Grilled Sausage & Veggies Packs

In my quest to make decent dinners without turning on the oven I whipped up these totally delicious, super simple tinfoil packs. They are full of smoked sausage and lots of veggies. You can prep them the day before and then all you have to do is toss them on the BBQ for 20-25 minutes and you have a complete meal, no fuss no muss!

And feel free to use whatever veggies you like I think the possibilities are endless here!

What you need,

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1 lb. pre-cooked sausage, cut into 1-inch rounds

(I used Harvest Smoked Summer Sausage but you can use whatever you like, chicken or turkey would be awesome!)

1 ear corn, cut into 1-inch rounds

1 red or orange bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

6 button mushrooms, halved or quartered depending on how big they are

1 small zucchini cut into 1-inch rounds

2 medium potatoes cut into ½ inch pieces

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. butter

1 tsp. season salt

½ tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. dried basil

½ tsp. granulated garlic

½ tsp. granulated onion

In a large bowl combine all the veggies and sausage. Drizzle with the oil and spices and toss well to coat.

Using a double layer of tinfoil divide the mixture into 4 packs. Dollop ½ tablespoon of butter over each pack. Close each pack tightly. Try to make them pretty flat.

I stashed mine in the fridge overnight and cooked them the next day for dinner…

Heat your grill to medium.  Cook the packs for 10 minutes then flip and cook for another 10 minutes. I flipped mine a final time for 5 more minutes. Remove them from the grill and carefully open each up, watch that steam, it is HOT!

I emptied all the pack onto a platter and served them that way, but you could serve each person their own pack.

I served mine with a little sour cream and a little mustard.

This is going to be a weekly summer dinner in my house. We ate it all up! I thought for sure there would be left overs but nope, we scarfed it all down!

There was so much flavour the veggies were perfectly tender and the sausage got a little crisp.

Absolutely fabulous! And I didn’t have to use the oven! WhooHoo!

Enjoy!

Jen 

Tortellini Pasta Salad

SUMMER!! WHOO HOOO!!! Man, it has been so great here the last month or so. So sunny and warm. I do love me some summer. Sadly, cooking dinner in the summer is my nemesis… turning on the oven in the summer is a no go, we don’t have air conditioning and it just gets TOO hot in here.

I have been trying to do more cold dinners lately. That pretty much limits us to salad, which is fine, I love salad but sometimes you just want something new and exciting

This Tortellini Pasta Salad is just the thing! I made this Italian version the other day, it was a delight.

Super easy, super flavorful and no oven!

What you need,

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1 pkg. Tri-Colored Cheese Tortellini (I used the fresh stuff from the fridge section of the grocery store)

2 cups broccoli, cut into small florets

1 cup asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 cup cucumber, chopped

1 cup small tomatoes, halved

1 cup mini sweet peppers, sliced into rings

1 cup green olives (or whatever olives you like)

1 cup House Italian Dressing (I used Kraft, but whatever kind you like!)

Parmesan Cheese for garnish

Cook the tortellini according to package directions. Add the broccoli and asparagus in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain the pasta and veggies and run under cool water for a minute or so.

Drain really well so the pasta isn’t wet. Place the pasta and veggies into a bowl and drizzle with ½ the dressing. 

Put the bowl in the fridge for an hour or so until the pasta is chilled. Add the cucumber, tomatoes, peppers and olives. Add the rest of the dressing and some salt and pepper if you want. Stir really well to combine.

Let the salad sit in the fridge another ½ hour or so to let the flavours meld.

Garnish with a little Parmesan cheese before serving if you want! I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to, but you do what you like!

There you have it, a simple and delicious summer pasta salad. It is filling and makes GREAT left overs!

I also made a caprese version the week before, I just forgot to take pictures. It had little tomatoes, pearl bocconcini cheese, basil and spinach. I used a balsamic vinaigrette. I had a little grilled chicken left over from dinner the night before so we tossed a little of that on top as well.  This version was great as well. 

I feel like the possibilities are endless…A Greek version, a Southwest version you get the idea! Use what you have I promise it will be delicious!

Enjoy!

Jen