Show of hands.

Socializing certainly looks different these days and I’ll admit I miss a spontaneous pop-up party. However, we like so many of our friends have rather enjoyed spending more time at home. We have come to love the spaces we now spend a majority of our time.

While writing the above, it occurred to me….what is everyone else doing on Friday nights?!

If you’re super social and looking for “ridiculously fun” virtual entertainment (or not), a quick internet search delivered these 59 happy hour ideas from SnackNation.

Back to these gorgeous stuffed Castelvetrano olives. We were fortunate to visit Sicily a couple of years ago. We we drove the coastline for days, eventually arriving at the medieval village of Castelvetrano. That’s where we sampled these bright green, buttery tasting beauties.

We’ve been hooked ever since!

So whether you’re hosting a party of one or your family of five, these Deep Fried Stuffed Olives will elevate your happy hour snacks. They bring bold flavor to your charcuterie boards, and please your senses. Treat your tastebuds to these slightly spicy, ever so briny, crispy, salty, pop-in-your-mouth snack bites!

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Deep Fried Stuffed Olives

Treat your tastebuds to these slightly spicy, ever so briny, crispy, salty, pop-in-your-mouth snack bites!

Course Appetizer

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 4 ounces gound hot italian sausage
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese divided
• 1 Tablespoon fresh Italian parsley chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary finely chopped
• 20 Castelvetrano green olives pitted
• 1/2 cup flour (sub Gluten Free all-purpose for GF version)
• 2 large eggs beaten
• vegetable oil for frying
• lemon wedges for serving

Instructions

• Mix sausage with 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese and chopped parsley & rosemary. Partially cut open olives and generously stuff with sausage mixture.
• Mix breadcrumbs with remaining parmesan cheese. Drege olives in flour, dip in beaten egg, coat with breadcrumb mixture.
• Working in batches, deep fry olives in 350 degree vegetable oil until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve with toothpicks and lemon wedges.

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The pictures don’t do this recipe justice, but I am here to tell you that Italian Sausage & Polenta Lasagna is pure comfort.  Surprisingly, that comfort is delivered without a guilt trip.  That’s right, this recipe came straight out of the new Weight Watchers cook book AND it’s made in the slow cooker.  Badda bing.  Badda boom.

The star ingredient in this recipe is a tube of polenta.  Not only does it replace traditional lasagna noodles, making this a gluten free recipe, but it also adds a wonderful creaminess to the overall dish.

I made a couple modifications to the original recipe.  First, I replaced Sweet Italian Sausage with Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage.  They’re not spicy hot, but they do bring a bit of flavor punch.  Then I substituted chopped frozen spinach for frozen kale, only because I couldn’t find kale in my grocer’s freezer.  I also increased the amount of parmesan & mozzarella cheese.  Well because cheese.

The original recipe was for 6 servings at 8 WW Pts+ per.  We easily got 8 servings, so even with my additions, each serving weighed in at only 8 WW Pts+ or 320 calories.

Once the sausage and mushrooms are pan browned, all the ingredients are layered lasagna style in your slow cooker.  Marinara sauce, sliced polenta, mushrooms, sausage, spinach, zucchini, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and seasonings; repeat.  Cover and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours.  Once hot and bubbly, turn off slow cooker, top lasagna with mozzarella cheese and allow to rest covered for 20 minutes.

I’m really loving this new Weight Watchers cook book.  So much so I’ve basically kidnapped it.  You see it belongs to my Healthy Choices buddy DJ.  We’ve sort of worked out a deal.  If I can hang onto it for a bit longer I promised to bring her samples of anything I make.  I think it’s working out well for both of us :)

Today I hauled the whole crockpot to work to Share the Love.  Everyone who sampled, loved this recipe.  They couldn’t believe that Italian Sausage & Polenta Lasagna was figure friendly as well.  That’s what bold flavors and creamy comfort can do for a dish.

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Italian Sausage & Polenta Lasagna

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 hours hours

Total Time 6 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author lightly adapted from Weight Watchers

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms sliced
• 1 one-pound tube polenta cut into 18 slices
• 1 zucchini thinly sliced
• 1 10- ounce box frozen spinach thawed & squeezed dry
• 1 tsp. Mrs. Dash garlic & herb seasoning
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 24- ounce jar favorite marinara sauce
• 1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese

Instructions

• Remove sausage from casings and brown in skillet, breaking up with wooden spoon until cooked through. Remove from pan and pour off any grease. Brown mushrooms in skillet coated with cooking spray.
• Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Add 1/2 cup sauce to bottom of slow cooker. Layer 6 slices of polenta. Top with half of the sausage and half of the mushrooms. Add half of the zucchini slices and half of the spinach. Spread 1/2 cup of ricotta over top (I used a teaspoon to drop ricotta). Sprinkle 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, Mrs. Dash and basil. Spread 1 cup of sauce over layers.
• Add 6 more slices of polenta, then top with remaining sausage, mushrooms, zucchini, spinach, ricotta and parmesan cheese. Spread 1 cup of sauce over layers. Add remaining 6 slices of polenta and top with remaining sauce.
• Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours. Lasagna will be hot and bubbly. Turn off slow cooker. Spread mozzarella cheese on top. Cover and allow to rest for 20 minutes before serving.

The post Italian Sausage & Polenta Lasagna appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I made a really good Sausage & Thyme Cassoulet.  I filled it with spicy Italian turkey sausage, carrots, sweet potato, kale, onion, tomatoes, garlic, and lots of fresh thyme.  A nice slow cook turned all those flavors into the heartiest of healthy meals.

As we embrace these winter months I’ve been enjoying recipes that include white beans.  They have a nice way of bringing creaminess to a dish without adding unwanted fat and calories.  Speaking of unwanted fat and calories, we routinely use Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage in place of regular sausage without ever sacrificing flavor.

Once the cassoulet ingredients are sautéed for a bit, a little chicken broth is added, before being topped with a buttered spinach & panko breadcrumb topping.

Our Sausage & Thyme Cassoulet finishes in a slow oven for at least an hour.  Yes, if you wanted to make this a quick weeknight meal, the vegetables could be simmered on the stove top until just tender then finished in the oven.  I’m a fan of letting it go low and slow until some of the ingredients start to break down and meld their flavors.

One bite and you’ll think “where did all this flavor come from?”  That my dear is the beauty of a cassoulet.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Sausage & Thyme Cassoulet

A nice slow cook turned all those flavors into the heartiest of healthy meals. One bite and you'll think "where did all this flavor come from?"  That my dear is the beauty of a cassoulet.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 3 links Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage or favorite, casings removed
• 2 Tbl. olive oil divided
• 1 14.5- ounce can diced tomatoes I used Fire Roasted
• 1 19- ounce can Cannellini Beans rinsed and drained
• 1 medium sweet potato peeled & small cubed
• 2 carrots peeled and sliced
• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 cups fresh kale chopped & tough stems removed
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. Mrs. Dash garlic & herb seasoning
• salt & pepper to taste

For the crumb topping…

• 2 cups loose fresh spinach leaves finely chopped
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbl. melted butter
• pinch salt

Instructions

• Remove casings from sausage links. In a heavy bottom pan, heat 1 Tbl. olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage and cook through, breaking up with a wooden spoon during cooking. Remove sausage to drain on paper towels. Pour off fat from pan.
• Add 1 Tbl. olive oil to pan, sauté onion, carrot, and sweet potato for about 5 minutes. Add in cooked sausage, kale, beans, diced tomatoes with juice, chicken broth, thyme, and seasonings. Cover; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine breadcrumb ingredients and sprinkle on top of casserole. Bake uncovered for 1 hour or until vegetables are very tender.

The post Sausage & Thyme Cassoulet appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Italian Sausage Soup {with Mushrooms, Onions & Peppers}.

Like many of our favorites, this recipe happened by accident.  While making one of our go-to week night meals (Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage with onions, peppers, mushrooms, and diced tomatoes) I came to realize my favorite part of the dish was the broth.  The awe-mazing broth. 

So why not build on those wonderful flavors and turn that dish into this Italian Sausage Soup {with Mushrooms, Onions & Peppers} soup recipe.  I’m all in.  One-pot, these ingredients, not a lot of words….just flavor building.

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Italian Sausage Soup {with Mushrooms, Onions & Peppers}

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 8 -10

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausage
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 2 medium onions diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 pound mushrooms quartered
• 12 ounces sweet peppers diced
• 2 jalapeno fine diced
• 6-8 garlic cloves peeled & chopped
• 1 30- ounce can diced tomatoes preferably No Salt Added
• 2 cups fat-free chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• salt & pepper to taste
• 6 ounces small pasta prepared according to pkg. directions
• Parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions

• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven. Add in sausage links and brown, 3-4 minutes per side. Meanwhile slice and dice onions, mushrooms and peppers.
• Reduce heat to medium-low. Add in onions, mushrooms, peppers, and garlic; cover and allow to cook down for 15 minutes or until just tender.
• Add in tomatoes, broth and seasoning; allow to simmer gently for 20 minutes. Meanwhile prepare pasta according to package instructions.
• Adjust seasoning to taste. Slice sausage into chunks before serving. Place warm pasta in bowls, topped with a ladle or two of hot soup. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. Serve with toasted Italian bread.

Notes

We love pasta in soups when cooked separately and added late to the dish. Otherwise the pasta wants to drink up that awe-mazing broth.
The fresh spinach shown in the ingredients picture, never made it into this batch of soup. I would add it just a couple minutes before serving.

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