One of my favourite secret ingredients is Little Italy Foods’ sausage. It comes in either hot or mild. It is available at the Italian Centre Shop on 95 Street or the Italian Bakery on 97 Street. It’s a locally made product that has been in our community of McCauley for over 15 years. Even all of their staff is local!

Italian sausage, whether in the casing or purchased as loose meat, is a very versatile product. It can be used in a variety of dishes, not just Italian dishes, like lasagnas, pastas, sausage on a bun, pizzas, soups, and salads. The loose meat can be substituted anywhere, in spaghetti sauce and even tacos, or pan fried with some red pepper and spices. An added bonus of these sausages is that it keeps my gluten-free friends happy!

I am happy to share with you an easy Italian sausage dish that is very cost effective and will satisfy your guests’ palate. This recipe is an old Italian recipe that’s been passed down in the family from generation-to-generation. It is called Salsiccia Calabrese.

Ingredients And Directions:

One package Little Italy Foods Italian Sausage (hot or mild)
1.5 pounds potatoes
1 medium size onion
1 small jar roasted red peppers
1 large can of your favorite pre-cooked tomato sauce 

Here’s what to do:

Grab a pot big enough to fit a package of sausage, add water, and bring to a boil. Throw in the sausage and boil 7-10 mins until sausage is cooked most of the way and then remove from water.

At same time, boil the potatoes until they are semi-soft.

Chop the sausages and potatoes into one inch pieces and place into a roasting pan. Dice the onions, roasted red peppers and add to the roasting pan.

Open the can of tomato sauce and pour over the mixture, mix in with ingredients. Bake in oven at 400 degrees for about 15-20 mins, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and they are ready to serve!

This dish is perfect for leftovers, if there’s even any leftovers!

Hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do.

Evelina lives in McCauley.