Spaghetti with Tomato, Turkey, and Spinach

I have a dream of going grocery shopping on a Saturday, and using every single thing I bought from the grocery store the following week, in 5 or 6 delicious meals, without one thing going to waste. That is my goal. And this recipe gets me one step closer to getting there.

Remember the Tuscan Tomato Soup from Tuesday? Well, since that soup uses real (or canned) chunky tomatoes, it is a thicker soup, which means that it doubles as a wonderful pasta sauce! Let's get do the details:

INGREDIENTS:

1 - 1-1/2 lb. ground turkey

1-2 cups leftover Tuscan Tomato Soup

1 jar spaghetti sauce (I prefer Prego Chunky Garden)

1-2 cups fresh spinach

1 lb. cooked whole wheat spaghetti (or any type of pasta)

DIRECTIONS:

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground turkey. When all the meat is browned, slowly drain the liquid from the pan. To the turkey, add Tuscan Tomato Soup and 1 jar store-bought spaghetti sauce. Mix together and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add spinach leaves and stir until leaves are just wilted.

Add sauce to cooked pasta and enjoy.

Ground Turkey Cannelloni

This is one of those dishes where you don't have to follow the ingredient recommendation exactly. As long as you have the most important ingredients like pasta shells, ground meat, marinara sauce, broth, parmesan cheese, eggs, milk, and herbs, you're pretty good to go. Cooking with too many measuring utensils sort of stresses me out, so this is one dish that is right up my alley. The no-measuring utensil method does not work for all dishes, but it does work for this one.

I hope you enjoy. Hubby sure did last night, eating 4 of these big boys.

Adapted from AllRecipes

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. ground turkey

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 onion, minced

1/2 cup celery, minced (about 3 stalks)

1/3 cup carrot, minced

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 teaspoons fresh herbs, chopped (rosemary, parsley, thyme are all good options)

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 bay leaf

1 egg yolk

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

dash nutmeg

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

2-3 cups marinara sauce 

6-8 cannelloni/manicotti pasta shells, cooked and drained

DIRECTIONS:

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil. Add onion, celery, and carrot and cook until softened. Add garlic and cook one minute. Add ground turkey and cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is no longer pink. Add wine and reduce for one minute. Stir in broth and add herbs and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover and let reduce until almost dry. Discard bay leaf and set aside mixture to cool. 

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan and whisk in the flour. Whisk in milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste and let simmer for about 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in parsley and 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese. Remove from heat. 

Transfer the cooled meat mixture to a large bowl and add egg yolk and cheese-parsley sauce.  

Spoon meat filling into cannelloni shells and arrange, in a single layer, in a well-buttered baking dish. 

Cover the stuffed shells with any remaining meat mixture, marinara sauce, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. 

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes or until parmesan cheese is slightly golden.

Turkey-Gouda Meatballs

 Meatball. Or meat-a-ball. It doesn't always sound like the most appealing of dishes to me...a ball of meat? Really? BUT...what if you take a ball of meat, add an incredible blend of savory spices and some mouth-watering cheese? Well, I did, and that changed my mind about meatballs. 

I'm always looking for ingredients that use ground turkey and this is by far the best use of ground turkey that I have ever tasted. The original recipe called for ground beef, but since I prefer the health benefits of turkey over beef I used turkey and, my oh my, in the words of Joey Lawrence from Blossom, "Whoa!". These meatballs are just scrumptious. You can serve them as an appetizer on toothpicks or as a main dish with basmati rice and BBQ sauce. You will be happy.

*Adapted from allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (may substitute with dry)

1 Tablespoon dried basil (or oregano)

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1 1/2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup crumbled gouda cheese (may substitute with pepperjack or mozzarella)

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey (may substitute with ground beef)

1/2 large onion, sliced into thin rings (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine first 11 ingredients. Mix well with your hands, making sure the cheese is evenly distributed. 

Roll the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls and place in a lightly greased skillet. Place the rings of onion over the meatballs. Cover the pan and set the heat to medium-low. Turn the meatballs over after about 3 minutes and increase the heat to medium. Continue to cook the meatballs, turning every 8-10 minutes until cooked through (about 25-30 minutes total). 

Serve with basmati rice and BBQ sauce and prepare to die. These are good.  

ALTERNATE COOKING METHOD:

Cook these on a greased skillet in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. 

Burrito Bowl with Seasoned Ground Turkey

Inspired by Chipotle and the ingredients I had in my kitchen, this burrito bowl was born. Ground turkey is my favorite substitute for ground beef, especially when used in Mexican dishes. With some taco seasoning, I can hardly tell the difference between turkey and beef. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. ground turkey

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (less if you have a more mild palette)

2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon oregano

2 garlic cloves, minced or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 cup water

1 teaspoon corn starch

1 can refried beans (or black beans)

2 cups brown rice

1 tomato

1 avocado

2 oz. goat cheese

1/2 cup salsa

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare rice, according to directions. 

Over medium heat, brown ground turkey until fully cooked. Add next nine ingredients, water, and corn starch and simmer until all spices are cooked into the meat, about 10-15 minutes.

Heat beans in a small saucepan over low heat, until warmed through. 

Make your burrito bowl. In a shallow bowl, pour 1 cup of cooked rice and spread on the bottom. Add 1/2 cup beans, followed by 1/2 cup seasoned ground turkey. Top with chopped tomato, goat cheese, sliced avocado, and salsa. Sprinkle with pepper and garnish with cilantro, if available. Enjoy.

Homemade Four Bean Chili

The situation: I arrive home at 6:40PM, Brad gives me a kiss and says, "How fast can you make dinner?" I look at him and, all of a sudden, remember that he has to leave the house at 7PM for his weekly church Young Men's activity. I'm up for the challenge. This surprising simple and delicious chili is the result.

As a side-note, I'm a "non-fan" of kidney beans and always believed I couldn't like chili because chili has kidney beans. Newsflash -- you can use any type of beans you like!!!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 lb. ground turkey

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

dash of red cayenne pepper

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

2 14 oz. cans beans, drained (your choice -- I used garbanzo beans and a three bean blend with black beans, kidney beans, and cannellini beans. The variety was very nice.)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Add onion and garlic and sauté until browned. Add ground turkey, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Mince turkey in pan, and cook until browned.

(While waiting for the turkey to cook, I prepared the same toast that I mentioned at the end of the cherry tomatoes and goat cheese recipe yesterday.)

Once turkey is fully cooked, add crushed tomatoes and both cans of beans. Cook over medium heat until heated through. 

Serve in a bowl, with a dollop of sour cream if you like. 

Turkey Burgers with Homemade Buns

A few summers ago, I spent the Fourth of July in Hawaii, visiting my friend Leah. I remember eating these wonderful grilled burgers, at a family BBQ, that tasted like they were marinated in soy sauce. (Truth be told, I think these were frozen patties from Costco, but something about them was just so delicious. Oh yeah, it could have also been the fact that I was in Hawaii.)

It's hard for me to attempt to make a beef burger when In-n-out is just a short drive away, but what about a turkey burger?? And it's made with soy sauce! (The key ingredient.)

Turkey Burger Patties

Ingredients:

1 to 1-1/2 lbs ground turkey

1 (1 oz.) package dry onion soup mix

1/2 teaspoon black ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or garlic salt)

1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 egg, lightly beaten

6 hamburger buns split (see accompanying recipe)

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix the ground turkey with the dry onion soup mix, ground pepper, garlic salt, soy sauce, and egg. Refrigerate the mixture about 10 minutes, and form into six patties.

Pre-heat the grill to medium-high heat.

Lightly oil the grill. Place the patties on the grill and cook for 20 minutes, turning once, or until well done. The middle of the burgers will look whitish in color when cooked through.

Serve on buns with dijon mustard, lettuce, tomato and a pinch of salt and pepper.

*recipe from Kym 22 via allrecipes.com

Homemade Burger Buns

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons (or two packets) active-dry yeast

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons warm water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

3 to 3-1/2 cups flour

Directions:

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in oil and sugar. Let stand for five minutes. Add the egg, salt, and enough flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface and knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes. (Or use a kneading hook on an electric mixer.) Do not let rise. Divide dough in half and save one half for rolls or pizza dough later on. Take the remaining half and shape into six equal balls. Place three inches apart on a greased baking sheet.

Cover and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Bake at 425 degrees for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan and cool.

*recipe via Taste of Home