Johnsonville to the rescue!

I'd been buying Johnsonville sausage for years, but over time I managed to wander off and gradually started buying the store brand sausage. Why? I couldn't even tell you. Price? Maybe. Flavor? Heck no! It's not until earlier this year when Johnsonville teamed up with allrecipes.com, that I was knocked upside the head with an avalanche of flavor. As part of my allrecipes Brand Ambassador monthly assignment, I was asked to prepare several meals using Johnsonville sausage. It was then that I realized both the quality and flavor were far superior to the store brand I had been buying (for reasons unknown), and I quickly made the switch back to Johnsonville.

This month I made three recipes using the sausage. I chose to use the Pork & Chicken mild Italian with 50% less fat than traditional Italian Sausage, since I'm on a weightloss journey and watching what I eat. Excellent choice, healthy, and packed with flavor!

The first recipe I made was Pizza Pasta, found here on allrecipes.com. A big thumbs up on this meal! I love pizza, although I rarely eat it anymore. I used green olives and whole wheat pasta. This one's a keeper for those days I'm craving pizza! By using the lower fat sausage, part-skim mozzarella and whole wheat pasta, I was able to lower the calories from 593 calories and 36g of fat down to 440 calories and 21g of fat! Bonus!

The second recipe I made was Chiliville Chili found here. Now I'm quite picky about my chili, and was pleasantly surprised by this recipe. The sausage adds a ton of oomph and I loved the hint of sweetness from the brown sugar. Another keeper!

Lastly, I made Johnsonville One-Pan Italian, found here. I have to say I was VERY skeptical about this one, but the reviews were amazing, how could I not try it!? This is very quick, and the best part is that you only use one pan, as the name states! You brown the sausage, dump in your sauce, add in some water, then toss in the dry pasta! The pasta cooks in the sauce and soaks up all sorts of flavor. Crazy simple, right?

I was a little hesitant to use 3 cups of water, but it turned out perfectly. I did have to cook the pasta for about 4-5 minutes longer than stated in the recipe, but I was using whole wheat spaghetti. I will definitely make this again! Of course, it's only as good as the sauce you use, so try and use a high-quality jarred sauce, or your own homemade sauce. By using lower fat sausage, whole wheat spaghetti and a lower calorie jarred sauce (Victoria Trading Company's Tomato Basil Sauce), I was able to lower the calories from 675 calories and 38g of fat per serving down to 452 calories and 21g of fat.

Be sure to keep a few packs of Johnsonville sausage in the house, because on those days where you just don't know what to make, these recipes I've tried could become your favorites too! Let Johnsonville save the day and rescue your dinner! Check out the Johnsonville website for more delicious meal ideas!