I love cooking using ground turkey breast, but I admit that it is tough to find a recipe that can turn them into a flavorful dish. I had been using this recipe for Mini Turkey Meatballs; they are awesome as a make ahead and keep in the freezer for busy nights. Recently I found some great looking pork sausages at my grocery and was looking for a recipe that combines both ground turkey and sausages, and stumbled upon this one. Perfect! I love that it also uses Asiago cheese and prosciutto. I thought, how can anything not be delicious with all of those flavors combined together?
And… I was right! These meatballs were so flavorful, moist, and just all around delicious. I was very happy with the flavors punch from the Asiago cheese and prosciutto. The red pepper flakes added a little spice kick as well that I absolutely loved. The fact that the house smells amazing when these were baked is an added bonus. These are definitely my now go-to turkey meatballs recipe.
Ingredients
3 cups (1-inch diced) bread cubes from a round rustic bread, crusts removed
2/3 cup whole milk
2 lbs ground turkey (88% – 92% lean)
1/2 lb sweet Italian pork sausage, casing removed
4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, finely chopped
1 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp good olive oil plus, extra for brushing meatballs
2 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
3 (24-oz) jars good marinara sauce, such as Rao’s
2 lbs dried spaghetti, such as De Cecco
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
Place the bread in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until the bread is in medium crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a small bowl and add the milk. Set aside for 5 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, sausage, prosciutto, bread mixture, Asiago, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Lightly combine the ingredients with your hands. Add the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the eggs, and stir lightly with a fork to combine.
With your hands, lightly roll the mixture into 2-inch-round meatballs and place them on the prepared sheet pans. Brush the meatballs with olive oil. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the tops are browned and the centers are completely cooked.
Pour the marinara into a large, low pot, add the meatballs, and bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the directions on the package. Drain and place the spaghetti in individual bowls, and top with 3 meatballs and lots of sauce. Serve with Parmesan cheese on the side.
Yield: 6-8 servings
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa’s How Easy is that?
One of my favorite weekend meals to make in the cooler months is a roast chicken. Not only that I love the delicious aroma of chicken roasting in the oven, all I need is throwing in some root vegetables and potatoes on the side, and I have a complete meal which will last me at least a couple of days. On weekends that I don’t have as much time, I turn to recipe like this. While the name may sound scary (forty cloves of garlic?), trust me that these garlic cloves really turn sweet once cooked and roasted with the sauce. Peeling all of the garlic cloves take a little time, so when I know that I am going to make these, I would peel all of the garlic a couple of days ahead of time, and store them in the refrigerator. When I am ready to cook them, I have the garlic ready to go. I really LOVE this sauce, so I make at least double and distribute it generously on the chicken pieces. I also love the sauce as a mix in to my mashed potatoes. I have also enjoyed this recipe best only using dark pieces from organic chicken (they tend to run a little smaller); the meat is a lot more flavorful and succulent that way. Now if I could only cook this in a crock-pot, I’d be in heaven!
Ingredients
3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves
2 (3 1/2-pound) chickens, cut into eighths
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
3 tablespoons Cognac, divided
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Directions
Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Set aside.
Dry the chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, saute the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs or a spatula; you don’t want to pierce the skin with a fork. If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue to saute all the chicken in batches. Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the Cognac and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done.
Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot. Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste; it should be very flavorful because chicken tends to be bland. Pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve hot.
Adapted from Barefoot in Paris
I had found some ground chicken at my local grocery store recently, and out of excitement, I grabbed a couple packages. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with them yet when I picked them out, but they’re almost a rare commodity in my area. I wanted to make burgers since I had leftover burger buns, and no ground beef or turkey. Then I saw this really simple recipe of adding sun dried tomatoes into the burger patties that I thought was so clever. I have added chopped sun dried tomatoes into pasta and sometimes frittata and they add so much flavor to those dishes. Sooo… why not burgers? Brilliant. I served these burgers with my all-time fave sweet potato fries. Delicious.
Slightly adapted from Weelicious
Ingredients
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil
1 lb ground chicken
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp Salt
3-4 slices cheese of your choice
3-4 burger Buns
Directions
Preheat your grill.
Place sun dried tomatoes in a food processor, process for 30 seconds until finely chopped.
Add ground chicken, parmesan cheese, and salt. Process for a few seconds until all ingredients are incorporated.
Divide your chicken mixture into thirds or forths, depending on how many patties you want to make from one pound of ground chicken.
On the grill cook patties for 5 minutes on each side or until the interior temperature reaches a minimum of 160 degree.
Add cheese to the patty in the last minute of cooking to melt.
Place patties in burger buns and serve.
Yield: 3-4 burgers
A friend of mine gave me a stack of her old Bon Appetit magazines earlier this year; which I devoured quickly. This recipe stood out as being very simple yet unique that I earmarked it right away as one of the dishes to make. After all, we love anything with pasta and are always up to trying something new with noodles, and I must say that I am glad that we gave this one a try. While noodles sometimes feel like a “heavy” meal, the lime juice used in this dish added such a brightness to the dish that I thought it was a very appropriate summer meal. I took a shortcut and used ground chicken breast instead, and it worked wonderfully. I also skipped the cilantro, because I forgot to get them at the grocery store. The hot sauce was also a must for us. I hope you give this one a try!
Ingredients
4 large shallots, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices
5 garlic cloves; 3 sliced, 2 pressed
2 tbsp Asian sesame oil
3 quarts low-salt chicken broth
1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes (or, substitute with ground chicken breast)
4 tbsp Asian fish sauce
1 6.75-ounce package rice stick noodles
8 ounces Chinese long beans (or green beans), cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tbsp raw sugar
2 pinches cayenne pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tbsp chopped salted roasted peanuts
Hot chill sauce, such as sriracha, for serving
Directions
Add enough vegetable oil to small saucepan, to reach depth of 2 inches. Attach deep-fry thermometer to side of pan and heat oil to 330 deg F. Add shallots to oil and fry until golden brown, stirring often, approximately 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Add sliced garlic to oil and fry until golden brown, about 1 minute. Using slotted spoon, transfer garlic to paper towels to drain. Mix sesame oil and pressed garlic in small bowl.
Bring chicken broth to boil in a heavy large pot. Add ground chicken to to broth and simmer until cooked through, stirring to break up chicken into small pieces, approximately 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer chicken to large book. Add 1 tbsp of fish sauce to chicken, toss to coat. Return broth to boil.
Add rice noodles and cook until tender. Using slotted spoon, transfer noodles to large bowl. Return broth to boil.
Add beans and cook until crisp tender, approximately 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer beans to large bowl. Add sesame-garlic oil, lime juice, 1 tbsp of raw sugar, 2 pinches cayenne pepper, and remaining fish sauce. Toss to coat.
Transfer noodle mixture to large shallow bowl. Sprinkle cilantro, green onions, peanuts, fried shallots, fried garlic and remaining 1 tbsp of raw sugar over noodles. Serve, with hot chili sauce.
Yield: 6 servings
Adapted from: Bon Appetit, June 2009
Nothing can beat a steaming plate of hot cooked spaghetti slathered in delicious marinara sauce… and then topped with delicious meatballs! This recipe is so versatile, you can either enjoy these meatballs with pasta (the traditional way). Or you can serve them as individual appetizers with variety of sauces; although I must add that these meatballs are very flavorful on their own. For healthier option, I used ground white turkey meat mixed with turkey sausages (for flavor). The mixture was also very soft, so I thought that baking them may make it easier and help the meatballs hold their shapes better. I baked these meatballs for about 30-40 mins at 350 degree. It was also a lot more convenient than trying to fry them in a pan several batches at a time. I put them on to two baking sheets (because I doubled the recipe), and rotated the pans halfway through. Finally, I had some leftover spinach, so I threw a few handful of that as well in my marinara sauce. I used my favorite jarred marinara sauce, Rao’s.
Adapted from Giada deLaurintiis, as seen in Food Network
Ingredients
1 small onion, grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large egg
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound ground dark turkey meat
3 tablespoons olive oil
26 ounces store-bought marinara sauce
Directions
Add the onion, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, parsley, Parmesan, Pecorino, salt and pepper to a large bowl and blend. Mix in the turkey. Shape the turkey mixture into 1 1/4-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a large plate or baking sheet.
Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and saute until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Transfer the meatballs to a plate. Pour off any excess oil. Add the marinara sauce, about 3 cups. Return all the meatballs to the pan. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors blend, 15 to 20 minutes. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.
Transfer the meatball mixture to a serving bowl.
My sister is a wonderful cook. She cuts up a couple of pieces of meats, throws in this and that, with a little pinch of seasoning or what not, and voila! She’d have some of the most satisfying dinners served on the table. One of my fondest memories with her was sharing a meal in her kitchen, when the dishes are simple, not pretentious, but never fails to hit just the right spots in my tummy!
This one is a recipe which I have adapted from her during our college years. It’s a basic stir-fry recipe using Indonesian’s Soy Sauce. This recipe is truly forgiving, you can modify the meat based on whatever you have on hand, it can either be pork, shrimp, beef or scallops. I personally prefer chicken. And whichever meat you choose, just make sure that you slice them uniformly to allow them to cook evenly. And the veggies are the same way. I usually have frozen stir fry in hand, and throws in whatever leftover veggies that I try to use up from the fridge. I hope you can take this recipe and modify it to fit your family!
Ingredients
2 pieces boneless chicken breast
5 Cups of Mixed Vegetables (Carrots, broccoli, baby carrots, sweet peas, mushroom)
1 tbsp of peanut oil
1 Small onion, sliced thinly
4 Cloves of Garlic, minced
3 Tbsp of your fave Soy Sauce (in this one, I used Indonesian Soy Sauce)
2 Cups of Water
1 Tbsp of Chili Sauce (you can find this in Oriental Market, I used Sambal Oelek)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Directions
Saute the garlic and sliced onion in peanut oil, until slightly browned. Add chili sauce. Mix together.
Add sliced chicken. Cook for about 5-10 minutes, turn a few times to make sure the chicken pieces are cooked thoroughly. Cover pan if required to expedite cooking.
Add vegetables, 2 cups of water, salt, pepper, and soy sauce. Cover.
Cook for about 10 minutes.
Serve with hot rice.
Enjoy.
This was adapted from this awesome website called BlogChef. We thought that this was a winner, although just a little warning – it took a little time to put together; so this is definitely not an ideal dish to do during weeknights when you have 30 min to do everything. I am also wondering about what we can do to make it a little bit spicier, again to balance the sweetness of the dish. Overall, this was excellent recipe.
Ingredients
1lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (cut into 1” chunks)
5 dried red chili peppers
3 green onions (sliced)
3 eggs (beaten)
½ cup cornstarch
oil (for frying)
Sauce: (I doubled the amount to coat the chicken nicely).
1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons rice wine
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Directions
In a large mixing bowl combine cornstarch and beaten eggs. Mix well to create a batter. Add chicken bits and coat thoroughly.
Heat deep fryer or wok to 375 degrees and deep fried chicken bits in batches. Drain on paper towels.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to your wok. Add dried chili peppers to your wok and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add chicken bits to the wok and stir fry for a couple minutes.
Add sauce mixture to the wok and cook stirring until the sauce becomes thickened and bubbly. Garnish with green onions and serve.
(Makes about 2 servings, if served without additional dish)
This is a recipe courtesy of my sister, who found ways to cook simple homemade Korean dishes with a few basic ingredients.
Ingredients
2 Boneless chicken breast, sliced thinly
3 Tbsp of Korean red bean paste
1 Tbsp of Sesame Oil
1 Tsp of Sugar
3 Tbsp of Sliced green onions
1 cup of shredded carrots
1 cup of thinly sliced Onions
Salt & Pepper to taste
Directions
Mix together the paste, sesame oil, sugar, and sliced green onions.
Combine sliced chicken breast with the marinate. Leave for a minimum of four hours or more. (Overnight is best since the flavor then would really sink in).
Heat a large work for frying. Mix the marinated chicken, carrots, and onions. Add salt and pepper.
Cover for about 10 minutes. Turn and mix, make sure that the chicken are thoroughly cooked. Cover for another 5 min.
Serve with steamed white rice.
