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Tag: fresh tomato sauce

Indian Style Meatballs

Indian Style Meatballs I have mentioned this many times- my daughter loves meatballs. In fact, her birthday is coming up and I already know what she will be asking for her special meal. The great thing is that she comes up with really good ideas for new and different ingredients to add to meatballs.

I have to give her full credit for this recipe. She is the one who suggested I make Indian style meatballs. She loves the Indian style burgers I make quite often- in fact she doesn’t like to eat plain burgers restaurants as she only likes the ones I make at home.

So, I ran with her idea and came up with this delicious recipe. I added the usual suspects including ginger, garlic and a shallot. I also added cilantro, coriander powder and garam masala. All of these ingredients created delicious and flavorful meatballs.

I cooked them in my favorite homemade tomato sauce. You can use your favorite store bought tomato sauce as well but nothing like the homemade variety.

This is a great way to change up your usual meatball recipe and make things a bit more interesting…

  • 1 pound ground turkey (dark meat)
  • 1 medium shallot, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 inch fresh ginger, chopped
  • ½ cup cilantro

Add the shallot, garlic, ginger and cilantro into a food processor and process till smooth.
Take the mixture out into a medium bowl.

  • ½ cup panko crumbs
  • ¼ cup milk

Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for 15 minutes.

  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Add the soaked breadcrumbs, egg, garam masala, coriander, and salt into the shallot mixture. Mix well and add to the ground turkey. Mix with both hands. Keep aside for 2 to 3 hours.

  • 3 cups marinara sauce

Heat the sauce in a large saucepan.

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.

Fresh Tomato Ravioli with Pesto Green Beans

Fresh Tomato Ravioli with Green Pesto Beans1 I made this meal on a Monday- the beginning of the  week is extremely busy for me. I have lots of chores and my daughter has piano and ballet back to back. By the time we get home it is six o’clock and she is famished and wants dinner right away. I try to have something ready for her as we enter the house. I mostly make something ahead of time and heat it up as we walk in.

I bought fresh raviolis and green beans from the super market and I already had fresh tomato sauce in the fridge. I decided to cook the raviolis simply in the tomato sauce and serve them with the green beans sauteed in basil pesto- yes I had pesto in the fridge as well.

It was an easy and fast meal. I sauteed the beans in a little olive oil and cooked them till they were tender with a crunch. I then added the pesto and turned the heat off. It was a simple side dish with a lot of flavor.

I cooked the raviolis in lots of salted water (fresh pasta takes all of a few minutes to cook) and transferred them over to the simmering tomato sauce- thats it.. dinner was ready.

I love taking help from the store when it comes to fresh pasta. It is great to make it at home but obviously it is a bit time consuming and definitely not conducive for a weeknight meal.

It was a quick dinner followed by bedtime for my daughter and a glass of wine for me once she was down.
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Meatballs with Prosciutto and Basil

Meatballs with Prosciutto with Basil1 Who doesn’t love meatballs? I really enjoy them on a cold, rainy day with a nice glass of a bold red wine. I have made quite a few versions over the years- especially for kids. I love incorporating some kind of vegetables in the meat and cook them in a delicious homemade tomato sauce.

These came about as I watched Live with Regis and Kelly- Regis was talking about some meatballs he had with prosciutto in them, “what a great idea”, I thought.

I bought turkey meat, prosciutto and basil from the store and started making the meatballs. I also made fresh tomato sauce with lots of cherry tomatoes. I added the usual ingredients in the meatballs including a mixture of cooked onions, garlic and prosciutto. I also added breadcrumbs and freshly grated pecorino- which I prefer a tad more than parmesan cheese since it has a lot more flavor.

The meatballs were cooked in the delicious tomato sauce. I realized I had run out of spaghetti so I served them on top of penne. In order to serve a balanced meal, I sauteed baby spinach on the side with some garlic and a splash of half and half. The kids had a glass of milk and the adults had a delicious cabernet.

Try the prosciutto and basil meatballs next time you decide to serve a delicious pasta meal.
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Chicken Curry Pizza

Chicken Curry Pizza This creation came about without any planning. I love using leftovers for things like pizza toppings, quesadilla fillings, etc.

I believe it was a Friday and I bought pizza dough from our local pizzeria. I didn’t have any specific toppings in mind. I had my homemade tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese in the fridge- so I wasn’t worried.

I knew my daughter would ask for a plain pizza. I made her a delicious pizza with the tomato sauce and shredded cheese with some lettuce leaves on the side- good, healthy meal.

I decided to do pizza carbonara for myself. Since it would be made without tomato sauce, I knew my husband would not be interested. He loves his tomato sauce. So, for him I added the tomato sauce and the cheese and looked for a topping in the fridge. That is when the chicken curry stood out. I also took out half a green pepper and some onion. I decide to saute the vegetables and add them to the pizza with the chicken chunks.

My husband’s pizza definitely passed the ‘look’ test- it was gorgeous with all the vibrant colors. Once it came out of the oven oozing with melted cheese, my husband was very excited. It was delicious. The crunchy green pepper and velvety onions went really well with the savory chicken pieces.

Overall it was a big success. So, the next time you have leftovers in the fridge- consider using them as a pizza topping.

Penne with Pancetta and Fresh Tomatoes

Pancetta and Sausage Pasta1 Family was over and we went into the city to watch the Christmas spectacular. The show was fabulous as usual. We walked around and had a late lunch afterwards. The kids had a ball at Max Brenner restaurant. He is known as the bald man who serves loads of chocolate in every form at his restaurants. The food was delicious and the treats were over sweet yet yummy.

We came back exhausted and after a little while I had to think about dinner. The idea of going out for another meal was not appealing at all. I gave leftovers to the kids but didn’t have enough for the adults.

I looked in my fridge and pantry and came up with this pasta dish. I always have at least a pint of cherry tomatoes- perfect for a quick, fresh tomato sauce. I also have chicken sausages and pancetta from Trader Joes sitting in my fridge. I came up with this dish while using all the delicious ingredients I found in my pantry.

While the tomatoes were cooking and turning soft and delicious, I made a quick salad dressing by squeezing some clementines and lemon juice. I drizzled some extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper- done! It was easy and delicious. I had a bag of arugula in the fridge- which is perfect for salads. I made nice looking peels out of my Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (with a vegetable grater) for the top and there you have it- a wonderful tasting salad.

I finished the pasta with the same beautiful cheese peels and we washed the yummy food down with some nice wine. It was a quick delicious meal- perfect for any weeknight!

  • ¼ cup chopped pancetta
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 chicken sausages (I used spinach and fontina cheese)-cut into ¼ inch pieces
  • ½ pound penne, cooked al dente and ½ cup pasta water saved
  • Parmigiano reggiano cheese shavings

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the pancetta. Saute on medium high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook on low heat, covered for at least 20 to 25 minutes. The tomatoes should begin to get soft and burst. Mash them down with a wooden spatula. Add the cut up sausages and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and pasta water. Mix well, taste for seasonings. Serve with ribbon of parmigiano reggiano cheese.

Pancetta and Sausage Pasta

Healthy Sausage and Peppers Pasta Bake

Healthy Sausage and Pepper Bake This is a really healthy dish. I went to the farmer’s market to see what looked good. I bought a large red pepper, some fresh, great looking red onion and a fresh baguette.
I wanted to make a sausage and peppers dish but with pasta and thought baking the dish would be a great idea-so that’s what I did. I had really good quality whole wheat pasta in my pantry and thought it would be great in this dish.

Last week I bought 5 pounds of fresh plum tomatoes and made some delicious sauce and froze it. I took one bag out to defrost and used it in the dish. I also had low fat shredded cheese- why not make it healthy all the way.

I love making these kinds of dishes when it starts to get cold. It was great to smell all the vegetables roasting in the oven. I also made garlic bread with the fresh baguette. I wish we had access to farmer’s market all year round- it is so great to be able to find fresh fruits and vegetables grown locally. The food tastes better and is good for you. My daughter enjoyed the pasta and the garlic bread. I was happy to feed my family and good, wholesome meal!
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