Italian Sausage Tortilla Stacks

I'm at it again. Stacking food, that is. It started with Eggplant & White Wine Polenta Stacks with Fresh Basil Sauce and continued with Garlic Shrimp & Parmesan-Polenta Stacks with Brown Butter-Sage Sauce. So, naturally, when I saw whole wheat tortillas and my circle cutter set sitting on the kitchen counter, what else was I to do but make some tortilla towers? I don't have an explanation for this behavior. Perhaps it is my way of dealing with suppressed memories of Lego deprivation as a child. I admit that may not be the most natural solution that springs to mind, but the stacks turned out beautifully.

While there are a few steps to assemble these fun entrées, none of them take terribly long. After browning some savory Italian sausages and roasting red bell peppers, the crunchy tortilla rounds are layered with the sausages, peppers, and feta cheese. Each stack is topped with an earthy, fresh yogurt sauce that is flavored with ground ancho chile pepper and chopped cilantro. Eat them with a knife and fork, pick them up with your hands. Do whatever you need to do to get these tasty morsels into your mouth.

The tortilla circles:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a 3 to 3 ½-inch circle cutter and 8 whole wheat flour tortillas, cut 3 rounds out of each tortilla, for a total of 24 rounds.

Place the rounds in a single layer on two well-oiled baking sheets. Brush each round lightly with olive oil.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the rounds are golden brown. Be sure not to undercook the rounds or they will be chewy rather than crisp.

The filling:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Squeeze 4 mild Italian sausages out of their casings into the pan. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Breaking with a wooden spoon, cook until the sausage is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside.

Cut two roasted red peppers into thin strips. Roasted red peppers are very easy to roast at home. Use these how-to steps to find out how.

The sauce:
In a small bowl, mix together ½ cup plain Greek yogurt, ½ teaspoon ancho chile pepper, and ¼ teaspoon salt.

Assembling the stacks:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place 8 tortilla rounds on a baking sheet. Top each with 1 tablespoon cooked sausage, 3 strips roasted red pepper, and 2 teaspoons crumbled feta cheese.

Top the filling with another tortilla round. Repeat with another layer of filling and the last tortilla rounds, so that there are 3 layers of tortillas and 2 layers of filling for each stack.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Using a spatula, plate the tortilla stacks. Top each with a dollop of the yogurt sauce and garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve. You can try to eat these with knives and forks, but we found it easiest to use our hands.

Tortilla Stacks with Italian Sausage, Roasted Red Peppers & Feta Cheese

8 whole wheat flour tortillas
Canola oil for brushing baking sheets
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
4 mild Italian sausages
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 roasted red peppers
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon ancho chili pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
⅔ cup crumbled feta cheese
Chopped cilantro

The tortilla circles:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a 3 to 3 ½-inch circle cutter, cut 3 rounds out of each tortilla, for a total of 24 rounds. Place the rounds in a single layer on two well-oiled baking sheets. Brush each round lightly with olive oil. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the rounds are golden brown. Be sure not to undercook the rounds or they will be chewy rather than crisp.

The filling:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Squeeze the Italian sausages out of their casings into the pan. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Breaking with a wooden spoon, cook until the sausage is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside.

Cut two roasted red peppers into thin strips. Roasted red peppers are very easy to roast at home. Use these how-to steps to find out how.

The sauce:
In a small bowl, mix together yogurt, ancho chile pepper, and ¼ teaspoon salt.

Assembling the stacks:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place 8 tortilla rounds on a baking sheet. Top each with 1 tablespoon cooked sausage, 3 strips roasted red pepper, and 2 teaspoons crumbled feta cheese. Top the filling with another tortilla round. Repeat with another layer of filling and the last tortilla rounds, so that there are 3 layers of tortillas and 2 layers of filling for each stack.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Using a spatula, plate the tortilla stacks. Top each with a dollop of the yogurt sauce and garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve. You can try to eat these with knives and forks, but we found it easiest to use our hands.

Makes 8 stacks.

Printable recipe