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to skillet and cook sage leaves until crisp, 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Drain on paper towels.
4. Spoon squash over ravioli, garnish with walnuts, sage and parmesan cheese.