There’s this blogging competition going down with the Mr. Food company. The challenge is to create a quick weeknight meal, and now that school has started, there’s no better time to whip up speedy dishes. Since my kids have been begging for a non-plantie meal, I thought I”d pull together each of their favorite things and create a panzanella-inspired skillet. Sausage for Rebecca. Shrimp for Jacob. Giant pieces of crusty bread for Alyssa. A sprinkle of cheese for Andrew.

A traditional panzanella is a cool, summertime salad, served with tomatoes and giant, fresh-made croutons.  Why not, I thought, create a recipe that uses all the classic parts and pieces of panzanella, but turns it into the worlds easiest, tastiest hot dinner? Turns out, accomplishing such a goal is inevitable when you use garlic and onion and tomatoes and Italian sausage and toss it all together. Twenty minutes. Easy ingredients. One heckuva tasty-delish weeknight meal.

The entire recipe can be made in a single skillet. Just brown the sausages, toss in the shrimp, make the tomato sauce…

Then top it all with your bread, fresh basil, and a sprinkling of parmesan.

My kids spooned theirs our of deep, shallow bowls, humming all along the way. Not a shabby end to an otherwise same-old school day.

Sausage & Shrimp Panzanella Skillet

Yield: Serves 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Panzanella is a traditional summertime salad, served with tomatoes and fresh bread croutons. In this recipe, we take the classic and twist it to become a hot, one-dish meal that is filling and full of flavor. To make the recipe, sausage and shrimp cook up quick in skillet, then combine with a simple tomato sauce. Topped with giant pieces of basil, crusty sourdough and parmesan cheese, this dinner recipe is destined to become a classic quick dinner in your home!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoons olive oil
2 sweet or spicy Italian sausage links
1/2 pound large cooked shrimp
8 cloves garlic, crushed and coarsely chopped
1 small sweet onion, diced
1 (14.5) ounce can diced tomatoes
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
8 ounces crusty sourdough, pulled into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

salt

Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages, cover, and cook until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add shrimp and cook in hot skillet just until hot, about 1 minutes. Remove sausages and shrimp from the pan, cool sausages slightly before slicing into 1" pieces, set aside.

Drizzle olive oil in hot skillet, add garlic and diced onion. Cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add tomatoes, sprinkle salt over tomatoes, add sausage, shrimp, basil, and sourdough to skillet. Stir to coat all ingredients with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve immediately in shallow bowls. Pairs perfectly with a sweet white wine.