Summer Vegetables with Sausage Hash

Recipes

Mar 1

A 57 year old male patient – let’s call him “Bill”- needed my help with an eating plan that helps manage his gout, prediabetes and fatty liver. His doctor said that he has to cut out most of the foods that he’s enjoyed his whole life. One of the foods at the top of the list was his beloved morning sausage.

While it’s true that beef and pork sausage is typically made with fattier cuts of meat, you can create a similar flavor using leaner cuts. In Bill’s case, he needed to decrease the amount of meat (gout) while increasing his vegetable and fiber (diabetes, fatty liver) intake.

As dietitian practitioners, we are always finding creative ways that people can still enjoy food while making changes that improve their health. The way we do that is by doing lots of experimentation in the kitchen! I made it my goal to create a dish that Bill could enjoy that satisfied both his taste palate and his physician’s orders.

First of all, I had to find a sausage recipe that would impart flavor while cutting much of the fat. I found a great recipe off the Texas Beef Council’s website that takes extra lean ground beef and adds the right spices to create that sausage flavor.

What I adore about this recipe is that you can make a big batch and freeze it for as needed use for up to 2 months.

The fact is that 9 out of 10 people are not getting the suggested servings of vegetables suggested by the USDA Dietary Guidelines. Here’s how you change that statistic.

The fact is that 9 out of 10 people are not getting the suggested servings of vegetables suggested by the USDA Dietary Guidelines. Here’s how we change that statistic. We need to focus on what to put on the plate instead of what to take off. That’s what my focus was here for Bill. He needed to increase his vegetable and fiber intake so I decided to find a sausage and vegetable combination he can add to his egg at breakfast. So I found another recipe that used chicken sausage, and pulled in a lot of the vegetables that I wanted to use. Using the beef sausage recipe and the other sausage and veggie recipe as inspiration, I created my own. With the recipe, the amount of meat is cut down per serving while crnaking up the vegetables by color and quantity. Using one pound of meat, this recipe yields 5 to 6 servings.

Summer Vegetable with Sausage Hash

Total Time: 55 minutes
Prep Time: 15 minute
Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb baby red potatoes, cut in 1/2 inch squares
2 T olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cracked pepper
1 1b extra lean beef sausage
1 large red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into small pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into small pieces
1 orange bell pepper, cut into small pieces
1 green bell pepper, cut into small pieces
1-2 T fresh rosemary, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, finely minced

Directions:

Prepare sausage per directions and set aside.
In a large, deep skillet, heat 1 T oil on medium heat. Add the red potatoes and top with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix well and cover. Turn heat down to low for 20-25 minutes.
Once potatoes are done, place into a baking dish and set aside. Turn heat to medium-high, and add the other tablespoon of oil. Add the garlic, rosemary, onion and bell peppers. Saute for 7-10 minutes until bell peppers are soft.
Add sausage and potatoes to the vegetable mix and cook until evenly heated.

Nutrition Facts (1 cup prepared)):

Calories: 172
Fat: 6 g
Sat fat: 1.5 g
Carb: 20 g
Fiber: 2.5 g
Sugars: 3 g
Protein: 16 g
Sodium: 380 mg

Olive oil, garlic, spices and dashes of salt and pepper round out the hash to make this a versatile dish. Enjoy it for dinner or heat it up and enjoy it with your scrambled eggs in the morning. You could even get some flatbread and make a pizza out of it by smearing some ricotta as a base then top it with the hash before baking on a pizza stone. This hash is so versatile and it also freezes nicely.

Bill, and all the other Bills (and Betties!) out there needing to make some changes to their diet for health reasons, we hope you enjoy our summer vegetables with sausage hash.

Do you need a recipe redo? Come visit with one of our dietitians and give them a recipe redo challenge. Dietitian visits are usually covered under most insurance plans. Give us a call at 888-422-8070 so we can check your benefits.