Turkey Meatballs

My son has been requesting spaghetti and meatballs and I finally got around to making it for him. He has pretty basic tastes, but is trying to venture out some. I was looking for a simple recipe (i.e. more bland than Tony and I would normally like) and didn't really find what I was looking for, so I came up with something on my own. This was a tasty dish that everyone enjoyed. It was simple enough for Daniel and tasty enough for us. Definitely something to go in the meal rotation!

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey
1 small onion, diced
2 tsp fresh Oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
2 tsp fresh Basil (or 1 tsp dried)
3 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup milk or heavy cream (I used 2%)
1/2 cup olive oil
t tbsp butter
flour

Directions
1. Mix turkey, onion, herbs and salt and pepper. Add eggs, bread crumbs and milk. Roll meatballs into desired size. Roll shaped meatballs in flour to lightly coat. (I used a small cookie scoop and this made about 30 meatballs).

2. Heat a large pan. Add oil and butter and cook over medium heat until the butter turns golden brown (3-5 minutes).

3. Brown the meatballs in the hot oil and remove to a paper towel lined plate until finished.


4. Line meatballs on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until done. Add meatballs to your favorite sauce and pasta!


ENJOY!!

Turkey Chili

I meant to post this one yesterday, but I couldn't move my arms! OK, well it wasn't THAT bad. But I've been consumed with a major project of cleaning/ de-cluttering and organizing every room in our house! I finished all but one room downstairs (the study) so I think I'm doing pretty good! School is out tomorrow and Monday, so I'll take a break and start upstairs next week.

Since we've had some cold weather, I thought chili would be a good meal. I found this turkey chili in Everyday with Rachel Ray. Rachel Ray seemed to like it and it sounded good, so I gave it a try. I almost didn't try this one because it called for black beans. I tried black beans probably eons ago and they were not good so I have stayed away from them since. If I end up making a recipe that calls for them, I usually sub another type of bean. But, this time I decided to use the black beans and you know what?? I liked them! I guess the dish I had before was just bad? Anyway, I'm glad that I tried them!

This makes a very thick and hearty chili with lots of flavor! My husband and I both really enjoyed this chili. I think that you could easily decrease the amount of turkey to 2 pounds without taking away any flavor. If you want a chili that is a little soupier, this is a good Slow Cooker Turkey Chili.

Ingredients

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 lbs ground turkey

2 red bell peppers, chopped (I used green to save $$)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

8 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 head of garlic)

3 tbsp dried oregano

2 tbsp chili powder

4 tsp ground cumin

salt

three (14.5oz) cans diced tomatoes

two (15.5oz) cans black beans, rinsed

1/4 cup dry red wine

4 bay leaves

Shredded cheddar cheese (garnish)

Sour Cream (garnish)

Green onions, chopped (garnish)

Directions

1. In a large pot, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over high heat. Working in batches, add the ground turkey and cook until browned. Transfer to a bowl and repeat until all turkey is cooked.

2. Lower the heat to medium high and add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the bell peppers, onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp tender (5 minutes). Stir in the oregano, chili powder, cumin and 2 tsp salt and cook until vegetables are soft (3 minutes). Add the tomatoes, black beans, wine and bay leaves. Stir in the turkey and 1 cup water. Lower the heat to medium and simmer until thickened, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. To serve top with your choice of cheddar cheese, sour cream and green onions.

This chili also made a great topping for baked potatoes another night. It worked well as leftovers and froze well also.

ENJOY!

Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf

Meatloaf is one of those dishes that I remember from my childhood, yet I haven't had it in years since we don't eat beef. I happened upon a recipe for Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf and gave it a shot. I will admit that this isn't a "healthy" version by any means, but it does fill that occasional craving for meatloaf. I usually end up freezing half of this recipe for another night so I don't have to cook!

Ingredients

2 pounds ground turkey (93/7)

1 cup milk (I use 2%)

1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3/4 pound Colby or Cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 cup ketchup (I use BBQ sauce)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a bowl, mix the turkey, milk, bread crumbs and eggs by hand. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the cheese cubes into the mixture. Transfer to a loaf pan and top with ketchup (or BBQ sauce). Place the loaf pan in a 9x13 inch pan to catch any drippings.

3. Bake 1 hour in a preheated oven, to an internal temperature of 180 degrees. (I check with a thermometer and generally have to bake it about another 15-20 minutes)

Lasagna

One of my husband's favorite meals has always been lasagna, so that's what I made for Valentine's dinner along with salad and bread sticks. I have made this for so long that I don't remember where the recipe originated, but it has been changed up a little over the years. It is a tad labor intensive, but the taste is worth the work! I make this one with ground turkey and turkey sausage, but you can easily substitute ground beef and an Italian sausage.

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
1 lb ground Italian turkey sausage
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (12 oz) can tomato paste
1 (12 oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp chopped parsley
lasagna noodles
16 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 to 1 lb mozzarella cheese, grated
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions
In a large pot, cook turkey, sausage, onion and garlic over medium heat until well browned; drain. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce and water. Add sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, 1 tbsp salt, pepper and 2 tbsp parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles for 8 to 10 minutes in boiling water; drain and rinse in cold water. In a bowl, combine ricotta cheese and egg, remaining parsley and 1/2 tsp salt.

Preheat oven to 375 and lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan. To assemble, start with 1 1/2 cups meat sauce. Layer with noodles then 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture and 1/3 of mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers ending with mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Spray a piece of foil with cooking spray and cover dish. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 25 minutes. Cool 15 minutes before serving.

This has proven to be one of those meals that are difficult to get a good picture of...but I tried! I made this for my parents 50th Anniversary last month and did the layering a little different. I did a layer of sauce, then noodles, then cheeses, the noodles and repeated. I actually thought that it held it's shape a lot better with that order and it sure didn't affect the taste to do it differently!
This is the "traditional" layering and while it was quite yummy, it was a little messier (not that it really matters though!) Very yummy meal for my special guy! Hey, I even did the dishes from dinner for him ;-)

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

Chili always tastes good on a cold winter day! This is a recipe for Turkey Chili that I have been using for awhile. I wasn't crazy about it the first time I made it, but after some tweaking, it has become a favorite in our house! I usually double the recipe and freeze half for a later meal.

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb ground turkey
1 can tomato soup
1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (15oz) can light kidney beans, drained
1 (15oz) can chili beans, drained (I use hot)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp black pepper
salt to taste

Directions
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook turkey, onions and cumin in skillet until turkey is no longer pink; drain. Use a crockpot liner (you'll thank me later). Put all ingredients in crockpot and stir well. Cover, and cook 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high. Makes 8 servings.


It also makes a great topping for a baked potato! Yumm!


Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

This is another compilation of recipes and my "go to" recipe for Spaghetti Sauce. This recipe freezes very well and I often make it when I do "once a month cooking". One batch makes enough for dinner, a few lunches and 2 quart sized freezer bags to freeze for later meals. Each quart sized bag also makes enough for dinner and a few lunches- so at least for us, this recipe can be stretched pretty far. This was our dinner tonight- love being able to throw everything into the crockpot in the morning and not worry about it until dinner!

Ingredients

2 lbs ground turkey (or lean ground beef)
3 medium onions, chopped
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (29 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (12 oz) tomato paste
2 tbsp dried basil leaves
1 tbsp dried oregano leaves
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper


Cook ground turkey, onions, mushrooms and garlic in skillet over medium heat until turkey is cooked, about 10 minutes; drain. While turkey is cooking, combine remaining ingredients in crockpot. Add turkey mixture and stir well. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 hours. Makes 24 1/2 cup servings.


*I have also added other veggies like carrots, broccoli and zucchini when I have them on hand- good way to sneak in some veggies!