Tag Archives: turkey sausage

Crock Pot Italian Sloppy Joe

Turkey sausage, peppers and onions slow cooked in the crock pot with crushed tomatoes and spices for an easy weeknight meal. Serve this on a roll with baby spinach and melted cheese if desired for a sloppy yet delicious sandwich.

This is good stuff! We all gave it a thumbs up, and I will surely be making this again. Next time I may even serve this over spaghetti squash or pasta.

For those of you on Weight Watchers, the filling alone is 4 points plus, with the bun and cheese it comes to 8 for a filling complete meal; perfect for lunch or dinner. This is easy, inexpensive and perfect for football; you can double the recipe for more servings. If you want to do this on the stove top, simply simmer in a heavy pot for 30 minutes.

For a more traditional Sloppy Joe, made on the stove, try my Skinny Sloppy Joe Recipe! And for those of you who don’t have access to turkey or chicken sausage, you can easily make your own with this recipe, homemade turkey sausage.

I’ve been getting so many emails asking me what slow cooker I use, I’ve had many bad experiences with crock pots cooking to hot and turning out strange tasting food… but my current Slow Cooker, the Hamilton Beach Set and Forget 6 Quart Slow Cooker is great and I’ve had good results each time. I’m sure there may be others that are just as good, but I can only vouch for this one.

Zuzu’s Notes: We serve ours on Sandwich Thins, which brings the Old Weight Watchers Points to 5pts per sandwich

Crock Pot Italian Sloppy Joe
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 6 • Size: 1 sandwich • Old Points: 6 pts • Weight Watchers Points+: 8 pts*
Calories: 316 • Fat: 11.4 g • Protein: 27 g • Carb: 27.4 g • Fiber: 14 g • Sugar: 7.6 g
Sodium: 461.5 mg (without the salt)

*without cheese: 6 pts plus • filling only: 4 pts plus

Ingredients:

1 lb Italian turkey sausage, removed from casing
1/2 cup chopped onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
1 green bell pepper, chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/3 cups crushed tomatoes (Tutorosso)
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

For serving:

6 whole wheat 100 calorie potato rolls**
6 slices reduced fat provolone (Sargento)
1 cup baby spinach

Directions:

In a medium non-stick skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat, breaking up as it cooks into small bits until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Add onions and garlic, and cook another 2 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker and add the bell peppers, crushed tomatoes, rosemary and fresh cracked pepper.
Cover and cook on low 4 hours. Makes 3 1/2 cups.

To serve, place heaping 1/2 cup of meat on a roll and if desired, top with cheese and baby spinach.

Makes 6 servings.

**Use gluten-free bread to make this gluten-free.

Pasta with Butternut Sauce, Spicy Sausage and Baby Spinach

Spicy chicken sausage is the perfect compliment to this creamy pasta dish made with butternut squash, baby spinach, parmesean and a touch of sage. It’s filling and comforting on a chilly winter night.

Since making Spaghetti with Creamy Butternut Leek Sauce a few weeks back, I am officially hooked. I love how the butternut squash feels like a decadent creamy sauce without the need for heavy cream. And with the addition of parmesan and hot sausage, the end result is savory and delicious.

Pasta with Spicy Sausage, Baby Spinach and Creamy Butternut Sauce
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 5 • Size: 1 1/4 cups • Old Points: 7 pts • Points+: 9
Calories: 362 • Fat: 8 g • Carb: 55 g • Fiber: 5 g • Protein: 20 g • Sugar: 1 g
Sodium: 419 mg (without salt)

Ingredients:

11 oz (4 links) spicy chicken Italian sausage
1 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 tbsp light butter
10 oz casarecce, or pasta of your choice
1/4 cup shallots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
2 tbsp fresh shaved parmesan cheese
4 sage leaves, sliced thin
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add butternut squash and cook until soft. Remove squash with a slotted spoon and place in a blender, blend until smooth.

Add pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions for al dente, reserving at least 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.

Meanwhile, in a large deep non-stick skillet, sauté sausage over medium heat until browned, breaking up with a spoon as it cooks. When cooked through, set aside on a plate.

Reduce heat to medium-low and melt the butter, sauté the shallots and garlic until soft and golden, about 5 – 6 minutes. Add pureed butternut squash, season with with salt and fresh cracked pepper and add a little of the reserved pasta water (I used about 1 cup) to thin out the sauce to your liking. Add baby spinach and stir in parmesan cheese and sage.

Toss in cooked pasta and sausage and mix until well coated.

Serve with additional parmesan cheese on the side if desired.

Makes about 6 cups.