Sausage, Sweet Potato, and Brussels Sprout Hash

Is it a breakfast? A lunch? Or a dinner? This Sausage, Sweet Potato, and Brussels Sprout Hash is perfect for any meal.


Foodie trivia: Is it Brussel sprouts or Brussels sprouts? It’s okay, take your time, I’ll wait.

Got your answer? Did you say Brussels like the smarty pants you are? Well, you’re correct. Although three-fourths of English speakers get it wrong, this veggie is, in fact, named after the city of Brussels. The compact little green balls were cultivated in Belgium in the 16th century. And here’s a really deep dive fun fact: In Belgium, they’re not called Brussels sprouts at all. (Because in Belgium they don’t speak-a the English.) Instead, the Dutch word for these veggies is spruitjes.

I didn’t grow up eating Brussels sprouts, so they’ve been kind of a fun discovery for me as an adult. Although I know many people seem to think they’re the stuff of hideous vegetable nightmares, I find them delicious, especially roasted or pan-sautéed…and particularly in this Sausage, Sweet Potato, and Brussels Sprout Hash. When the sprouts’ exterior leaves sear to crispy brownness, it turns them into irresistible bites of veggie candy, if you ask me. Add to that the soft-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside texture of the sweet potatoes, onions, and sausage slices and you’ve got a tasty no-brainer of a meal any time of day.

I’ve made this hash twice now and both times it’s been the easy, satisfying one-dish dinner I’ve needed on a weeknight. With just six ingredients and minimal prep, it doesn’t get much simpler than chopping a few veggies and meat, sautéing, and topping the whole thing with fried eggs. (DON’T skip the fried eggs. They bring an extra richness that makes the hash feel downright indulgent.)

The other bonuses of this tasty, all-purpose meal? It’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and Paleo-friendly, if you’re into that kind of thing.

Still, for me, the biggest draws of this hash are its delicious taste and easy-peasy prep. Who couldn’t use more of that in their life?

Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Sausage, Sweet Potato, and Brussels Sprout Hash

A hearty meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner with plenty of flavor from simple ingredients!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. olive oil (or more as needed)
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, diced 1/2-inch thick
  • 3 c. Brussels sprouts, halved and/or quartered
  • 1 12-oz. package smoked sausage links, cut into 1/2-inch slices
  • 4 large eggs
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • In your largest nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onions and sweet potatoes and sauté about 5 minutes, or until the potatoes begin to soften.
  • Make room in the skillet and add the halved Brussels sprouts and sausage slices. (You can add more olive oil, if needed.) Sauté another 3 to 5 minutes or until the sprouts and sausage slices begin to brown.
  • With a large spoon, press four divots into the sausage-veggie mixture. Crack an egg into each divot and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover the skillet and cook until eggs have just set, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Notes

A Love Letter to Food original recipe.

Ham, Goat Cheese, and Mango Chutney Croissants

Ever find yourself in a sandwich rut? Let’s be honest, most of us have made enough peanut butter and jellies or turkey and cheeses in our lifetimes to feed a small army (in my case, the small army of my own children). And after awhile it can get b-o-r-i-n-g, an endless loop of the same old, same old.

Now that I work from home, I’m especially motivated to make my lunches a little more exciting. I don’t generally do anywhere or do anything special for lunch–and I rarely even see other people (cause I can get kind of hermit-y). Mostly, when lunchtime comes, if my husband isn’t working from home along with me, I sit on my back patio and scroll through Facebook or listen to a true crime podcast over a sandwich or salad.

So when I have an impressive lunch to look forward to, it’s kind of big news. And the lunch I’m talking about is none other than one of my very favorite sandwiches: a Ham, Goat Cheese, and Mango Chutney Croissant.

I first had this sandwich at a little cafe on Bainbridge Island off the coast of Seattle when we took a trip there a few years ago. The juxtaposition of salty ham, creamy goat cheese, and sweet, chunky mango chutney rocked my world–why had I never thought of this combo before?–and ever since I’ve enjoyed making it on my own. Today, since I just made a Trader Joe’s run yesterday, I had all the ingredients on hand to make it. (If you’re not familiar, TJ’s makes a mean mango chutney for about $2.)

There’s no reason, of course, you couldn’t have a Ham, Goat Cheese, and Mango Chutney Croissant for an easy dinner, or serve it in mini-croissants as part of a buffet. For me, though, it’s a favorite lunch that makes my workday a little bit more inspiring (and delicious).


Ham, Goat Cheese, and Mango Chutney Croissants

A sure-to-please combination of salty ham, creamy goat cheese, and tangy mango chutney on a flaky croissant. Is this the world's most perfect sandwich?
Prep Time5 mins
Total Time5 mins
Servings: 1 sandwich

Ingredients

  • 1 croissant
  • 3-4 slices ham, sliced medium-thick
  • 1 Tbsp. creamy goat cheese
  • 2 Tbsp. mango chutney

Instructions

  • Halve croissant lengthwise. Place ham on one side and spread the other with goat cheese and mango chutney. Assemble and eat!

Notes

A Love Letter to Food Original Recipe.

Twice-Baked Spaghetti Squash with Sausage and Kale

Last weekend, while I was out at the toddler cooking class I teach once a month, my husband got together with a group of guys for a Sausage Festival. I’m not being gross. They literally hung out for several hours making sausage. I kinda wish I could have been there, because this is one aspect of food production I have never personally experienced…and, though it’s not terribly glamorous, it’s pretty interesting! So before I dive into this tasty Twice-Baked Spaghetti Squash with Sausage and Kale–which, of course, uses the sausage from the Sausage Festival–here’s a little glimpse into the process.

Apparently it all starts with pork shoulder, cut into chunks.

Then the pork goes through a grinder…


And gets mixed with a blend of spices–in this case, parsley, garlic, fennel, and red pepper flakes.

 

And finally, the part everyone knows and loves: filling the casings with the meat to make links!


Pretty floral apron optional.


As far as I’m concerned, the best part about the Sausage Festival is that we now have homemade sausage to last until Kingdom Come. The guys made both links and bulk sausage, so I was only too happy to use some of the bulk kind up in this hearty, Mediterranean-style Twice-Baked Spaghetti Squash.

It all starts with yourr basic giant yellow squash, baked and scraped to get those signature squiggly strings so reminiscent of pasta. In the meantime, you’ll brown some sausage and wilt some kale in a bit of garlic-infused olive oil on the stovetop. Toss these yummy goodies–plus some sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan, and cannellini beans–with the squash strings. Refill the shells, top with a sprinkle of mozzarella, and bake one more time for the finished product!


As a one-dish meal, this Twice-Baked Spaghetti Squash is full of nutrients from the kale, beans, tomatoes, and squash, makes a ton, and reheats well. I think you’ll enjoy it, even if you don’t have the luxury of homemade sausage.

Twice-Baked Spaghetti Squash with Sausage and Kale

A hearty, mostly veggie dinner with flavors of the Mediterranean. Leave off the sausage for a vegetarian version!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time50 mins
Total Time1 hr 5 mins
Servings: 6 as a main dish

Ingredients

  • 2 large spaghetti squash
  • 3/4 lb. mild sausage
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 bunch kale
  • 15-oz. can cannellini beans, drained
  • 1/2 c. sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1/4 c. parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prick both spaghetti squash all over with a fork and microwave each one for about a minute, to soften.
  • Slice squash in half lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Place squash halves cut side down on a greased baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes.
  • While squash bakes, prepare the rest of the filling. In a large pan, cook the sausage over medium heat until browned and crumbled. Remove from the pan and place on paper-towel lined plate.
  • Using the grease left behind by the sausage (or supplementing with olive oil), saute garlic and kale until kale begins to wild and garlic begins to brown. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add cannellini beans, sun-dried tomatoes, and parmesan and cook an additional minute or two. Place mixture in a large mixing bowl, along with cooked sausage.
  • When squash has finished baking, remove from oven and scrape most of their contents into the mixing bowl, leaving a small border of flesh. (Be careful, squash will be hot!) Mix squash strings, sausage, and kale mixture thoroughly.
  • Divide the mixture among the four squash halves and sprinkle with mozzarella. Place back on the baking sheet and return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted and filling is warmed through. One serving equals half of a squash boat.

Notes

A Love Letter to Food Original Recipe.

Harvest Chopped Salad

Back in September, I posted about the chopped salad that was my top choice for my birthday dinner. Since then, I’ve been overwhelmed at the amount of attention that post got! I guess the internet was hungry for the funky-but-delicious combo of smoked salmon, dried sweet corn, cranberries, and arugula (among other ingredients) topped with a creamy pesto dressing.

Writing about–and eating–the Stetson Chopped Salad got me thinking of other variations on the theme of salad ingredients layered neatly in rows. I mean, really, you can’t go wrong with a chopped, layered salad. It’s just so dang appealing, with its colorfulness, its order, and its symmetry. This Harvest Chopped Salad featuring apples, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon, and blue or goat cheese is the product of these recent salad daydreams.

It couldn’t have come at a better time, either.

Not long ago, I started volunteering on a monthly basis as a cooking demonstrator at my local Natural Grocers. It’s a fun volunteer activity, but it’s tougher than you might think coming up with recipes that are 1.) gluten-free (Natural Grocers keeps a gluten-free kitchen), and 2.) conducive to demonstration. When you watch the Food Network, you don’t really notice that TV allows for time-lapsing cooking, or simply producing a finished version of something that took who-knows-how-long to cook or bake. In the real world, it’s not that easy. Like, if I’m demo’ing a recipe with roasted vegetables, uhhhh, what do I talk to my audience about for 45 minutes while the oven does its job?

Awwwwwwkwaaaaarrrrd.

So for the purposes of my October demonstration, the Harvest Chopped Salad is a saving grace. And maybe it will be for you, too, some autumn weeknight. There may be quite a bit of slicin’ and dicin’, but this recipe requires no lengthy cook time and can get dining-ready in no more than 30 minutes.

In fact, this recipe seems to be such a winner that I was contacted by someone at Natural Grocers’ corporate office to ask if it could be featured on their website! Of COURSE, I said! (Link coming soon.)

If you live in the Phoenix area, join me for my demo (and samples!) of this yummy fall main dish this Thursday, October 19th, at 6:30 at the Natural Grocers at 2151 E. Baseline Rd. in Gilbert.

 

Harvest Chopped Salad

A hearty fall salad that's as tasty as it is pretty!
Prep Time30 mins
Total Time30 mins
Course: Main Dish
Servings: 5

Ingredients

  • 10 c. romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 8 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 3/4 c. pecan pieces
  • 4 oz. crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese
  • 1 c. honey crisp or other apple, chopped
  • 1 ripe pear, chopped
  • 3/4 c. dried cranberries
  • 1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp purchased poppyseed dressing

Instructions

  • On a large platter or five individual plates, spread romaine in a single layer.
  • Cover with layered rows of bacon, pecans, crumbled cheese, diced apple, diced pear, and dried cranberries.
  • Serve with purchased poppyseed dressing drizzled on top or on the side.

Notes

A Love Letter to Food Original Recipe, loosely based on this recipe from Iowa Girl Eats.

Ham and White Bean Soup

Ham and White Bean Soup

Here’s a cooking question for the ages: is it possible to take a classic, tried and true recipe and improve upon it? Is there a quintessentially perfect basic blueberry muffin, for example, or pot roast, and is it a sacrilege to modify them? Or how about a ham and bean soup? As far as I know, Americans have been making ham and bean soup since the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. (Or at least once they figured out how to not starve–go read Nathaniel Philbrick’s excellent book Mayflower for a lesson on how the Pilgrims were kind of boneheads when it came to agriculture.) Anyway, if not since Plymouth Rock, ham and bean soup has been an American staple at least since the 1980s–I know because there’s a recipe for it in my very own passed-down Better Homes and Gardens “Red and White” cookbook.

BHG red and white cookbook

Which, come to find out, is now going for 90 bucks on the Internet. Sweet!

If a recipe is in the red and white cookbook, I consider it a classic. But to tell you the truth, last week when I read through the Ham and Bean Soup recipe in the BHG Bible, it just didn’t excite me. It used water instead of broth, had minimal seasonings, and called for dried navy beans when I wanted canned. The one thing that DID match my criteria was that it used a ham bone, which I had saved from our Christmas Ham-fest. Still, that wasn’t enough to give it the pizzazz I was hoping for, so I decided to tempt fate and tinker until I came up with something a bit more interesting. Adding chicken broth, carrots, dry mustard, and nutmeg gave this hearty soup enough flavor to eliminate the need for added salt–always a plus, if you ask me. And cutting out the dried bean soaking time got it from prep to table in under an hour. After two bites, my 7-year-old proclaimed it his new favorite soup of all time.

So, if I dare say it, I think our family has a new classic Ham and Bean Soup. Try it out and tell me if you feel the same.

Ham and White Bean Soup

Ham and White Bean Soup

A hearty soup to warm you from the inside out!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time40 mins
Total Time55 mins
Course: Soup
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter
  • 6 carrots, diced
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 ham bone
  • 2 15-oz. cans great Northern beans, drained
  • 2 c. chopped ham
  • 1 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 tsp. dry mustard
  • 1/4 tsp. ground thyme
  • 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 c. chicken broth
  • 4 c. water

Instructions

  • In a large stockpot, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, and ham bone and saute until vegetables have softened, about 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and saute another 30 seconds.
  • Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer at least 30 minutes.
  • Remove ham bone and bay leaves and serve.

Notes

Kinda-sorta based on this recipe from Simply Sated.