I was going to call this “What’s For Dinner: Stuff I Bought At Target” but my friend Amy pointed out some Targets don’t have as much food as others. Maybe your Target doesn’t have a frozen food section, or dried herbs, or the specific brand of tomatoes I like, or any sausage. I don’t want to get angry emails saying “I TRIED TO MAKE YOUR RECIPE BUT THEY DIDN’T HAVE RAVIOLI AT MY TARGET SO MY LIFE IS RUINED.”

You wouldn’t think people could get so mad over a problem easily solved (try the grocery store! Or even Walmart!), but then you’d remember this is the internet.  The most hateful comments I’ve ever gotten were about a tutu.

But back to food, since food is pretty much all I have left to enjoy at 32 weeks pregnant. Delicious, cheesy food.

A recipe that only takes a handful of ingredients that I can keep on hand AND children eat is the Holy Grail of dinners around here. I don’t even consider frozen ravioli cheating when it comes to “homemade” – if I didn’t get it from a drive-thru, we’re doing really well. (Have I mentioned I just discovered the joys of frozen meatballs and rotisserie chickens from the grocery store too???) Both kids ate the noodles, Caroline ate a ton of sausage and Evan pushed the tomatoes around on his plate. I added lots of red pepper flakes for my helping, but if you made it for grown ups you could use spicy sausage for even better flavor – the package I used was “garlic and cheese”.

Ravioli With Sausage And Tomatoes

1 24 oz bag frozen ravioli (cheese, spinach & cheese, whatever)
1 28 oz can Tuttorosso diced tomatoes
16 oz Italian sausage (whatever kind you like – if you buy precooked chicken sausage this would be even faster)
1 TBS dried basil
1 TBS dried oregano
Parmesan cheese
Red pepper flakes
Salt

Cook the ravioli according to package directions. Most of the time that involves boiling a pot of water and just tossing them in for a few minutes. In the mean time, cut the sausage into small/medium sized pieces and brown it in a skillet until fully cooked. Drain the sausage of most of the fat. Open the tomato can and drain about 3/4 of the liquid (If you want saucier tomatoes you can skip that step. Saucy!) then throw them in the pan with the sausage. Add basil and oregano, then salt to taste. Simmer the sauce for just a few minutes to let the sausage soak up some of the tomatoes. Drain the ravioli and you’re ready to serve! Top with cheese and red pepper to taste.

It almost seems too easy, but I promise the tomatoes + sausage make a delicious combination. I’m a big fan of the Tuttorosso brand (they actually sent me a few cans, but I already had a dozen in my pantry) and they’re easy to find – look for the green and yellow labels. Technically this should serve 4, but if you are hungry or pregnant I’d say only 2 grown ups plus 2 kids.

Although right now I am fully confident I could eat the entire thing entirely by myself.

This will probably be the last What’s for Dinner post for a while because this week I’ve found myself repeating stuff I’ve made during the last 4 installments. So if none of this week’s meals look good, go back and check out volumes 1, 2, 3, or 4 to get some home-cooked inspiration.

1. Angel Sugar Cookies – The Pioneer Woman (DANGER: IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP EATING)
2. Marlboro Man’s Favorite Sandwich – The Pioneer Woman
3. Lemony Crispy Chicken Cutlets and Roasted Tomato Salad – Rachel Ray 365: No Repeats
4. Penne a la Betsy – The Pioneer Woman

5. Spicy Shrimp & Noodle Soup – Soup or Salad Blog
6. Pan-Roasted Garlic and Herb Chicken Breasts with Chopped Salad and Creamy Caper Dressing – Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats (This salad is so delicious I eat practically the whole 4 servings myself every time. I am extremely sorry Rachael doesn’t have it on her website.)
7. Couple-of-Minute Steaks and Potato Ragout – Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats
8. Chef Salad Bar – Inspired by Soup or Salad Blog

My favorites from the week were definitely the cookies, the spicy soup and the salad bar. I ate way too much those days, especially the salad bar – I should NOT have bought three different kinds of cheese plus my favorite Caesar dressing. It makes salad so delicious and soooooo not really salad anymore. Also, while I was writing this post my craving for more sugar cookies has gotten entirely out of control. I’ll be making those again soon. Or now.