Tag: ground turkey
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.
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 …
Ma Po Tofu with Peas
This is my husband’s favorite thing to order in Chinese restaurants. It is a Szechuan dish and so not really available in a lot of the restaurants. The dish is also on the greasy side- like any other that we tend to order in the restaurant. As usual I try to make it at home. It doesn’t taste exactly the same but it tastes good and I know it is healthy.
Usually the dish is made with ground pork and soft tofu with a delicious sauce. I used my usual ground turkey, which is my ‘go to’ ground meat. It is much healthier- I use dark turkey meat so the taste is really good.
I marinated the meat with some tamari and corn starch. The corn starch was to thicken the sauce while cooking the dish. I then prepared a sauce consisting of black bean sauce, chili garlic sauce, ketchup and vinegar. I made a delicious sauce and got the tofu ready. I decided to make the dish a one pot meal and added some peas to it. I thought it was a good addition to the dish and I didn’t have to worry about serving a vegetable on the side.
Try this dish- it is easy, quick and super delicious….
- ½ pound ground turkey
- 3 teaspoons tamari
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
Mix the tamari with the cornstarch. Marinate the turkey meat with the cornstarch mixture for 2 to 3 hours.
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 2 teaspoons black bean sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic paste
- 2 teaspoons ketchup
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
Mix the tamari, bean sauce chili paste, ketchup, vinegar and honey in a small bowl. Keep aside.
- 1 pound silken or firm tofu, cut into 1 inch squares
- 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 2 teaspoons water
Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and keep aside.
Heat a wok-like saucepan with the oil. Add the ground turkey and sauté on high heat and separating the meat with the back of the spatula. Cook on high for 4 to 5 minutes till golden brown. Add the tamari sauce and mix well. Add the tofu and frozen peas. Mix well and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch mixture and bring to another boil. Check for seasonings and serve with brown rice.
Turkey and Cremini Mushroom Cheeseburgers
This by far is the best turkey burger I have made and if I do say so- eaten as well. The patties were tender, juicy and delicious. The secret ingredient- are the cremini mushrooms. I processed them and added them to the ground turkey. I also added basil and garlic- thats it. It is very simple, yet it is amazingly scrumptious.
Try these burgers and give them to your kids- they won’t know you have mushrooms in them…
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Lasagna with Meat Sauce
I thought I would continue the pasta theme and post one of my favorite recipes. We all love lasagna in our family. I used the meat sauce from yesterdays post. The dish was even quicker to make than usual since most of the work was done. I usually eliminate the ricotta but I decided to add it to this dish. I added tons of flavor including parsley, cheese and garlic.
All in all, it was a delicious lasagna…
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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.
Keema Mattar (Ground Turkey with Peas)
This is a very simple, weeknight meal one can whip up in no time. Keema is one of my favorite things to eat and make. Keema is essentially ground meat cooked in spices, onion, ginger and garlic- the rest is up to you. I love pairing the meat with different vegetables to make a great one pot meal. Brown rice or fresh make whole wheat rotis can be served to create and delicious and wholesome meal.
I made this one with peas but I also added a variety of different spices- which are not my usual. I used curry leaves and mustard seeds. The mix of spices gave this dish a fabulous flavor. My daughter loves keema- her favorite is the one I make with cauliflower. She devoured it with two big rotis and a glass of milk….
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