Turkey Parmesan Meatballs

Meatball madness has been taking the country over. Here in the 'Burgh a new meatball joint finally opened up downtown and everything (it exceeded my months of expectations, btw).  While on Pinterest I ran across a recipe for Parmesan meatballs that caught my fancy.  This is my spin on the Meatballa alla Parmigiana from I Breathe I'm Hungry

Ingredients

9 oz ground turkey

Parsley to taste, chopped

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs

1 large egg

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp garlic powder 

1/4 cup warm water

Pepper to taste

1 cup spaghetti sauce

3-4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese

Methods 

Combine the turkey, Parmesan, breadcrunbs, egg, and seasonings and form into balls (I made 13). 

Place the meatballs on a baking sheet and bake for 20 min at 350F. Next cover each meatball with about a tbl of Sunday gravy and too with a small slice of fresh mozzarella. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 until warm and melty and delicious!

These turkey out awesome. We had them over pasta and I also enjoyed some asparagus. 4-5 meatballs made for an adequate size serving. They were super moist, as promised on I Breathe I'm Hungry. I used fresh mozzarella and that really showed taste-wise.  These are definitely in the potential to repeat category, although it is pretty rare that happens ;). There are a lot more meatballs on my Pinterest that need to go through the rotation first. 

 

Italian Turkey Meatballs

I saw the crockpot version of these on Skinnytaste.com. I totally intended to make them for a nice homey Friday night dinner after a busy week.  I had great intentions.  Then i woke up and walked out the door Friday without even thinking about it, and had a long day at work.  By the time I got home at 7 I felt lazy, but summoned my inner strength and cooked these bad boys up based on her stovetop directions while David enjoyed the Pitt game (yet another loss :( ).

Ingredients
Meatballs:
1 Package ground turkey (99% lean)
handful Italian Breadcrumbs
handful grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
3 garlic cloves smashed and minced
salt and pepper to taste


Sauce:
1 can tutturosa crushed tomatoes with basil(28 oz)
1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz)
5-6 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
Olive oil
oregano, salt, and pepper to taste (you know me, i don't measure)
a handful of fresh basil, chopped

Directions
I started with the sauce -- sauteeing the garlic in a little olive oil in the bottom of our pan I carried home from the honeymoon (its really heavy and heats up way to fast and easily, as I remember every time I use it).  Once the garlic was slightly browned I added the remaining sauce ingredients and turned it to as low as it goes to simmer while I made the meatballs.

I pretty much combined all the ingredients and mixed them up pretty well.  I formed them into smallish meatballs, aiming for about golf ball sized.  Once completed I added them directly to the sauce and gave it a gentle stir, covered with foil (the pan lacks a lid) and cooked for about 20 minute until cooked thoroughly.

Verdict
These were pretty good.  I was able to go from start to finish, including picking the basil from the garden, in about 40 minutes.  I think next time i would spray the meatballs with some olive oil and let them bake for a few minutes to get crispy on the outside before putting them into the sauce.  I had my doubts on putting them directly into the sauce, but it cooked through and worked.  David seemed to enjoy them despite the healthy factor.  The only other issue was that by using the pot without a lid the sauce was a little too clumpy for me.  Next time I'll use a different pan so less moisture boils off and possibly use two cans of crushed tomatoes instead of a crushed and a diced.

Italian Wedding Soup

Based on The Barefoot Contessa's Italian Wedding Soup

Ingredients
1.25 lb Ground turkey
2/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup Paremsan/romano blend
Olive oil
Carrots, coarsely chopped
Celery, coarsely chopped
Chicken stock
1 cup,small pasta
2-3 handfuls baby spinach chopped


Methods
First was the meatballs -- I mixed the turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, and cheese.  I formed a ton of mini meatballs -- they were still a little too large.  They baked in the oven for about 30 to 35 minutes at 350F. 

Meanwhile, I chopped the carrots and celery and sauteed them in the olive oil in the bottom of my stockpot.  once it was cleared up I added chicken stock and brought it to a boil.  Add the pasta and cook to al dente.  Add the meatballas and spinach.  Cook for 1-2 min to wilt the spinach and let the meat balls soak up some goodness.

Verdict
I made this a few weeks ago, so I think this was everything i put into it... but i'm not sure I left out onions/garlic since I was planning to share with david.. then I ate it all for myself.  ooops.  The meatballs were a bit large, and I would have liked more broth.  Otherwise it was repeatable for sure!!!! Yum!! 

Barefoot Contessa’s Lentil Sausage Soup

Adapted from Barefoot in Paris (Ina Garten)

Materials
½ lb lentils
Olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Several springs fresh thyme leaves
Ground cumin
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 lb baby carrots, chopped
1 quart chicken stock
¼ cup tomato paste
1 lb turkey kielbasa, cut in half and sliced

Methods
1. I rinsed and sorted the lentils, cleaning out any shriveled lentils or rocks. I placed them in a bowl and covered the lentils with boiling water, allowing them to sit for about 15 minutes

2. Meanwhile I heated the oil up in the bottom of a stockpot and added the onions, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, and thyme. I sautéed them over medium heat until the onions were translucent. At that point I added the carrots and celery and stirred, allowing them to cook for about 10 minutes.

3. I added the lentils, chicken stock, and tomato paste, stirring and bringing to a boil. I covered and simmered for an hour to cook the lentils thoroughly. At that point I added the kielbasa and allowed it to simmer for a few more minutes until heated through.

Verdict
I have never made this particular soup, but I had it several years ago while visiting my cousin and her family in South Bend. Good memories of fun times with extended family and a realization that Barefoot Contessa‘s recipes were actually do-able for us mortal folk. Luckily, she warned me that it feeds quite the crowd, so this was my attempt at modifying and halving the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe to make a dinner for a cold rainy night and lunch for a snowy week at work. It was great - super hearty and filling and smelled amazing before eating this. I really do love soup at this time of year. Being in a land where winter is real is making my love for soup even deeper. I’m pretty sure it is not just a passing fancy since it seems to have spanned a few years now J

BTW…Barefoot Contessa recommends 1 tbl freshly chopped thyme leaves for double this amount of soup. I actually just put in a bunch of sprigs and remove the stems before serving. Also, she chops her veggies up pretty small to be closer in size to the lentils whereas I like to leave my veggies chunky, I enjoy the texture and juxtoposition of the large veggies and the little lentils.

Um yeah, I repeat. Great soup. Filling. Full of lentil fiber goodness. And flavor
BTW…I was trying to explain what lentils were to my mom, including what they taste like. Any suggestions as to how you would describe them besides merely fiber filled goodness?
　

Sweet Potato and Turkey Hash

Thanksgiving means leftovers. We actually didn’t have all that many leftovers, however I did come home with enough turkey for a meal or two. Rather than just eating a sandwich I took it one step further with a Sarah Original.

Materials:
Leftover turkey, chopped
1 sweet potato, chopped
2 slices prosciutto, chopped
Coarse ground sea salt,
Black pepper
Rosemary

Methods:
Peel the sweet potato and chop it up. Cook the chopped sweet potato with oil in your favorite skilled until softened and slightly browned on the top. I added the salt, pepper, and rosemary during this stage. I chopped up the leftover turkey and the leftover prosciutto from Thanksgiving and heated them up in the hash.
Verdict:
Amazing. First, I love coarse seas salt. So much punch. Next. I love rosemary. Finally. I love turkey, sweet potatoes, and prosciutto. Win. Epic Win. I actually added in the prosciutto at the last minute as I was surveying the fridge. Next year I would add the prosciutto while working the potatoes to impart that gorgeous pork flavor into the prosciutto. I would also add some garlic, which I was somehow out of during this escapade. However, delicious. Amazing. Worth roasting turkey breast just for this!!!!