GNOCCHI, SAUSAGE AND SPINACH SOUP

Potato gnocchi with spicy sausage, roasted red peppers and fresh baby spinach in a creamy broth.

INGREDIENTS:

1 yellow onion, diced

1 roasted red pepper, diced

olive oil, for sauteing

sea or Kosher salt and fresh black pepper

1 pound Italian sausage, ground or removed from casings, hot or sweet

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed between fingers

32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth

1 pound potato gnocchi

2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves, rough chopped

3/4 cup half & half or heavy cream (light is ok)

1 heaping tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

fresh grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a large sauce pan or soup pot saute onion and red pepper in a couple of tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat until tender. Season well with salt and pepper. In a separate, large skillet brown the sausage, breaking it apart as it cooks. Add garlic to onion mixture and saute until fragrant.
2. Drain sausage and add to onion mixture along with the basil and chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper, simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add gnocchi and spinach, bring to a simmer and cook until gnocchi puff up and start to float (check package for cooking time). Add half & half and fresh basil, bring to a simmer for three or four minutes. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Dutch Oven Baked Chicken and Rice

8 servings

4 chicken breasts cut in half
2 cups uncooked rice (white, brown or wild)
1 package Lipton Onion soup mix
2 cans chicken broth or 4 cups water and bouillon
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can water

Line a 4 quart dutch oven with foil or liner.  Pour rice into dutch oven.  In a separate bowl, combine chicken broth, cream of mushroom soup and 1 can water.  Pour mixture over the rice and mix well.
Place chicken on top of rice and sauce mixture.  Sprinkle soup mix, paprika and pepper over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes or until chicken and rice are done.

I don't even remember where I found this recipe but it was tasty and easily doubles to serve a crowd.  If you are cooking it in the oven you could just use a casserole dish. If using a Dutch oven here is the general rule for heating with coals.  The normal formula for Baking is to use twice the number of briquettes as the diameter of the oven with 3/4 of them on the lid. For a 12 inch oven, you would use 24 briquettes with 18 on top and 6 underneath. (from Dutchovendude.com)