Midweek Snack // Sausage Kale and Squash One Pot Recipe

The ease of one pot recipes are akin to the ease I feel when preparing something in a crock pot. There is a little more process involved and some moving parts, but without a million pots and pans to clean up afterward, I can have a zen, anxiety-free cooking experience. Win / Win!

The premise of a one-pot recipe is that a single vessel is used to cook all parts, sometimes in different batches, to come together at the end as one meal. My favorite pot to use is a french oven (or enameled dutch oven- dutch ovens traditionally have been plain cast iron). They can come in oval or round shapes. Le Cruset and Staub own the market on these, but there are several excellent and less expensive options out there. The versatility of a french oven is incredible - from basic stovetop cooking, to stovetop-then-into-oven cooking, to deep frying, and I hear there are some amazing bread recipes that can be carried out french-oven style too. I haven't tried those, but if I do I'll let you know!

I have two absolute favorite one-pot recipes that I make A LOT. The one I'm not sharing today, perhaps in a few weeks though, is Paleo Pork Fried Rice. Yep. It's as delicious as it sounds. Hold that thought! Today, I'm sharing a recipe that was handed down to me from my good friend Danielle who currently lives in the greater Dallas area with her hubs, sweet baby girl, and baby boy on the way! G and I went to visit her when she was settled into her new home, and, great cook as she is, whipped this up for us one night we were there. I loved it! There is no official recipe, she just makes up incredible stuff. So, here's a shout out to you, D! I hope my readers can do it justice!

This is for a normal sized batch, which would serve approximately 4. I almost always double this recipe, to get the most out of my time and energy (plus anything with sausage tastes amazing left over!)

Ingredients:

+3 links chicken sausage - spiced as you like. My faves are mild italian and sundried tomato basil.

+2 cups cubed butternut squash

+2 large spiralized (or julienned) zucchini (yellow squash also works, but is more watery)

+1 small bunch of kale, de-stemmed and torn into pieces

+3/4 cup walnut pieces

+olive oil (or bacon fat or ghee - your choice of oil)

Directions:

+Line baking sheet with tin foil (no mess no clean up!) and roast butternut squash pieces with oil, salt, and pepper for 10 minutes per side (flip once)

+Once butternut squash is finished, line the same baking sheet with another piece of foil and roast kale pieces with oil, salt, and pepper for a few minutes per side (flip once). Set aside.

+While squash and kale are baking, heat 1 tbsp oil in the bottom of the pan (I used a french oven, a deep nonstick pan will also work)

+Add walnuts and toast, stirring constantly for 5 minutes, until fragrant. Set aside.

+Leaving the remaining oil in the pan, remove sausage from casing and brown, separating it into smaller pieces as it cooks. Strain if there is a lot of residual oil or liquid. Set cooked sausage aside.

+Add zucchini to pot and allow the heat to steam and soften the noodles, approx 8-10 minutes, strain if needed

+Add all cooked ingredients back to the pot, mix together and heat through, adding salt and pepper to taste, and serve!

One pot and one spoon or spatula to clean up afterward! If you lined your cookie sheet carefully, the tin foil prevented any oil or food from getting on it and can be put right back. Easy cleanup is the best reward!

#Nourish #Meals