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Sausage-Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers

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Looking for a snack that’s satisfying to low carb eaters and non-low carb eaters alike? These spicy, cheesy, and perfectly crunchy Low Carb Sausage-Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers will have everyone coming back for more.

Looking for a snack that's satisfying to low carb eaters and non-low carb eaters alike? These spicy, cheesy, and perfectly crunchy Low Carb Sausage-Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers will have everyone coming back for more.

I took my oldest child and my only son, G, grocery shopping with me the other day. He doesn’t usually care to go, but this time he was eager. He was so helpful during the whole trip. G insisted on carrying the list, reading me the items, and checking them off when we put them in the cart.

I kept marveling at home sweet he was being and how much I was enjoying our time together. Until . . . We passed by the clothing section, and I stopped to admire a really cute top. I asked if he thought it was cute and, without hesitation, he replied, “I think it’s halfway to being cute.”

At least he’s tactful? I got a good laugh from his comment, and then we continued on to get the rest of the items on our list. Those items included everything necessary to make these Low Carb Sausage-Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers. Y’all, these things are so good. I originally saw the recipe shared in a low carb Facebook group I’ve in, and I knew right away I had to make them, with my own spin, of course.

Low Carb Sausage-Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers are the perfect example of a recipe that doesn’t feel like a “diet” recipe. How could it when it’s packed with cream cheese, pepperjack cheese, and sausage? These little bites are wonderful as an appetizer or a snack, and I think they’d be great as a side for dinner, too.

Looking for a snack that's satisfying to low carb eaters and non-low carb eaters alike? These spicy, cheesy, and perfectly crunchy Low Carb Sausage-Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers will have everyone coming back for more.

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Southern Sausage Balls

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Loaded with hearty sausage and plenty of golden, melted cheese, Southern Sausage Balls make the perfect appetizer, snack, or party food.

Loaded with hearty sausage and plenty of golden, melted cheese, Southern Sausage Balls make the perfect appetizer, snack, or party food.

I’m not saying sausage balls are an exclusively southern dish. I’m just saying that, while the only ones I ever had while growing up in Oregon were made by southern relatives, they’re a staple at nearly every wedding and baby shower in The South. And because most people are huge fans of anything that combines cheese, pork, and some of form of bread, Southern Sausage Balls are always a hit.

I ate them for years and loved them; I even made them myself. Then one day my mother-in-law made a batch (actually, I’m sure it was at least a double batch) with a new secret ingredient. That secret ingredient was cream cheese and, y’all, it revolutionized the sausage ball eating experience. If you think that’s an exaggeration, you’ve clearly never eaten Southern Sausage Balls with cream cheese.

The addition of the cream cheese ups the moistness of the recipe and leaves all other versions tasting dry and boring. Even if regular sausage balls are already in your repertoire, I implore you to add cream cheese. It’s a total game-changer. If you’ve never made Southern Sausage Balls at all, what are you waiting for? Make them for game-day, for a party, or just for breakfast or a snack at home.

Loaded with hearty sausage and plenty of golden, melted cheese, Southern Sausage Balls make the perfect appetizer, snack, or party food.

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Creamy Sausage Macaroni and Cheese

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A grown-up take on a classic childhood dish, Creamy Sausage Macaroni and Cheese is as hearty and satisfying as it is easy and simple.

A grown-up take on a classic childhood dish, Creamy Sausage Macaroni and Cheese is as hearty and satisfying as it is easy and simple.

Surely I’m not the only person who grew up eating macaroni and cheese (blue box only, please) with sliced hot dogs mixed in. While I’d like to think my palate is slightly more refined than it was 20 or 25 years ago, child Abby pretty much considered that meal a delicacy. We spent a lot of time each summer with my dad’s mom, Granny, and any day we could convince her to make hot dogs and macaroni was a good day.

Truth be told, there’s probably enough nostalgia attached to that dish that I’d still gladly eat it. But since I can’t quite bring myself to do that, I’m settling for the next best thing: this Creamy Sausage Macaroni and Cheese. Really, though, nothing about this recipe is “settling.” You’ve got hearty chunks of sausage, which can be as mild or as spicy as you’d like. You’ve got the pasta of your choice (for these photos I used a partial box of mini farfalle and a partial box of rotini). You’ve got a creamy, gooey, melty cheese sauce that puts that neon powdered stuff to shame.

If that isn’t enough to convince you to give Creamy Sausage Macaroni and Cheese a try, consider that it comes together in just about 30 minutes and, if you opt for a no-boil pasta, you can make the entire recipe using just one pot. Sold yet? That’s what I thought.

A grown-up take on a classic childhood dish, Creamy Sausage Macaroni and Cheese is as hearty and satisfying as it is easy and simple.

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Potato Crust Sausage Quiche

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With a unique and crunchy potato crust, this sausage quiche is easy enough for a weeknight meal and fancy enough to impress just about anyone.

With a unique and crunchy potato crust, this sausage quiche is easy enough for a weeknight meal and fancy enough to impress just about anyone.

For the longest time, I assumed quiches were way too fancy for my taste and for my cooking abilities. One day I realized they’re mostly just a really big omelette, minus the complicated flipping part. They’ve been a staple at our table ever since.

Like a lot of the “breakfast” recipes I share, we usually enjoy this sausage quiche for supper. It’s super easy to make, especially when I use shredded hash browns and sausage from the freezer (I typically cook a pound of sausage at a time and freeze the half I don’t use). The cook time is longer than most dinner recipes I make, but the hands-on time is minimal.

With a unique and crunchy potato crust, this sausage quiche is easy enough for a weeknight meal and fancy enough to impress just about anyone.

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it’s totally customizable to the tastes of the people you’re feeding. My husband doesn’t care for most vegetables, so it’s easy for me to include veggies only on my half. Of course, you could leave out the veggies entirely, or skip the sausage and double up on the vegetables.

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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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Easy Weeknight Sausage and Potato Skillet

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Hearty sausage and potatoes come together with the vegetables of your choice to make an easy, crowd-pleasing weeknight meal. Plus, you’ve got to check out the mouthwatering breakfast-for-dinner recipe you can make with this leftover sausage and potato skillet.

Hearty sausage and potatoes come together with the vegetables of your choice to make an easy, crowd-pleasing weeknight meal. Plus, you've got to check out the mouthwatering breakfast-for-dinner recipe you can make with this leftover sausage and potato skillet.

When I’m looking for or brainstorming easy dinner recipes to make for my family, there are few different things that will make me stop and take notice. First and foremost, I’m always on the lookout for easy weeknight meals. I don’t want complicated ingredients or dozens of steps. Sure, there are times I enjoy more involved recipes, but weeknights aren’t one of those times.

If a recipe can be made using one pot only, I’ll definitely give it a second look. I hate making a twenty minute meal and then spending just as long on clean-up. If the process can be streamlined by using the fewest pots and utensils, I’m much more likely to consider trying it.

Lastly, I love when leftovers lend themselves to a recipe redo. For example, I almost use leftover chicken and salsa from easy weeknight chicken tacos to make nachos or quesadillas. The ingredients may be similar, but the flavors and textures are different enough to feel like a new meal. What I especially love about this recipe is how a hearty dinner becomes an easy, filling breakfast.

As you might can imagine, this sausage and potato skillet recipe checked off all the above boxes for me. It’s ready in less than 30 minutes, and it requires only one pot. You could easily speed up the prep process by using two skillets and cooking the sausage and potatoes at the same time, but I prefer to use the cooking time of one ingredient to prep the next.

Hearty sausage and potatoes come together with the vegetables of your choice to make an easy, crowd-pleasing weeknight meal. Plus, you've got to check out the mouthwatering breakfast-for-dinner recipe you can make with this leftover sausage and potato skillet.

The round two sausage and potato skillet recipe is super simple. Just add salsa, a little shredded cheese, and a fried egg to a serving of the original recipe and you’re good to go! This would obviously make a quick and filling breakfast, but it’d also me a crowd-pleasing way to serve these leftovers for supper. Basically, when you take a recipe that was delicious to begin with, add the trifecta of cheese, salsa, and an oozing egg, you can’t go wrong.

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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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