This is yet another dish from my favorite cookbook of late Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery* by Patt Levine and Michele Bontempo-Saray. One of the nice things about using this cookbook is that the recipes are simple enough that I can include my 4 year-old in the cooking. She loves being able to help and it’s definitely a good way to bond. Of course, teaching her that cooking does not include grabbing a menu and ordering food, which she has seen far more than I would like to admit, is an added bonus.
This recipe was a little confusing for me. It’s wasn’t hard to prepare (a lot of chopping and cooking in stages), but rather because it is a called a Giardiniera and I always thought that was pickled Italian veggies. Imagine my surprise when I searched for the step to steep the sausage, zucchini, and other veggies in vinegar only to find that there was no need. The other problem was trying to decide what to serve with it as it seemed rather, blah without a starch. I know, too much of a good thing is never good, but it’s winter time and we need something a little heavier to stay warm.
I decided to serve it with pasta, almost like a Bolognese (meat sauce). With ricotta, mozzarella, and diced tomatoes mixed in, it worked really well. And the nutritional info was pretty impressive even with the pasta.
Serving Size 1 cup of mixture (without pasta)
Calories: 252.15
Protein: 21.20g
Fat: 9.40g
Carbs: 18.67g
Cholesterol: 55.05mg
Fiber: 3.95g
Sodium: 669.78mg
That looks delicious! I'll take it without the sausage.
I think you would like it without the sausage! It has mushrooms, green peppers, onions, and garlic. I would add squash too if you take out the sausage.
This is so good and even better the next day giving the mixture time to really meld together.
Today I had the pleasure of sampling this dish…one word–>DELICIOUS…The flavor, seasoning, and ingredients compliment each other so well that I couldn't help but savor each bite–(I didn't want it to finsh)!!! Ten fingers up!!!
@Andrew and @dchisholm- so happy that you enjoyed it.