It’s music night…
Like many other parents, some of our weekday evenings are booked with kids’ activities. Tuesday is Michael’s music night. It’s only a half hour lesson but there’s a bit of a drive to get there. This, in turn, shortens our evening and tightens our timelines for dinners.
Nights like these can be a challenge for us. Do we sometimes pickup a pizza? Sure we do. But sometimes we prefer a home-cooked meal or at least something other than the usual take-out options. When I have a quick recipe in mind and the ingredients at-hand, I can squeeze in time for dinner prep, consumption, and cleanup. Ok…I exaggerated with that last part. The cleanup has to wait until I’m back from music lessons, or if Liz isn’t busy, she’ll take that on while I take Michael to his lesson.
In under 30 minutes?
And so it was, on this evening. Nobody was in the mood for pizza or burgers, our little guy wasn’t feeling 100% (it’s cold season), and Liz was running behind (and stuck in unusually late traffic to boot!… she made me point that out ;-).
I had what I needed at home so I whipped up this dish in less than 30 minutes–seriously! Rice and Italian sausage–so quick and easy to prepare–and delicious. It also makes for amazing leftovers. Next day’s lunches packed? Check! Not bad for 30 minutes…and not bad on the wallet either. This meal doesn’t taste cheap, but it’s definitely not expensive. Bonus!
To take-out or not to take-out?
Will we do take-out ever again? Heck ya… life gets chaotic and we sometimes just need the break. We might have a blog and I might really enjoy cooking…but we’re normal, we have stuff going on, we get tired, and we’re certainly not above take-out. But it’s nice to know that delicious meals can be made easily and quickly, when we would prefer to eat home-made. For me, it’s also rewarding to see my family enjoy a meal I’ve prepared for them.
Wether it’s take-out or home cooking tonight, we wish you full and happy tummies. Eat well, friends!
This rice and sausage dish is quick, easy and delicious! It's perfect for those busy weeknights and it's easy on the wallet.
- 8 Italian sausages
- 2 1/2 cups Italian rice (short grain)
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 beef bouillon cube
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 6 cups cold water
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sun-dried black olives, coarsely chopped
- 1/3 cup parsley, chopped
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Preheat the oven to 450 ºF.
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Place the sausages on the parchment paper.
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Place the baking sheet in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 16 to 18 minutes. The sausages should look fully cooked inside (cut one to check the doneness). Set aside.
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While the sausages are cooking, place on large pot on the stove, heat on medium high and pour in the rice, butter and bouillon cube.
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Stir with a wooden spoon until you start smelling a nutty scent.
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Add the tomato paste and stir until all the rice is coated with the tomato paste.
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Add the water, pepper and salt. Stir.
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Cover and let the water reach a boil.
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Uncover, stir, cover and reduce the heat to low.
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Cook until there's only a little bit of water on the top of the rice, about 13 to 15 minutes.
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Slice the sausages in thin diagonal pieces.
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Uncover the pot of rice and add the sausage pieces, black olives and parsley.
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Stir well and serve hot. Enjoy!
To keep the meal prep under 30 minutes, start up the rice as soon as the sausages go in the oven.
