Picture this: It’s Saturday. I’m relaxing on the couch, munching on sour cream guacamole chips, watching reality TV (don’t judge me), while waiting on my clay facial mask to dry. My phone buzzes with a text message that says, “On our way!” You can imagine the look on my face, right? We’ve all been there.

I totally forgot I was hosting a family meeting. Thankfully, I had completed my weekend marathon house cleaning. Gosh, I’ve got to stop cramming my cleaning in like that. So now I just needed to get normal looking and think of a quick, easy and delicious appetizer. My family consists of serious foodies and appetizers are mandatory for any and every occasion.

So here I am fumbling through the fridge, grabbing random ingredients like I’m competing on Top Chef.

My fridge was stocked with Johnsonville Sausage, since I was supposed to be cooking with the sausage in honor of Mardi Gras for an upcoming blog post (which you’re reading right now).

Johnsonville Chicken Sausage is packed with flavor. And unlike most other fully cooked sausages, Johnsonville doesn’t use any filler, which makes for a juicy and firm texture and bite. I grabbed a pack of Johnsonville Chicken Sausage Chipotle Monterey Jack Cheese and said, “Ok baby, show me what you’re working with!” Yes, I really talk to my food. You should too.

I decided on a quick and easy Sausage, Spinach and Tomato Queso Blanco Dip. I didn’t have all the ingredients that I needed so I improvised. The results were great and we were scraping down the pan by the end of the evening. Mission completed.

The rock star ingredient in this recipe is definitely the Johnsonville Chicken Sausage – packed with just the right amount of heat from the chipotle peppers and that creamy Monterey Jack cheese, have mercy! It’s like it was made for this dip.

Johnsonville has a bunch of delicious sausage flavors, which you can check out here. I’ve only had the chicken varieties and they did not disappoint, so bold and full of flavor.

One of the reasons why I agreed to review Johnsonville Sausages is because I’ve been cooking with them for years. I no longer eat pork (which is why you won’t find any pork recipes on this blog) so I’m very limited on the types of fully cooked sausages I can eat. You know the struggle if you’re in the same boat.

With Johnsonville, I can throw that juicy chicken sausage right in between a bun and have that firm texture and bite that I use to love with pork sausages. And of course the mom in me loves that they are made with the best cuts of chicken and without fillers. They make for a perfect party food, whether it’s an unexpected family meeting or a Mardi Gras celebration.

Have you ever tried Johnsonville Sausages?  If so, which flavor is your favorite? If not, which flavor would you most like to try?

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Visit the Johnsonville’s website to view all of their delicious sausage varieties!

And while you’re at it, here’s the recipe for that delicious Sausage, Spinach, & Tomato Queso Blanco Dip!

The Recipe

Sausage, Spinach, & Tomato Queso Blanco Dip

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4.7 from 57 reviews

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 jalapeño, seeded, finely diced
• ¼ cup red onions, finely diced
• 2 Johnsonville Chicken Sausage Chipotle Monterey Jack Cheese, diced
• ½ cup spinach, finely diced
• 1 large tomato, seeded, finely diced
• 4 oz. can diced green chilies(optional)
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 1 lb. White American cheese, shredded
• ¼ cup milk, plus more if desired
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, diced

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a deep skillet over medium heat.
2. Add onions and jalapeno and cook until tender.
3. Add sausage and spinach and cook until sausage is heated.
4. Add tomatoes and diced green chilies, if using.
5. Stir in heavy cream and cheese.
6. Continue stirring until cheese is completely melted.
7. Add enough milk to reach desired consistency.
8. Stir in cilantro.
9. Serve immediately with tortilla chips

Notes

Note: The cheese and sausage adds enough sodium so I served this dip with unsalted tortilla chips and buttered baguettes.

3.2.2265

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