Italian Skillet Dinner
Cooking Sort of Italian with an Italian Skillet Dinner
Have we ever discussed how I found out I am part Italian? I can’t remember. My dad, retired and bored, decided to look into our background. His parents were pretty easy. Almost everyone in his family is Irish with one Native American grandfather from Canada. Simple. My mom is also Irish. Or so we thought. He discovered that her paternal grandfather was from Italy and changed his name. It’s a little weird going through life thinking you are one thing and finding you are another, but it is kind of fun. In celebration of this mystery relative, I have been trying to get in touch with this new side by creating new meals. This Italian skillet dinner is one such thing.
Italian Veggies, Some Sausage, a Skillet
To be fair, my daughter-in-law is legit Italian and her cooking is INCREDIBLE. I want her to have her own blog, but she is too humble. Anyway, I have a lot to learn about Italian cooking and I hope she will help me. I would love to be able to replicate some of her dishes. In the meantime, I have chopped up some “Italian” vegetables and tossed them with sausage meat. It may not be the most authentically Italian meal, but it’s a start.
You Can Always Add Cheese
One of the best things about this meal is that it can be cooked in one dish. I browned mild Italian sausage meat and set it aside. After that, I cooked garlic, red onion, zucchini, grape tomatoes, and Italian seasoning in the same skillet I used for the meat. Once everything was cooked and soft, I added back the meat and a very large handful of shredded cheese.
One Skillet = Less Washing
I served my Italian skillet meal over a mixture of leftover pasta. Anything tube shaped – rigatoni, penne, etc. – will do. This meal is very quick, very easy, and very flavorful. It is also a nice way to get a bunch of veggies at one time. And did I mention one skillet? Fewer dishes!
Here’s to learning more about being Italian – especially the recipes!
Italian Skillet Dinner
Ingredients
- 1 lb sausage meat mild, sweet, or hot
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium red onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 zucchini
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 cup shredded cheese Parmesan or four cheese Italian blend
Instructions
- Wash and prepare the vegetables before you begin cooking. Slice the onion. Mince the garlic. Slice the zucchini. I forgot to peel the zucchini but it turns out the peel is actually good for you and entirely edible. Let's pretend I did it on purpose.
- While you are cooking the meat and vegetables, cook some pasta according to the package directions. I used a mix of leftover pastas – rigatoni and penne. Any tube shaped pasta is fine.
- Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat.
- Add the sausage meat to the skillet, breaking it into pieces.
- Cook the meat over medium high heat until it is no longer pink.
- Remove the cooked sausage from the skillet and place it on a plate lined with paper towels.
- If there is a lot of oil left from the sausage, pour some of it off. You can cook the vegetables in the same pan without cleaning it, but you don't want it to be too greasy. If the pan is really dry, you can add a bit of the remaining olive oil.
- Add the garlic and onion, cooking over medium high heat until fragrant but not browned, about four minutes.
- Add the zucchini and tomatoes, cooking until soft.
- Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
- The zucchini will soften and the tomatoes will begin to burst open. This will take somewhere between 7 and 10 minutes. If the pan gets too dry, you can always add a little oil. You can also lower the hit a bit if you feel like it is getting too brown, too quickly.
- When the veggies are cooked, return the sausage to the pan and heat through.
- Top with the shredded cheese. I added about a cup, but you can add a bit less or a bit more according to your taste.
- When the cheese is melted, your dish is done! Serve over the cooked pasta.
