While all of the other love bugs are out dining in overcrowded restaurants, enjoy a peaceful and romantic dinner at home with your other half. If you need some inspiration on what to prepare, try pairing Carando Italian Sausage with a premium Bertolli Riserva sauce – the Tuscan inspired sauces and authentic Italian flavors of the sausages will simmer nicely together, leaving you with a meal you won’t want to end.
But when it does, know that Carando Italian Sausage and Bertolli Riserva both come in a selection of flavors at Kroger, so you’ll have what you need to create multiple special date nights at home.
Note: Sampling events will take place at a few select Kroger stores, so be sure to ask your local store manager for details.
I was in need of a date-night dinner early so I wanted to try out this Fusilli with Sausage & Mushrooms Pasta and it definitely did NOT disappoint. Not only was it delicious but it was so easy to make and hardly took any time (even with a hungry spouse or other half waiting to eat).
With just six ingredients in my cart I went to checkout so excited to recreate this recipe for you. I was even more happy to see that the Carando Sausage was 50% off this week at Kroger so it was only $2.50 for the package.
I started by pan searing the sausage links in a skillet (this can be done in cast iron and probably would have gotten more color). Once it was done, I took it out of the skillet and let it rest.
Add about 2 Tsp of Olive Oil to the pan and add in your mushrooms of choice. I used Baby Bella. Let these saute for about 5 min. In the meantime, cut your sausage links.
Let the sausage in mushrooms simmer for about 15 min. In the meantime, get that pasta water going and add in your pasta.
Drain your pasta and serve. I plated mine with the noodles on the bottom and topped with the yummy sausage and mushroom pasta sauce. I wanted some more carbs with my meal so I had some bread. A multi-grain batard to be exact. (This is a type of bread similar to baguette, but shorter.)
Recipe: Fusilli with Sausage & Mushrooms
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. Carando Italian sausage links
- 1 Tbsp. Bertolli® Classico™ Olive Oil
- 12 ounces Portobello, cremini or white mushrooms, sliced
- 1 jar Bertolli® Riserva Marinara with Parmigiano-Reggiano sauce
- 8 ounces fusilli pasta [or spiral pasta], cooked and drained
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Brown sausage in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Remove sausage from skillet and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; set aside.
- Heat Olive Oil in same skillet over medium-high heat and cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until tender. Return sausage to skillet. Stir in sauce and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes. Spoon sauce over hot pasta and sprinkle with cheese.
THE GIVEAWAY
Oh, and it doesn’t stop there! One lucky Kroger Krazy reader will win a $25 Kroger Gift Card! All you have to do is reply how they would make a date night meal with Carando Italian Sausage and Bertolli Riserva. Make sure your answer has #BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight. You have through 2/16/16 at 12 am EST to enter!
This is a sponsored post. All opinions remain my own. Gift Card provided by Lunchbox.
I would make some yummy stuffed peppers with these ingredients. Thanks for the chance! #BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
Creamy Spinach and Sausage with cheese tortellini! Yum!
#BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
I would make a date night at home with some baked ziti and side salad. Some wine and cheesecake for after dinner! #BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight
I would make Chicken & Sausage Scarpariello Arrabbiata! Yum! #BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
I’d slice the sausage and cook in a pan. Remove the sausage and add sliced onions and peppers in the leftover drippings. When lightly browned, add back in sausage and Reserva sauce and stir. Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, drain and add to sauce mixture. Stir, serve and enjoy! #BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
I’d slice the sausage and cook in a pan. Remove the sausage and add sliced onions and peppers in the leftover drippings. When lightly browned, add back in sausage and Reserva sauce and stir. Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, drain and add to sauce mixture. Stir, serve and enjoy!
I think a baked ziti with spicy sausage would be delicious! #BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
I would make my husband’s favorite sausage & tortellini bake. #BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight
I would take the Carando Italian Sausage and Bertolli Riserva, add some fresh herbs, onions, peppers and serve over pasta
#BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
I would caramalize yellow, red onions, orange bell peppers and red bell peppers. I would then add a few cloves of sliced garlic. Add the sausages and brown on both sides. Then add a touch of water and allow the sausages to cook. I would add the sauce to noodles along with some of the pasta water. To serve I would layer the pasta and sauce with the onion sausage mix. #BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
#BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight
I would make a meat lasagna with sausage slices cooked in each layer of meaty, cheesy, saucy goodness.
I would make a sausage and rigatoni bake #BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight.
I would make sausage sandwiches #CarandoDateNight #BertolliDateNight
I would use them in a baked lasagna. And eat by candlelight. #BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight.
I would saute the sausage with apples and sweet onions. Then add some alfredo sauce. Serve over pasta for a sweet valentines meal! #BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight.
I would make baked lasagna with Bertolli Sauce and Carando Sausage to enjoy #BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight
I would enlist my 3 young kiddos to help me make homemade pizza (hubs favorite meal) with sliced up sausage and Bertollli sauce and some olives – yummy!!!! My kids love to help cook and they love to play restaurant for dinner time – each taking their turn to serve us. We’d have a sweet little date night at home with the kiddos serving! Sounds fun to me! #BertolliDateNight # CarandoDateNight
I would grill the Bertolli sausage, then add caramelized onions, red and green bell peppers, and garlic. Then I would serve Bertolli Reserva for a dipping sauce with garlic bread. # BertolliDateNight, #CarandoDateNight
Date night would include baked lasagna, lots of cheese #BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight
Congratulations Susan! You were randomly chosen as the winner of this giveaway. Check your email!
I would make spaghetti with sausage & bacon, garlic bread and salad as side items #BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight
Thanks for the chance to win!
I love baked spaghetti – it would be much better with Italian Sausage. #BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight
#BertolliDateNight #CorandoDateNight
I’d make a sausage & vegetable lasagna. After skinning the sausage and pan frying it with mushrooms and onions. And boiling the lasagna noodles till they’re al delnte, id start my layers with my riserva sauce to keep the noodles from sticking to the pan,then noodles, sauce, sausage, frozen mixed vegetables, shredded cheddar and mozzerella, then start the layers all over with the noodles until youre about an inch from the top of your baking dish. Top it with noodles light sauce and cheese. Can’t forget the garlic bread! Sounds like a perfect date night meal!! I love krogers & coupons… fits my budget better than any other store!
Get the coupon and save even more!
http://coupons2.smartsource.com/smartsource/index.jsp?Link=46TV6IOZXII6Y
I love Italian food and plan to make it at home this Valentines Day and save money! Dinner with Bertolli & Carando, wine, and a movie! Perfect night with my loved one! #BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
I would grill the sausage and then add it to the sauce with some garlic, onion, and mushroom. Then put that over noodles and pile some cheese on top. Then put it under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the cheese.
We are planning a low key this Valentine’s Day, and I would use it for that. I would love to make a pasta dish with Corando sausage, tomatoes, onions, and maybe spinach. #BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight.
I would cook the sausages and slice them up. Then I would saute some yellow, orange and red peppers with onion. Add the Bertolli Reserva sauce and sausages to the pepers and onions. Put everything in a baking dish, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake. #BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight
#BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
This just inspired me to have the sausages with red wine and polenta with the sauce on top by the fireplace! How delicious & romantic -<3
#BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight Yummy, Italian food! I would make a salad and add some cannoli for dessert! The Italian sausage would simmer in the olive oil while some angel hair pasta boiled on the stove. Then add that red Bertolli sauce, and that’s amore!
I would cook the Carando Italian Sausage and leave whole. When done, remove the sausage and add chopped onions, bell peppers to the pan and saute. Drain any grease and then add Bertolli Reserva let simmer for 20 minutes. Cut hoagie rolls in half, butter both sides and toast in the oven, take out of the oven then put Carando Italian Sausage in each hoagie roll, top with provolone, top with the Bertolli Reserva sauce add more provolone on top and bake in oven til cheese is melted. #BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight.
I love Italian food and even better to make it yourself at home and save money! #BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
I would cut up the sausage Sautee it with bell pepper and onions add shrimp the bertolli sauce and put it on a bed of pasta sprinkle some mozzarella cheese on top and garlic toast on the side!
#bertollidatenight #carandodatenight
I would cut up the sausage Sautee it with bell pepper and onions add shrimp the bertolli sauce and put it on a bed of pasta sprinkle some mozzarella cheese on top and garlic toast on the side!
Pizza!! My husband loves when I make homemade pizza, but it takes a little while, so we only do it on special occasions. I would take the sausage out of their casings and brown and crumble them on the stove, then make a pizza with Bertolli Riserva Parmiggiano Reggiano sauce, mozzarella, caramelized onions, sausage and spinach. A little extra parmiggiano-reggiano on top, and we have a special date night at home! #BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
I would simmer garlic, onions, the Bertolli, Italian sausage for about 20 minutes then throw in some fresh baby spinach at the end and serve over pasta. #BertolliDateNight #CorandoDateNight
I’d put the Italian sausages on the grill with some peppers, onions and mushrooms, and serve it with the Bertolli sauce over cavatappi….with plenty of grated parmigiano-reggiano over top!
Definitely Gnocci with Bertolli sauce. It’s the quickest pasta to cook, just under 5 minutes, it’s done when the pasta rises to the top. Perfect for date night 😉 #BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight
Oh, cook up that sausage and put it up in a lasagna. Layer with the Bertolli sauce. I am getting hungry.#BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight.
#BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight, this meal looks absolutely scrumptious. I would love to make this.
This sounds delicious! I would have sauteed the Carando Sausage and then add diced peppers, onions, and potatoes in the Bertolli Pasta Sauce. Serve over a bed a angel hair pasta and enjoy 🙂 BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
I would have taken the bertolli riserva asiago cheese and artichokes along with mushrooms and diced onions, diced garlic and s handful of spinach and thrown it all in a pan with some olive oil until it was complete. I then would have cooked the Corando sausage and cooked and cut it up. Throw it all together and let the flavors warm up together all while you start cooking some gnocchi in water in another pot. Once this is complete mix it all together for a delicious meal !! #BertolliDateNight#CorandoDateNight
I’d cut the sausages a little smaller, use some peppers and tomatoes, a lot of cheese on top, garlic bread and a salad! Then drink some wine with it, of course #BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
I would have taken the bertolli riserva asiago cheese and artichokes along with mushrooms and diced onions, diced garlic and s handful of spinach and thrown it all in a pan with some olive oil until it was complete. I then would have cooked the Corando sausage and cooked and cut it up. Throw it all together and let the flavors warm up together all while you start cooking some gnocchi in water in another pot. Once this is complete mix it all together for a delicious meal !!
Add lots of cheese and wine, plus some pasta and Carando Italian Sausage with Bertolli Riserva. #BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight.
#BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight I would add in come peppers and onions and maybe a little spinach to the sauce. Perfet meal for 2.
Spaghetti. Roasted Veggies. Corando Sausage Grilled. A grand date for two! #BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight.
I would do the same, except I would use a white sauce, and add bacon and onion. Let my sauce simmer, boil my pasta until al dente and serve with garlic bread, and grape juice. ( We don’t drink, Lmbo)
I think the sausage and sauce would be just fine on it’s own with pasta. I would grab a bottle of wine and a side salad and this would be the perfect date night! #BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight
I would make the sausage and sauce with mushrooms just as Katie did, but I would serve over bowtie pasta. I would not serve bread but would add a small baby spinach and baby kale salad. But the topper would be individual chocolate lava cakes, since I gots to have chocolate on VDay!#BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight.
just add lots of veggies
Stuffed peppers! I would make a rice mixture with cooked and diced Carando sausages, diced onions, rice (already cooked), and Bertolli Riserva sauce, and stuff the mixture in big beautiful green pepper (par-cooked). Top with parmesan cheese and bake just until the cheese starts to brown. That would make for a great date night dinner! #BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
#BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight I would just brown the sausage and heat up sauce and pour over noodles. To give date night feel. I would set table and use candlelight.
#BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
I would make Carando italian sausage subs with bertolli marinara and mozzarella cheese.
My husband has been asking for this for a few days now. It would be a perfect stay-in date night after the kids go to sleep.
#BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight I would cook up a meal for my elderly neighbors and have them over to share it with us. I would brown the sausage, cook the noodles and frozen vegetables in the same pot, drain, toss in a casserole dish along with some fresh grated cheese and cover with bertolli sauce and cook for about 20 minutes. Wish I could use mushrooms but then my brothers won’t eat it. LOL
#BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight I would brown the sausage while cooking up the noodles and vegetables (I cook them with the noodles), drain, then put them in a casserole dish along with the sausages. I would put a handful of hand grated mozerella, cover with bertolli and top with some parmasen cheese and pop it in the oven for about 20 minutes.
It would take a while to find someone to keep the kids, but I would make sure and find them. I would make the recipes provided as I am always up for new recipes. Just being able to be alone with my husband and try new things would be the best!!!!!!! #BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
This is great! Hubs and I always stay in for Valentine’s Day- maybe we are food snobs, but we’ve decided there is no better food around us than what we can cook at home. Plus it’s fun for us to cook together! I would make a skillet cooked butternut squash, sausage and penne pasta meal:
Ingredients
1 large shallot (or 1/4 cup minced yellow or white onion)2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed1 pound chicken sausage (if links, remove the casing)1/2 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon black pepper5 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth12 ounces penne pasta3 cups peeled and diced butternut squash3 cups coarsely chopped fresh baby spinach2 large sage leaves, torn into small pieces, or 1/4 teaspoon dried, more or less to taste1 cup (about 4 ounces) shredded or cubed fontina or mozzarella cheeseSalt and pepper to tasteFreshly grated Parmesan for serving, if desired
Directions
In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, combine the shallot, garlic, sausage, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, breaking up the meat into small pieces, and cooking until the sausage is cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Scrape the mixture to a plate and return the skillet back to the heat.Add the chicken broth and pasta and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking and the pasta clumping together. Stir in the squash and simmer 5-7 minutes longer until the squash and pasta are both tender. As the squash breaks down, it will help bring a creaminess to the sauce and pasta so add more liquid, if necessary, while cooking if the mixture seems dry.Stir in the spinach and sage and cook for 1-2 minutes until the spinach is wilted. Add the sausage/shallot mixture back to the skillet and stir in the fontina or mozzarella cheese and add salt and pepper to taste.Off the heat, cover the skillet with a lid or foil and let the pasta sit for 5-10 minutes. Give it a good stir and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Courtesy of MelsKitchenCafe.com for the best recipes ever!!
#BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
#BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight – I’d take the Carando sausage out of the casing and saute it up with a handful of onions and mushrooms, a few red pepper flakes and a bit of Italian seasoning, then add the Bertolli sauce – heat thru and top the pasta. Sprinkle with a bit of parmesan….my mouth is watering already!!
First, I’d drop off the kids off at Grandma’s house. Then I’d try this recipe (sounds amazing btw) and have a well deserved date night with the hubby! Thanks for the chance!#BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight.
#BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight
My son and dad like subs, so I would slice the sausage, put it into the sauce and serve it in Kaiser rolls or large sub rolls. Romance isn’t my thing…I just want to give my family a good Valentine’s dinner.
I would use the Carando Italian Sausage and Bertolli Reserva in one of my favorite Italian recipes: Baked Rigatoni with Fennel and Italian Sausage. It normally tastes divine and the quality of the Carando and Bertolli would make it taste even better! Would love to enjoy that meal and then watch a great film or two on Netflix with the boyfriend for a cozy and lovely date night! Thank you for the chance! #BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
Nothing says I Love You like a good home cooked meal. My husband loves Italian food so we have a variation of it at least once per week. I would sauté the carando sausage in olive oil and while that is cooking I would also sautéed onions, mushrooms and green peppers in another pan. Next I would boil my spaghetti noodles and place in a big roaster and mix in some bertolli sauce. Now it’s time to add the meat and veggies. Top it off with mozzarella cheese and Italian seasoning. Bake at 350 until all the cheese melts and you have a delicious baked spaghetti. This is a big hit in my family. #bertollidatenight #carandodatenight
I actually love how you did the sliced sausage, so I would also brown the Carando sausage and slice it, as you did. I love sausage like that! Then I would use the Bertolli Riserva sauce to make a quick creamy tomato sauce, serve the sausage and sauce over Ronzoni pasta (which I noticed is on the MEGA sale this week). Parmesan on top! Add a salad (maybe some avocados from this week’s sale?) and some crusty bread and butter and we’d love it! #BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
I would try making the Carando Italian Sausages and Bertolli Sauce into a homemade sausage-sub (similar to a meatball sub)! Some nice warm rolls, or sliced french bread, along with the sausage, sauce, cheese, and perhaps some veggie toppings would make for a wonderful meal!
I would love to try making these sausage-subs with my boyfriend! #BertolliDateNight #CaramdoDateNight
#BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight
I would give all of the ingredients to my husband, and say surprise me. He is the cook.
For my #BertolliDateNight, I would slice some #CarandoDateNight Italian sausage, sauté in Bertolli olive oil, then add some crawfish tails and cook about 5 minutes.Next I would add some Bertolli Riserva Marinara with Parmigiano-Reggiano Sauce. I would then prepare some Penne pasta and add to meats and sauce
#BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight
I would cook it exactly the same but have garlic salt handy and grate some Parmesan on top!
#BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight.
This recipe looks amazing! Soups are a favorite of mine, so I would probably make this… http://allrecipes.com/recipe/213082/sweet-italian-chicken-sausage-and-tortellini-soup/
#BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
My husband would make something awesome with sausage. We would stay home since to expensive to go out. Make a dinner and watch a movie. As for specific dish, that’s all the husband as I do not cook (I do but not well). I just do the shopping with the coupons. Thanks for the opportunity to win
#BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight
Slice Carando sausages, dip in an egg bath then coat with a mixture of flour, cornmeal salt, pepper garlic seasoning and onion powder. Deep fry until brown. Prepare pasta. Saute sliced yellow squash and zucchini, onions in butter and garlic, add Bertolli sauce. Cover pasta with sausage, then sauce, and top wth grated cheese.
I would do a variety of noodles and have my husband grill the sausages! We would also stay in and just enjoy each other’s company.
#BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight.
I’d make a homemade pizza with Kroger pizza crust, Bertolli sauce and Carando sausage. #BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight.
#BertolliDateNight #CaramdoDateNight
I think I would find a turkey sausage seasoned similarly and use a whole wheat or Squash Pasta for the dish and a sour dough toasted bread for the side. Sounds great to me now I need a date to share it with!!
Uuuummmm….I love to cook, and more then that I love to eat Italian. So this is totally me!
I would defiantly pan fry the Italian links in a cast iron skillet, this method brings out an amazing amount of flavor that I really enjoy. I’d remove them from the skillet, add equal amounts of olive oil and butter(yes butter! Butter and pasta sauce is truly amazing when combined!) Add chopped baby Bella mushrooms, chopped onions and sauté a few minutes until fragrant. Add your sauce and a generous amount of Italian seasonings, onion powder, and garlic powder and simmer at least 30 minutes. Mean while, I’d cook my favorite pasta, probably angel hair spaghetti, until tender.
After my sauce has cooked to bring out the best flavors, I’d add my Italian link that I’ve sliced and let them simmer in the sauce for a minute or two to be sure their warmed through.
To serve! Add a pile of pasta that’s been tossed with olive oil to two plates, pour over your sauce and sprinkle a mouth watering amount of freshly grated parmesan cheese on top, and for garnish, a fresh sprig of basil!
That is how I’d enjoy my date! My mouth is watering even now….. 🙂
#BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
We love a delicious pizza in my house. I would slice and brown the Carando sausage. We would add onion and mushrooms of course. I would use the Bertolli Riserva as our pizza sauce and then pile the shredded mozzarella atop a homemade pizza crust. #BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
I would fry the Carando sausage, lay it over top of cooked spaghetti noodles that were mixed with cream cheese, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Cover with Bertolli. Bake it for 20 minutes and top with shredded Parmesan cheese. Mmmmm #BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight
I would get grill the sausage on the grill and place it in a brat bun. Then I would splash the pasta sauce on top and sprinkle some mozzarella cheese. Almost like a meatball sandwich! #BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight.
#bertollidatenight #carondodatenight. I would make italian sausage sandwhiches add some sauté onions and the bertolli sauce on top this is my hubbys favorite meal so it would make a great meal for a date night at home.
#BertolliDateNight & #CarandoDateNight
I will spending Valentine’s Day with my kids 🙂 evay Sunday my three year old helps me make a dinner of his choosing and that tradition won’t change for the holiday. He said he wanted to make spaghetti so this would be perfect! I personally would mince the mushrooms to give the sauce more texture & pre cut my sausages before cooking. Looks yummy!
I would love to make this Bertolli sauce with Carandom sausage and serve it over broccoli. I’m still sticking with my new year’s resolutions but I’m not wanting to feel deprived. This looks perfect! #Carandodatenight #Bertollidatenight
#BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight
I hate going out for V.Day … would prefer sautéing Carando Italian sausage in a little Bertolli olive oil (sausage cut on the diagonal) with green peppers and onions and serving on toasted hoagie buns. Best enjoyed while binging on Homeland or House of Cards!
I would cook the Corando sausage then slice it long ways and stuff it with ricotta cheese and jalenpenos. Cook lasagna noodles and wrap them around each sausage. Place them in a pan cover them with bertolli Reserva sauce and mozzarella cheese and bake.#BertolliDateNight #CorandoDateNight
Anything Italian would be great! If I won this I would make a meal for my parents since they cannot afford to go out of the house and go out to eat. They haven’t been out on a date in months and my brother is going to be out of the house so this would be a perfect time for me to fix them a meal with these ingredients! I would definitely make something that looks appetizing lol #BertolliDateNight #CarandoDateNight.