Caprese Bulgur with Chicken Sausage
Apolinaras is like a kid in a candy store at any establishment that sells tools or hardware stuff. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful he’s so handy and likes to do all the maintenance on our cars and tackle home improvement projects. But, the other weekend I was so painfully bored following him around the aisles of Harbor Freight Tools, that I decided to check out the store next door, Ocean State Job Lots. I’d never been there before and probably won’t be back, because it was kind of a depressing discount store, but I was happy to stumble upon a large selection of products from Bob’s Red Mill. I ended up buying two new items to play with – bulgur and chickpea flour.
If anyone has suggestions on what to do with the chickpea flour, please let me know. We tried the bulgur right away and quickly fell in love. It’s nutty and very tasty and actually has less calories and fat than quinoa, but the same amount of protein and double the fiber per serving. It was nice to mix things up a bit! One of the first meals I made was a twist on a traditional caprese salad, inspired by beautiful summer heirloom tomatoes.
I mixed the bulgur with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar and then mixed in a hefty dose of chicken sausage, fresh mini mozzarella balls, mini heirloom tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, and fresh basil. I will definitely be buying more bulgur from amazon, but if you don’t have any around, I think this dish would also be great with couscous or quinoa.
Caprese Bulgur with Chicken Sausage
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups quick cooking bulgur
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound chicken sausage, sliced
8 ounces mozzarella balls, sliced in half (ciliegine, mozzarella balls in salt water from TJs)
1 pound mini heirloom tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
1/2 cup packed chopped fresh basil (0.8 ounces)
Directions:
Prepare bulger according to package directions. Briefly, add bulger and chicken stock to a medium stockpot over high heat and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or tender and liquid is absorbed. Stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt. Place bulgur in a large bowl.
Place remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and sauté chicken sausage for 6 to 8 minutes or until browned; place chicken sausage in the bowl with the bulgur, along with the mozzarella balls, heirloom tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, and basil, and mix well. Makes 8 servings.
Nutrition: 521 calories, 24.6g fat, 11.3g fiber, 24.6g protein per serving
Cost: $1.66 per serving