Tag Archives: tomatoes

Italian Meatballs with Smoky Tomato Sauce

I’m not really a big meat-eating person but I do love a turkey burger or turkey meatballs sometimes. These Italian Meatballs with Smoky Tomato Sauce not only have ground turkey but they also have turkey sausage to add a little flavor. Mixed with egg, garlic, and parmesan cheese, these meatballs can be made quickly and include one of my favorite spices – smoked paprika! Personally, I would have preferred if there was a little more sausage in the mix but overall, I thought these meatballs were very tasty. The tomato sauce also has smoked paprika and was a hearty, albeit garlicky, sauce. I cut this recipe in half because I wasn’t looking to feed an army here and I still didn’t put in as much garlic as the recipe calls for. These meatballs would make great appetizers for your next get-together – or maybe a nice topping to some whole wheat pasta!

The meatball ingredients:

In a bowl, mix together egg, garlic, bread crumbs, cheese, salt, and pepper.

Add in ground turkey and sweet turkey sausage. Mix until just combined.

Roll mixture into balls and lay on a baking sheet. Combine olive oil and smoked paprika and brush on each meatball. Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes.

The sauce ingredients:

In a large saucepan, heat onion, garlic, basil, and oregano in olive oil until onion is tender.

Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and allow sauce to simmer for 20 minutes.

Top meatballs with sauce or serve it on the side. Add more grated parmesan if you desire.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Better Homes & Gardens Magazine

Linguine with Easy Meat Sauce

I remember when I was younger, my mom would often make spaghetti and meat sauce for dinner. She would brown the beef in an electric skillet and let the tomato sauce simmer with the meat for what seemed like forever. This recipe for Linguine with Easy Meat Sauce tastes just as good as her spaghetti dinners and can be made in a fraction of the time. Fresh linguine, which takes no time at all to cook, is topped with a meaty, tomato-y sauce, shaved parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. I used ground turkey in place of the lean beef and the recipe still tasted great. I was really looking forward to having these leftovers to take for lunch this week but after my friend and I got home from a night on the town Saturday, we ended up devouring every last bite of it. I just might have to make more!

This is one of Cooking Light Magazine’s “Superfast” recipes (dishes that can be made in 20 minutes). I’m happy to say that I was chosen as the “Superfast Fan of the Month” for December 2011! For more Superfast recipes (and to find out how you can be a Superfast fan like me), check it out here.

The ingredients:

Cook linguine according to package directions. Meanwhile, add turkey, onion, garlic, oregano, and salt to a skillet and cook over medium-high heat until turkey is thoroughly cooked.

Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.

Add in undrained diced tomatoes and bring to a boil, cooking for 1 minute. Reduce heat and cook for 3 minutes.

Top each serving with parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Ground turkey for ground beef

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Jerk Chicken Chili

November 14, 2011
Shannon
3 comments
chicken, chocolate, food, soup, tomatoes

Chili is usually a recipe that I make the first weekend that football starts, no matter what the temperature is outside. So, making chili in November is pretty late for me. But this recipe for Jerk Chicken Chili was worth the wait. This recipe came from Glamour Magazine – a surprising source of tasty recipes. This chili is different than your regular chili but still just as hearty and comforting. The spices in this chili – chili powder, thyme, allspice, cinnamon – are cooked with onion and yellow pepper early on which brings out their natural oils and intensifies their flavor. Chicken is added and coated with the spice mixture before being simmered with the liquids, beans, and jalapeño. Fresh cilantro and (surprise!) chocolate are added at the end to deepen the flavor of every bite. I left the garlic out of this recipe for one reason only: the editors at the magazine included it in the directions but didn’t include it in the ingredients! Ugh! Anyway, the flavor in this chili goes deep to create an intense, soothing chili that digs down and warms you to the core. If you’re bold enough to try a different kind of chili, you won’t be disappointed with this!