Thursday, September 5, 2013

Pasta w/ Sausage & Mushrooms in Creamy Vodka Sauce

This evening I made a super simple, quick...AND delicious wheat free pasta dinner.  I used my little julienne peeler to make "spaghetti" with yellow summer squash.  I sauteed the "noodles" in Kerrygold Garlic Herb Butter to give them a little flavor (I usually use olive oil and a touch of sea salt). It only takes about 2-3 minutes to saute until al dente. The sauce was delicious and super duper simple. I had half a jar of DelGrosso's Vodka sauce in the fridge as well as some cooked crumbled Italian chicken sausage that I had reserved from last night's dinner. I sauteed about 1 cup of large fresh sliced mushrooms in a bit of olive oil, added the cooked sausage and then dumped the half jar of sauce in the pan, covered and turned to low to simmer for about 10-15 minutes. I opened the pan and continued simmering for about 5-10 minutes with the lid off so it would reduce a tiny bit and be thick (thick sauces work best on squash pasta so it doesn't make your dish watery). After it simmered uncovered for a bit, I added a couple splashes of heavy cream and stirred it in, then simmered a bit more.  I served the thick and luscious sauce over the garlic & herb buttered squash pasta...added a small side salad to the plate...and then popped a leftover biscuit I reheated on low in the microwave with a small pat of Kerrygold Garlic Herb Butter on top to melt in and "Italian-ize" the biscuit a bit!  BOOM...dinner was on the table in about 30 minutes with minimal effort since most of that time was simmering the sauce into a thick and creamy concoction. I snapped a few photos for you to see below. Life is sweet without wheat!  Enjoy!

P.S. -- Don't forget to enter my Swerve Giveaway for your chance to win a Weber Grill & 3 packages of Swerve (courtesy of Swerve).  Details are below (contest ends this Friday at midnight EDT).




      

2 days Left to Enter the Swerve Giveaway!
Contest ends Friday, September 6, 2013 at Midnight EDT (details below)

The kind folks at Swerve recently contacted me and have allowed me to offer Gourmet Girl Cooks' followers a chance to win an exciting "Celebration to Summer's End Giveaway"!  One lucky follower will win a:  Weber 22.5” Silver One-Touch, Kettle Grill AND a Three-Pack of Swerve (see below). As most of you that follow me already know, I have been using Swerve for almost a year now and it is my favorite "zero calorie" natural sweetener to bake with. It tastes great and measures cup-for-cup just like sugar, which makes it super easy to substitute in recipes...no calculations involved! It contains no artificial ingredients and comes in both granular and confectioners (powdered) versions. With the upcoming Labor Day weekend ahead, I will be posting some delicious "end of summer" recipes using Swerve...so stay tuned!  Ready, set....GO!  Begin entering now!

P.S.-- if you are already a Swerve lover like I am, and your supply is getting low...Swerve is currently running a special through Tuesday, September 3rd, for $9.99 each (for a 16-oz bag) or you can grab 6 packs of Swerve for $49.98 ($8.33/each + free shipping). You can click here to grab this special ---> Swerve


HOW TO ENTER:
The winning contestant will be chosen at random (must be a U.S. resident).  To enter a chance to win, all you need to do is: Leave a comment here on my blog and include the words "Swerve BBQ Contest" (1 entry per person per day).  Contest ends Friday, September 6, 2013 at Midnight EDT.  The winner will have 24 hours after being announced to contact Gourmet Girl Cooks (by email at GourmetGirlCooksBlog @ gmail.com) with their shipping address. If no response is received in 24 hours, a new winner will be selected.

*The product provided in this giveaway is contributed by and will be sent directly to the winner by Swerve.

19 comments:

Katie D. said...

Another winning meal, but that's no surprise! Swerve BBQ Contest

Glenda Mills said...

Another awesome recipe! Hoping to win the Swerve BBQ Contest!

Chris said...

Another yummy dinner......how can your husband resist eating this way? Love your inspirations! Thanks!
Just a couple more chances for the Swerve Barbecue Contest!

unter der laterne said...

Hi GG, another inspirational dish, so colorful and appetizing!.
I am puzzled (again) why the addition of vodka, since it has no flavor and the alcohol is evaporating while cooking?
I would like to win the SWERVE BBQ CONTEST!
The other day you wrote that you bought lemons, I thought you had a Meyer Lemon Tree! You see How *nosy* I am !
We have 8 Meyer lemon , 1 regular lemon and 1 grapefruit tree and half of them are sick, they are loosing all the leaves, maybe they are too old? So sad.
I used to get Kidney stones but by drinking one glass of lemon juice I have eliminated that nightmare.
It also helps the liver.
Pardon me for getting off the subject!
Barbara.

Unknown said...

You really know how to use that Kerry Gold butter, Gourmet Girl. I love it too. On fish or beef, even on its own it melts into a lovely sauce. Would love to win the Swerve BBQ contest!

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Thanks, Katie D. -- Good luck! :-)

Thanks, Glenda -- Good luck! :-)

Thanks, Chris! He eats this way -- he just eats the other way too! LOL Good luck! Yes...tomorrow is the last day. :-)

Thanks, Barbara! I don't know why the Vodka either -- but I didn't put it in there...DelGrosso did! LOL I just added the cream, Italian sausage and mushrooms. No...I wish I had Meyer lemon tree -- or any kind of lemon tree. I love lemons and make a glass of lemonade frequently during the summer to have with my dinner. If you have your own trees, I guess you don't buy the big bag of lemons at Costco. Do you drink "one glass of lemon juice" diluted with water or anything or do you drink it staight? Too bad about your citrus trees being sick -- I wonder if it is some type of blight? I have heard kidney stones are awfully painful, and didn't know lemon juice helped. No worry about getting off subject -- there is no limit on subjects here! Good luck! :-)

Thanks, Michele -- I really do love Kerrygold butter and the garlic herb is wonderful all by itself on veggies, fish, chicken, etc. To think all these years I was brainwashed into thinking "Fleischmann's Margarine" was healthy...ugh! Good luck! :-)

Sharon S said...

Hi GGC....
I want to thank you for continuing to inspire me through my wheat free journey! Please enter me in the "Swerve BBQ Contest"

Anonymous said...

What incredible variety and versatility you showcase every day on your wonderful blog, I so appreciate it and I check in every day to get inspired. You know when people find out that I no longer eat wheat, grains ans starch they assume I must eat very boring meals, little do they know how much better I do eat now and with so much to choose from, I never get bored. I love swerve too and plan to try the confectioners type soon. Swerve BBQ contest! Thanks again for all you do, you are so sweet!! Maria

Unknown said...

This looks wonderful. I just discovered your blog today and need to sign up to follow you! After looking at the recipes I have a list to try. Would be nice to win the "Swerve BBQ Contest" as well! Thanks for the lovely recipes and a chance to win!

Paula WF said...

"Swerve BBQ Contest" !! GGC, seeing this "pasta" photo more than others has got me wanting to try my julienne peeler!! Looks so good!!

Deanna Stevens said...

The cheese biscuits are a hit here. Thanks, my husband was missing his bread... "Swerve BBQ Contest"

Karen Blevins said...

I've made the noodles before and they were great. Thanks for all your clever ideas.

And I would love to win the Swerve BBQ Contest.

Debbie Lou said...

I need to check out that peeler you use. Another yummy recipe to add to my list of must try. Thanks for all the great inspiration and I would love to win the Swerve BBQ Contest.

SierraDeb said...

Swerve BBQ Contest! YAY!
I love the zucchini noodle pasta - will have to try it with the yellow summer squash, too. And you're right - you can't get much easier than this! Thanks so much!

Tom said...

GG, your site has helped convert me to go wheat free. (A long time coming :-) )Thanks for the opportunity to win the Swerve BBQ contest.

Midge said...

To win the Swerve BBQ Contest would be great! Ohhh the things I can make. :)

Debbie said...

I can't wait to try Swerve and I made your stir fry the yesterday. It was awesome!

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Thanks, Debbie! Good luck! Glad you enjoyed the stir-fry! :-)

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Thanks, Sharon S., Maria, Debbie Wassil,Paula WF, Deanna, Karen, Debbie Lou, SierraDeb, Tom, Midge and Debbie! Good luck to all of you and thanks so much for all the kind words! :-)