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Sausage and Tortellini

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Meet your family’s new favorite easy weeknight meal: this sausage and tortellini isn’t just mouthwatering, it’s also a super easy one-pot meal.

Meet your family's new favorite easy weeknight meal: this sausage and tortellini isn't just mouthwatering, it's also a super easy one-pot meal.

Does your family have a meal that’s always available as a backup? A recipe that you make sure to keep all the ingredients on hand for? If you’re a fan of easy weeknight meals, you’ll want to add this one to your arsenal.

If you open our refrigerator and don’t find a package of tortellini and a hunk of sausage, it’s probably because I made this meal in the last few days. There are several reasons why we eat this sausage and tortellini a couple times a month, with the main reason being that it’s just so good.

Beyond the fact that we love the hearty sausage and the rich tortellini, I also like that this meal is quick. It comes together quickly, in about 20 minutes. It’s made all in one pot and the pasta isn’t boiled separately, it’s just tossed in with the other ingredients and simmered there.

A supper that’s quick to prepare, only requires one pot, and brings together smoky sausage, garlic, and cheese-filled tortellini? I’m not sure what else you could ask for.

Meet your family's new favorite easy weeknight meal: this sausage and tortellini isn't just mouthwatering, it's also a super easy one-pot meal.

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baked spaghetti

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baked spaghetti is a quick, versatile, crowd-pleasing meal | winstead wandering

This baked spaghetti is my default the-labor-intensive-meal-I-had-planned-is-so-not-happening-tonight meal. It can be thrown together in just a few minutes more than the time it takes to cook the pasta, and it’s made with ingredients we almost always have on hand.

Don’t let the recipe’s simplicity fool you, though. This spaghetti is cheesy and gooey and saucy and just about everything you could want in a pasta dish. Plus, the way it bakes with the cheese and the sauce holding everything together makes it much easier to eat than a traditional spaghetti.

I love that this recipe is completely adaptable. You can use any type of noodles and cheese you have on hand, and you can totally toss in a handful of your favorite fresh or frozen veggies. Even my picky eater husband devours this dish and asks for seconds.What more can you want?

baked spaghetti is a quick, versatile, crowd-pleasing meal | winstead wandering

Baked Spaghetti

1 lb. whole grain spaghetti
1 1/2 c. spaghetti sauce
2 c. cheese, divided (I usually use half cheddar and half mozzarella)
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp parsley flakes
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

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garlic parmesan pasta

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garlic parmesan pasta recipe | winstead wandering

Pasta gets a bad rep. Sure, most people agree that it’s delicious.But then there’s talk of the carbs and the glycemic index and suddenly pasta doesn’t seem like a great option.

Though I am by no means a nutritionist, I’m here to tell you that pasta can be healthy. If you choose a whole grain version and eat just one serving, you don’t have anything to worry about.

The best way to ensure your pasta is good for you is to add good stuff to it. Chicken, broccoli, milk, peas. Of course you’ll likely want to add cheese, too, but with moderation, it’s all good.

This pasta is delightful on its own. It’s coated in the creamy cheese sauce and sprinkled with herbs. The sauce is garlicky and flavorful without being heavy. In the batch pictured here I added just chicken, but I’ve also made it with onions and peppers and it was brilliant.

garlic parmesan pasta recipe | winstead wandering

Garlic Parmesan Pasta
adapted from Lil’ Luna

1/2 box whole grain pasta
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup milk (I use skim)
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
additional add-ins, such as chicken or vegetables (optional)

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sausage, egg, and cheese crescent roll bake

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sausage, egg, and cheese crescent roll bake: a quick breakfast, lunch or dinner | winstead wandering

We’re no strangers to brinner- breakfast + dinner- around my house. In fact, we probably have it at least twice a week. I love it because most breakfast options are fast and frugal, which are two huge factors I use in determining what we’ll be eating each week.

The other thing I love about the meals in my brinner rotation is that they can all be easily customized. One meat can be subbed for another, vegetables can be switched out based on what you have around, and using a specific kind of cheese isn’t that important.

All of the above apply to this sausage, egg, and cheese crescent roll bake. You could easily use bacon or ham instead of sausage and add any kind of veggies you like (to the whole dish or just to a portion). I use a cheddar cheese blend, because that’s what I usually have on hand, but most anything would work.

That's a chubby toddler hand sneaking in to steal a grape :)

That’s a chubby toddler hand sneaking in to steal a grape 🙂

sausage, egg, and cheese crescent roll bake
adapted from Six Sisters’ Stuff

1 small can of crescent rolls (you only need four rolls; you can always buy the regular size and find another use for the leftover four)
1/2 pound ground sausage, cooked and drained
3/4 cup shredded cheese
4 eggs
2 tablespoons of milk
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon minced onion

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french bread pizza

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This pizza is the easiest meal you'll ever make. You can use whatever toppings you want and use $1 bread from Walmart. You can't beat cheap and tasty! | winstead wandering

The other day, I made what I consider to be a brilliant discovery.

I don’t remember what I was originally looking for, but I noticed that Walmart sells, in their bakery department, fresh loaves of French and Italian bread for $1. ONE DOLLAR. When I saw the price, my mind buzzed with possibilities. Oh, the things I could make with a $1 loaf of bakery-fresh bread.

So, of course, I bought a loaf.

French bread pizza can, of course, be made using homemade bread; I make it that way often. But even those, like me, who love to bake, sometimes need a go-to meal that’s easy to throw together and doesn’t require a lot of ingredients. When that’s the case, this pizza fits the bill.

The only ingredient you really have to have is the bread. Beyond that, you can use- or not use- whatever sauce, cheese, and toppings you have around. I find that this meal is a great vehicle for leftovers. If I have chicken and vegetables in the fridge from a meal earlier in the week, I’ll chop them up and call them pizza toppings. And, unlike a traditional pizza recipe, this one easily accommodates eaters with different preferences. Just give each person their own section and let them customize the meal.

This pizza is the easiest meal you'll ever make. You can use whatever toppings you want and use $1 bread from Walmart. You can't beat cheap and tasty! | winstead wandering

French Bread Pizza

1 loaf of French (or Italian) bread, homemade or from a bakery
toppings of choice
Oregano
olive oil
garlic salt

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