‘Tis the season for steaming hot bowls of soup, warm gingerbread cookies, spiked eggnog, and time in the kitchen spent making memories that will last a lifetime. Enter: Chef Jonathan Brooks, the creative force behind Milktooth in the Fountain Fletcher district, with a mouth-watering recipe for his mom’s sausage casserole.

The dish emphasizes high quality sausage and pimento with an option to use locally sourced ingredients like one of Tulip Tree Creamery's cheeses and bell peppers from one of Indy’s four winter farmers markets. Here’s everything you need to get started.

Arlene Brooks’ Sausage Casserole

Makes 4-6 servings if served as a main dish, 6-8 if served as a side.

🧅 Ingredients

1 pound sausage
1 cup chopped celery
1 chopped sweet onion or scallions
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup raw white rice
1 can cream mushroom or chicken
1 can cream of celery
1 jar pimento
1 cup (or more) grated cheese

📝 Directions

Brown the sausage, drain.
Add all other ingredients.
Bake covered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Then bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes in a heavy greased casserole dish.

Still want Chef Brooks to cook for you? Visit him at Milktooth (which earned him both Food and Wine's “Best New Chef” and Bon Appetit's “Best New Restaurant"in 2015) or check out his other eatery on the near east side: Beholder.