Sausage Stir Fry

April 7, 2011 by ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~ 2 Comments

I make this dish all the time, and the other night it was especially yummy! I mentioned it on Twitter and was asked for the recipe. You can use any sort of meat you want- typically I go for sausage- either Jimmy Dean Spicy Sausage, Antelope (home-made), or Eckrich Brand Beef, Pork, Turkey sausage. As an aside that’s the same sausage I put in Red Beans and Rice. But I digress.

To begin, I get my pan nice and hot and add a couple tablespoons of butter. You could use olive oil too. Then I coarsely dice/slice (depends on my mood) one red bell pepper and a medium yellow onion. You could use a red or white onion too if you were of the mind; a white onion though generally doesn’t hold up as well. Toss them in when the pan is hot because I like them to get a bit blackened. It brings out the natural sugars in them. Stir them around as needed (about 5 minutes or so).

Then I’ll add my sausage. A whole pound of it. If I’m using uncooked sausage, I will pull the veggies from that pan (so they don’t overcook), add in the ground sausage and brown it. If I’m using the already cooked sausage, I will dice it and put it right in the pan as it just needs to warm up. I will turn the heat onto low, add the 16oz of sausage and stir it around for about a minute.

Now it’s time for the good stuff! Add about a tablespoon of smoked paprika, some salt and pepper and about a teaspoon of crushed red pepper. Toss well. Then add about 2-3 tablespoons of Soy Sauce- enough to form a light sauce. Stir in 8oz (1cu) of frozen broccoli and a small can of water chestnuts- drain ’em, don’t drain ’em, it’s up to you. You can also add mushrooms- typically I throw in a can of diced portabellas with about half the liquid (remember, the girl who lives in the middle of nowhere lives for canned goods). Cover, and steam the broccoli until warmed through. I usually add a touch more salt, pepper and smoked paprika, as well as a teaspoon of garlic powder to finish the dish.

Note: I don’t have a wok, so I use a heavy cast iron skillet or a big, stainless saucepan. A girl’s gotta make do!

All in all it takes about 20 minutes. I never serve mine over rice, but that’s probably how it should be served. I just put it in a bowl and eat. It never lasts very long around here, I must say!

Maybe this will inspire your supper tonight. I know I’m wanting to make it again already!

Happy Trails and Happy Eating!

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About ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

Jenn Zeller is the creative mind and boss lady behind The South Dakota Cowgirl. She is an aspiring horsewoman, photographer, brilliant social media strategist and lover of all things western.

After a brief career in the investment world to support her horse habit (and satisfy her mother, who told her she had to have a “real” job after graduating college), she finally took the leap and stepped away from a regular income; trading the business suit once and for all for cowgirl boots, a hat, and jeans. She has not looked back.

When Jenn first moved to The DX Ranch on the South Dakota plains, she never imagined she’d find herself behind a camera lens capturing an authentic perspective of ranching, and sharing it with others. Jenn has always been called to artistry, and uses music, writing, images, home improvement, and her first true love of horses to express her ranching passion.

Horses are the constant thread and much of her work centers around using her unique style of writing to share her horsemanship journey with others in publications such as CavvySavvy, the AQHA Ranching Blog, the West River Eagle, the family ranch website, and her own website.

Using photography to illustrate her stories has created other opportunities -- Jenn’s brand “The South Dakota Cowgirl” has grown to the level of social media “Influencer”. This notoriety has led to work with Duluth Trading Company, Budweiser, Wyoming Tourism, Vice, Circle Z Ranch and Art of the Cowgirl, to name a few. She also serves as a brand ambassador for Woodchuck USA, Arenus Equine Health, Triple Crown Feed and Just Strong fitness apparel. Her photography has been featured by Instagram, Apple, TIME Magazine, The Huffington Post, and Oprah Magazine. Jenn’s work has been published internationally, has been seen in several books and has graced the covers of several magazines.

Jenn became a social media influencer by accident when she started to explore Instagram as a way to share her life on the ranch with folks that don’t get to experience it. It’s grown into an incredible platform that she uses to empower women, create an environment for self improvement and share life on the ranch.

When she’s not working, she loves to drink coffee, play with her naughty border collie named Copper, start ranch colts, and run about the country chasing cans. Her mother still thinks she doesn’t have a “real” job.