I’ve got a plan for your weekend….it’s chilly outside so why not stay inside and create a warm and flavorful meal for dinner with your friends & family. The winter weather months usually convince me to cook more stew, sauces, and chili and I love sharing them with friends & family paired with some wine and maybe a few fun games!
This zucchini and turkey sausage stew is one of my favorites. I use a turkey sausage in the casing from ShadyBrook Farms, Sweet Italian Sausage. It’s pretty lean and adds a lot of flavorful to the dish. Zucchini are pretty easy to purchase at many farmer’s markets and so are onions! Lastly you’ll need some crushed and peeled tomatoes so I suggest purchasing the canned tomatoes to make the recipe in less time.
Ingredients (Serving size for 6)
1 package of Sweet Italian Sausage in the casing (6 links)
2 cans (16 oz.) of peeled and crushed tomatoes
2 medium sized zucchinis
1 medium sized onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp oregano
1 Tbsp basil
1 Tbsp parsley
Directions:
Remove the turkey sausage from the casing by slicing the individual pieces lengthwise and removing the outside casing of each. Then, place the turkey sausage in a frying pan and place over medium heat with 2 cloves of minced garlic. Stir the pan constantly to avoid the sausage from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the sausage is completely brown, ensuring that it is cooked through. Remove from heat when ready and place on the side.
Prepare the zucchini and onion by peeling the skin off the zucchini and cutting round pieces of about 1/4 of an inch thick so that it’s easier to cook. The onion can be chopped in quarters and then sixteenths (not diced). Thicker pieces of onion are fine for the stew. Add the chopped zucchini and onion to a medium sized pot with about 1/3 cup water over medium heat on the stovetop. Stir on occasion and cook until both zucchini and onion are translucent, about 15 minutes or so. Add both cans of canned tomatoes and all spices into the pot with zucchini and onion. Then add the cooked turkey sausage. Keep the pot over medium heat, covered or uncovered for about 1 hour, stirring to ensure that the ingredients do not stick to the bottom of the pot. You can stir every 20 minutes or so and you may also need to turn down the heat to a low-medium to ensure that nothing burns. You’ll notice the tomatoes start to breakdown and the ingredients begin to blend together. This all takes around an hour or possibly less time. The amazing smell of the stew will fill your kitchen so you won’t even need to call your family for dinner. They’ll just come running!!