Tag Archives: turkey

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

Turkey, Cranberry, and Pepper Jack Quesadillas

I made my own cranberry sauce this year for Thanksgiving and I will never buy canned or premade cranberry sauce again because mine turned out perfect (see note below for the link to the recipe I made). Unfortunately, of the six people who came to my house for dinner, only my aunt and I ate any of it which meant that I basically had an entire bowl leftover in my fridge. I figured, what a better way to take care of some leftovers than to throw them in a quesadilla? As a result, I came up with these Turkey, Cranberry, and Pepper Jack Quesadillas. Cranberry sauce, turkey, sliced apples, scallions, parsley, and pepper jack cheese are sandwiched between whole wheat tortillas and grilled until toasty brown. One thing I love about quesadillas is that they can be an appetizer, snack, or a light meal in a pinch. These quesadillas are sweet, tangy, and spicy and you’d never know they are from leftovers.

Turkey, Cranberry, and Pepper Jack Quesadillas (makes 2 quesadillas or 4 servings; 2 wedges per serving):

4 6-inch whole wheat tortillas
1 McIntosh apple, sliced (or any apple of your preference)
1/2 cup prepared cranberry sauce ( I made Basic Cranberry Sauce from Cooking Light)
1 cup turkey breast, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped scallions
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup pepper jack cheese

Place two tortillas on a flat work surface. Spread 1/4 cup of the cranberry sauce on each tortilla; top with apple slices. Layer chopped turkey and 1 tablespoon each parsley and scallions on each tortilla. Sprinkle each tortilla with 1/2 cup of pepper jack cheese. Top cheese with remaining tortillas. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat (or heat panini maker to 350°). Place one quesadilla in the pan and cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side until lightly browned (top with another pan to flatten quesadillas as they cook, if necessary). Remove quesadilla from pan and repeat procedure with the remaining quesadilla. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges. Serve with sour cream if you like.

Thanksgiving leftovers used: turkey, cranberry sauce, apple, parsley