Category Archives: Italian Cuisine
Mediterranean Meatballs
Here is another delicious recipe for one of our favorite things to eat. I am afraid, I will be running out of ideas soon for making different kinds meatballs. I realize I can use different kinds of meats, etc but I do love using turkey meat as it is so healthy to eat, especially since I am trying to reduce the amounts of red meat I feed my family.
This particular one has a mixture of sundried tomatoes, garlic, pine nuts and basil. The mixture adds a delicious flavor to the meatballs as well as the sauce. The trick to soft meatballs is the panko breadcrumbs soaked in milk. The meatballs come out melting in the mouth. The sauce is made with fresh cherry tomatoes- super simple to make and the most delicious as well.
Overall, it is a fabulous meal to make. I also made a warm spinach salad and served red wine with dinner- yum!!
- 1 pound ground turkey (dark meat)
- 4 to 5 sundried tomatoes, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 1 cup basil, chopped
Add the shallot, garlic, into a food processor and process till smooth. Add the sundried tomatoes and basil. Process till smooth and take out into a medium bowl with the turkey.
- ½ cup panko crumbs
- ¼ cup milk
Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for 15 minutes.
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons salt
Add the soaked breadcrumbs, egg and salt into the turkey mixture. Mix with both hands. Keep aside.
Marinara Sauce
- 1 can (28 oz) cherry tomatoes (or any other)- put through the food mill
- 1 small yellow onion, grated
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- A pinch of sugar
Heat a heavy, wide saucepan with the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, thyme, basil, salt and sugar. Mix well and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for at least 20 minutes.
In the meantime form meatballs (the mixture makes about 14 meatballs). Drop the meatballs into the simmering sauce as you form them. Once all the meatballs are in the saucepan, simmer covered for 15 minutes. Check for seasonings and serve with spaghetti.
1 pound spaghetti, cooked al dente
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons salt
Once the pasta is done, drain it well and place it back into the pan. Add the oil, basil and salt. Mix well and keep ready for the meatballs.
Serve the meatballs on top of the seasoned spaghetti.
Pasta with Chicken and Zucchini
I love making roast chicken for many reasons. One reason is the leftovers. I like coming up with something completely different with yesterdays leftovers.
In this case, I had about a cup of shredded chicken from the delicious roast chicken. I also always keep fresh tomato sauce in my fridge all the time. Once a week I buy fresh tomatoes and make a quick fresh sauce. I wanted to add some vegetables and noticed a zucchini in my fridge. I then remembered my daughter’s look every time I serve zucchini- so I decided to peel it, chop it and add it to the mix with some carrots- she noticed the carrots but not the zucchini. The chicken and tomato sauce mixture was delicious. I quickly boiled some pasta and we had a delicious, quick and healthy meal.
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Healthy Meat Sauce with Spinach
I continue to cook super healthy in this New Year. This one is a simple meat sauce I whipped up in no time. My daughter’s friend was coming over on a Sunday and was going to stay for lunch. Kids love pasta- we all know that. It is always hard to come up with new and interesting dishes to serve them.
I had ground turkey in the fridge and decided to make a quick meat sauce. I also had a big container of freshly made marinara sauce. Instead of serving vegetables on the side, I added it into the sauce. I love making one pot meals- especially for kids. I have also noticed they tend to eat the veggies if they are incorporated into the dish.
I sauteed an onion and garlic with the meat- added the tomato sauce and spinach. That was it- so simple and delicious.
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Swiss Chard Pasta with Sausage
Swiss chard is my new favorite greens to buy. For a very long time, I would walk by it in the super market and not think about it.
After I took part in a farmer’s market program sponsored by my daughter’s school- I found myself convincing kids to pick up the Swiss chard to take home. I did the same myself and forced myself to come up with recipes using this delicious green.
When I made this pasta with sausage and Swiss chard, my daughter asked me what the green was- I told her it is like spinach and served her a big portion. She loved it!
This dish is very simple with homemade tomato sauce and a pack of chicken sausages- both are a staple in my house. I had the pasta cooked in no time and again, this is a one pot meal- yay!!
- 1 bunch Swiss chard, stalks trimmed and chopped, kept aside; the leaves cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 to 5 chicken sausage links, casings off and crumbled
- 2 cups fresh or store bought marinara sauce
- Salt
- ½ to ¾ pound pasta, cooked al dente
Heat a wide frying pan with the olive oil. Add the stalks, onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat, stirring constantly for about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the sausage and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and salt. Add the cooked pasta and taste for seasonings. Fold in the greens and serve right away.
Roasted Red Pepper Meatballs
If you are regular reader, you know how much I love making different kinds of meatballs. This is my newest creation. I roasted a large red pepper, shallot and garlic. I then chopped them up really well and added them to the ground turkey. I also added some chopped parsley and the regular suspects including an egg and panko breadcrumbs soaked in milk. The result was deliciou! I had them with a big salad and my daughter and husband enjoyed them with some whole wheat spaghetti! read more …