Turkey Parmesan Burgers

Turkey Parmesan Burgers

1 lb ground turkey

3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1 egg

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 slices mozzarella cheese

1 cup spaghetti sauce

4 whole wheat buns

Combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, pepper, and Parmesan cheese.  Form into 4 patties.  Cook over medium high heat for 5 - 6 minutes per side, until cooked through. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Separate buns and place bun bottoms on baking sheet.  Place one burger on each bun.  Spoon 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce over top of each burger. Top with a slice of cheese.  Bake until cheese melts.  Remove from oven and top with bun tops.

Italian Sausage Pasta

Italian Sausage Pasta

1 lb Italian turkey sausage, crumbled

1 tsp garlic, minced

2 14 oz. cans tomato sauce

1 tbs brown sugar

1/2 tsp parsley

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 cup whipping cream

8 oz. pasta

Parmesan cheese

Brown sausage over medium heat until no longer pink, stirring frequently.  Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Add tomato sauce, cream, brown sugar, parsley, and basil.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.  Serve sauce over pasta. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Whole Wheat Calzones

Whole Wheat Calzones - adapted from food.com

1 pkg yeast

1 cup warm water

1 tbs sugar

2 tbs oil

1 tsp salt

2 3/4 cup wheat flour

2 tbs butter

1/2 tsp oregano
filling of your choice(I used pizza sauce, ground beef, Canadian bacon, and mozzarella)

Dissolve yeast in water.  Mix sugar, oil, and flour, and add to yeast and water.  Mix together until smooth.  Knead and cover for 30 minutes.  

Prepare filling.  Roll out dough into a 10" circle.  Place 1 - 2 cups of filling in center of dough.  Fold over and crimp shut.  Place on greased cookie sheet.  Let rest for 15 minutes.  

Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with oregano.  Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees, or until golden brown.

**Can be frozen after baking and cooling completely.  Defrost in refrigerator over night.  Reheat in microwave.**

Lasagna

Lasagna

1 lb ground turkey

3 cups spaghetti sauce(preferably homemade)

1 cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1 egg

16 oz. cottage cheese

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp parsley

9 lasagna noodles

Brown ground turkey.  Add spaghetti sauce and mix well.  In a separate bowl, mix cottage cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, pepper, and parsley.

In a 9" x 9" pan, spread a layer of ground turkey mixture, about 3/4 cup.  Follow with a layer of noodles, then cottage cheese mixture.  Repeat layers. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese.  

Bake covered with foil at 350 for 1 hour.  Remove and let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan

2 cups spaghetti sauce

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin

1 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1 tsp Cajun seasoning

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 slices Swiss cheese

1 egg

margarine

Heat a few tablespoons of margarine in a pan over medium high heat.  Place egg in a shallow bowl; beat slightly.  Place breadcrumbs, Cajun seasoning, and Parmesan cheese in another shallow bowl.  Dip each chicken breast in the egg, then coat well with breadcrumbs on both sides.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown chicken breasts on each side for 6 minutes, or until cooked through.  Add more margarine to pan as needed.

Place browned chicken breasts in a baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Spoon a few tablespoonfuls of spaghetti sauce over each chicken breast. Top each breast with a Swiss cheese slice.  Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted.  Serve remaining sauce over pasta.

Pepperoni and Meatball Pizza

Pepperoni and Meatball Pizza

For meatballs:

1 lb ground turkey

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp oregano

1 egg

3/4 cup breadcrumbs

pizza dough

1 tbs olive oil

1/2 cup pizza sauce

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

pepperoni

Meatballs

Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients well.  Form into 24 meatballs.  Bake for 15 - 18 minutes.  

Meanwhile, make pizza dough according to directions.   Roll out pizza dough.  Brush with olive oil.  Top with pizza sauce; sprinkle cheese evenly over pizza.  Slice meatballs in half.  Top pizza with meatballs and pepperoni.  Bake at 500 degrees for 10 - 14 minutes.

Bracioli (Stuffed Round Steak)

Bracioli (Stuffed Round Steak)

4 pieces of round steak, pounded thin

4 tbs garlic, minced

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

4 tbs grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

spaghetti sauce

Lay each round steak flat.  Spread 1 tbs garlic evenly over each piece.  Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.  Roll round steak up tightly. Secure with cooking string and toothpicks. Repeat with remaining round steaks.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a pan.  Brown all sides of steaks.  Drop into spaghetti sauce; cook at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Serve with spaghetti sauce and pasta.

 

Stovetop Rotini Lasagna

Stovetop Rotini Lasagna

12 oz. whole wheat rotini pasta

1 lb. ground turkey

1 tbs garlic

1 28 oz. can tomato sauce

3 tbs brown sugar

1 tbs sugar

1 tbs chili powder

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp chopped basil

1 tsp black pepper

1 cup cottage cheese

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, cook ground turkey in a medium pan over medium high heat until no longer cook.  Drain; rinse if desired to remove more fat.

Return turkey to pan and add garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Add tomato sauce, brown sugar, sugar, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, basil and black pepper.  Stir to combine. Cook over medium low heat for 10 - 15 minutes. 

Stir in cottage cheese and Parmesan cheese; mix well and serve over pasta.

Turkey Meatball Sub Sliders

Slider Buns - adapted from recipezaar.com

1 cup water

1 egg

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup sugar

3 tsp yeast

1 tbs vital wheat gluten

Place all ingredients in bread pan according to manufacturer's directions. Select dough setting.

When dough cycle has finished, remove bread pan, and turn out dough onto a floured countertop. Gently roll and shape the dough into an 18" rope. 

With a sharp knife, divide dough into 16 pieces.

Grease 2 baking sheets. Roll pieces of dough into small balls and flatten. Place on prepared baking sheet. Cover and let rise in warm oven 10 to 15 minutes until almost doubled. 

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.  When ready to use, split buns horizontally. These will keep in plastic bag in the freezer for 3 to 4 weeks.

Meatballs

1 lb ground turkey

1 tsp pepper

1 tbs Italian seasoning

1 egg

3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs 

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Form into 1 1/2" meatballs.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes, or until cooked through.

Sauce

1 tbs olive oil

1 tbs minced garlic

1 12 oz. can tomato paste

1 14 oz. can tomato sauce

3/4 cup water

1 tsp Cajun seasoning

1 tsp chili powder

2 tbs sugar

2 tbs brown sugar

In a medium pot(preferably a Magna-lite) cook garlic in olive oil over medium heat for 2 minutes.  Add tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Stir in tomato sauce and water.  Add Cajun seasoning, chili powder, sugar, and brown sugar.  Simmer on low.

To assemble sliders:

Additional ingredient need:

mozzarella cheese

 Split each slider bun horizontally.  Add 3 meatballs to the bottom of each slider.  Top with a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.  Place tops back on sliders. Bake for 5 - 8 minutes at 400 degrees until cheese is melted.

Cowboy Spaghetti

Cowboy Spaghetti - based on a recipe from Rachael Ray

8 oz. whole wheat pasta

3 slices turkey bacon, chopped

1 tbs olive oil

1 lb ground turkey

1 tbs minced garlic

1 can diced Italian tomatoes

1 14 oz. can tomato sauce

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

2 tbs sugar

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a deep pan, saute chopped bacon for 5 minutes in olive oil, until slightly crispy.  Remove from pan.  Cook ground turkey until no longer pink.  Add minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  

Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar.  Cook for 10 minutes on medium low heat, stirring occasionally.  Serve over pasta.

Italian Crescent Casserole

Italian Crescent Casserole

1 pkg crescent rolls

1 lb ground meat

2 cups spaghetti sauce

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 tbs butter or margarine, melted

2 tbs grated Parmesan cheese

Cook ground meat until brown.  Drain fat.  Add two cups of spaghetti sauce to ground meat; stir until mixed.  Place ground meat in 8 x 8 baking dish.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Top with rolled out crescent rolls. Brush butter on top of crescent rolls, followed by Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Turkey Parmesan

I bought some turkey cutlets at the grocery store last week, but I couldn't decide what I wanted to make with them. Finally I came across a recipe for Turkey Parmesan, made exactly like Chicken Parmesan except for obviously using turkey.  I thought it tasted just as good, if not better, and we really couldn't tell that it was turkey.

 

Turkey Parmesan

4 turkey cutlets

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1 tbs chili powder

3 tbs grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tbs Zatarain's seasoning

6 slices mozzarella or Swiss cheese

margarine

2 cups homemade spaghetti sauce(jarred sauce is a sin in my family!)

8 oz. whole wheat pasta

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Melt enough margarine to coat the bottom--approximately 3 tbs. Place beaten egg in one bowl; in another bowl, mix breadcrumbs, chili powder, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder,  and Zatarain's seasoning until combined.  

Dip each turkey cutlet into egg and then breadcrumb mixture, coating each side.  Cook in skillet for 6 minutes per side.  Continue cooking 4-5 minutes longer on each side, until turkey is cooked through and no longer pink.  

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Place turkey cutlets in a greased 9" x 13" dish.  Top each cutlet with spaghetti sauce and a slice of cheese.  Bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted.  Serve remaining spaghetti sauce over pasta.