March 11-Weeknight Pasta Bake & Lazy Girl Breadsticks

Last night I discover a new easy-yet-delectable favorite to add to our list of family favorites!

This dish was simple, delicious, and made enough for plenty of leftovers (even after we both had seconds!). Enjoy!

Weeknight Pasta Bake

1 box penne pasta (about 16oz)

1 lb ground turkey (or beef)

1 jar marina sauce

2 cups frozen peas

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

oregano

salt

pepper

1. Cook pasta as usual. Drain water and rinse cooked pasta with cold water. Set aside.

2. In a large pan, cook ground turkey. Season with salt, pepper, and oregano. Add marinara sauce and stir through. Set aside.

3. Combine cooked pasta, meat/sauce mixture, and peas. Pour into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese.

4. Bake in the oven at 400 F for about 30 minutes, or until the dish is hot through and the cheese is melted.

Lazy Girl Breadsticks

These breadsticks were the result of my improvisation on a night when I did not have a bread/starch side for dinner. Our freezer was overflowing with frozen hot dog buns, leftover from a barbeque we hosted earlier in the year, and I decided to put them to good use. At the time, it seemed like an easy-way-out, but they actually turned out delicious and my husband ate four!

hot dog buns

butter

garlic powder

oregano

parmesan cheese

Spread generous amount of butter on top of each bun. Sprinkle with garlic powder, oregano, and parmesan cheese. For a more indulgent breadstick, add butter and seasoning on the inside of the hotdog bun as well. Bake in the over until golden, about 5-10 minutes depending on temperature.

Make-Ahead Meal #2: Turkey Burgers

For my husband's birthday, I bought him a grill as a gift. He was thrilled! (Let's be honest; I was pretty excited myself! Hooray for barbecue!) He was dying to fire up the grill this week, so I gladly whipped up some of my famous (at least in our family) turkey burgers! These little guys work great as a make-ahead option. The recipe can be found in one of my previous posts: Savory Turkey Burgers.

Make-Ahead Meal #2

Sunday Night: Prepare patties as directed. We were planning to grill the burgers on Monday, so I did not bother freezing them. I simply covered them tightly and placed them in the refrigerator. If eating at a later date, you could seal the patties tightly and freeze them. 

Monday Night: Grill up the burgers and toast your buns! 

While hubby was grilling, I whipped up a small batch of Homemade French Fries and Zucchini Fries. 

June 24-Spaghetti and Meatballs

A few months ago I made Turkey Meatball Subs for dinner and they were a hit. 

Earlier this week the recipe became even better when I discovered it could be used to make the family classic, spaghetti and meatballs. To make, follow the recipe for Turkey Meatball Subs and add an extra can of tomato sauce for bulk. Prepare noodles as directed and top with your meatball marinara mixture. Perfecto!

March 1- Taco Night

The first day of March was ushered in with 85 degree highs, sunshine, and tacos in the Hernandez home. Thank you, Southern California. You are wonderful. (Keep that sunshine coming!)

Tacos made with extra lean turkey, homemade guacamole, Spanish rice, pinto beans, warm tortillas, and all the classic fixings. Self explanatory. Dig in!

February 27-Turkey Meatball Subs

Holy. cow. (Er..turkey?) These meatball sammies are absolutely mouth-watering! 

Last week I tried my first meatball sub at a family birthday party and it was pretty good. It looked like something that would be easy to make from scratch and I was inspired to try it! After reading over a few meatball recipes, I whipped up this turky-fied version of this classic sub shop favorite. 

Turkey Meatball Subs

1 lb ground turkey

1/2 onion, finely chopped

3/4 tsp garlic powder

1 large egg

1/3 cup breadcrumbs

onion powder

ketchup

1 jar marinara sauce

parmesan cheese

soft Italian rolls

1. In a medium-large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients (Onion powder and ketchup as desired, about 4 shakes of  powder and a squirt of ketchup). Mix well and roll mixture into balls about 1in in diameter. (Mine made 28 meatballs).

2. Heat marinara sauce in a wide saucepan/pot. Try to use a pot that will allow the sauce to sit about 1-2 inches high (see photo below). 

3. Place the meatballs in the marinara sauce and cover. Simmer for about 12 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through. 

4. Serve meatballs on toasted Italian rolls. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

January 9- Lasagna Soup

I found a recipe for crockpot lasagna soup and thought I'd give it a try. I'm not sure what size crockpot this recipe was meant for, but mine did not cut it. As I continued to add veggies to the pot, I quickly realized that the other ingredients were not going to fit. 

 I decided to improvise in a few areas, learned a few lessons along the way, and ended up with a pretty tasty meal in the end. My husband and I both enjoyed this.

Lasagna Soup 

(Recipe includes my improvisations)

1.25 lb  package of Jenny O ground turkey

3 cups of beef broth

1 cup of water

4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

2 fresh summer squash, diced

2 fresh zucchini, diced

1 bag frozen bell peppers, drained

1 TB dried parsley

1 TB dried basil

1, 28 oz can of diced tomatoes

1, 6oz can of tomato paste

1 cup V8 

12 oz Ronzoni Smart Taste elbows

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 gsp salt

1. Mix tomato paste and tomatoes in crockpot. 

2. Add broth, vegetables, seasonings, and V8. Brown turkey and add to the pot.

3. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.

4. In a large soup pot, cook noodles as directed.

5. Drain noodles and add crockpot contents. Combine and heat through.

September 12- Easy Weeknight Turkey Joes

I was actually really happy with how these turned out, considering they were the result of improvisation. They were flavorful, fast, and super easy to make. 

Quick Turkey Joes

1.25 lb package lean Jennie O ground turkey

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup ketchup*

6oz tomato juice*

1 1/2 tsp chili powder*

1/2 tsp garlic powder*

1/4 tsp pepper*

1 tbsp Worchestershire

1 tbsp bread crumbs*

*denotes estimated measurements

1. Brown ground beef and onion. Drain excess grease.

2. Add all other ingredients and stir. Simmer until the sauce thickens. Adjust measurements for desired thickness.

3. Serve on warm rolls. 

This recipe makes 5 servings. You can easily double/triple the size to feed a bigger group!

August 14-Mini Turkey Meatloaves & Green Beans

Trying new recipes is fun, but it's also nice to have a good collection of go-to favorites. I like mini meatloaves for several reasons. 

1. You can jazz it up with different seasonings and mix-ins, for a slightly different version each time. 

2. You can use ground turkey. 

3. Easy clean up while the loaves bake. 

4. They are cute.   

Here's another one worth repeating.

Mini Turkey Meatloaves

1.25lb lean ground Jennie O turkey

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

2 tbsp milk

2 tbsp & 1/4 cup ketchup, divided

1/2 onion, finely chopped

salt & pepper to taste

garlic power

Preheat oven to 450. Combine ingredients, using only 2tbsp ketchup. Divide mixture into a cupcake pan. Top mini loaves with the rest of the ketchup. Bake 25 minutes.

Served with rice and green beans. 

July 11- Taco Casserole

Taco Casserole

(Original recipe from El Paso; I made a few minor tweaks.) 

1.25 lb  extra lean ground turkey 

1 16oz can refried beans

1 16oz container of chunky salsa

1 1oz package of taco seasoning

2 cups broken tortilla chips

4 medium green onions, sliced

1/2 bell pepper, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup sliced olives

1 cup shredded cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350. 

2. Cook turkey on medium-high 5-7 minutes, in a large skillet. Stir occasionally. Once the meat is cooked, drain any excess oil. Stir in beans, salsa, and taco seasoning. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. 

3. Scatter crushed tortilla chips along the bottom of an ungreased casserole dish. Top with meat/bean mixture. Sprinkle with pepper, onion, tomato, cheese, and olives.

4. Bake 20-30 minutes or until cheese is melted. 

5. Serve. Top with sour cream, hot sauce, or shredded lettuce if desired. 

June 30- Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers

A friend recently mentioned making stuffed peppers, and raved about how easy and delicious they were. I'd been wanted to try stuffed bell peppers for a while and was inspired to give it a shot. 

Turkey Stuffed Peppers

4 large peppers

1 lb ground turkey 

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 onion, chopped

1 15oz can tomato sauce, divided

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

garlic power (as desired)

1. Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds. Place in a large sauce pan and cover with water. Bring water to a boil and cook 3 minutes. Drain and place peppers in ice water. Remove from water and place on paper towel to dry.
2. In a skillet, cook turkey and onion over medium heat until there is no more pink. Drain any excess grease and remove from heat. Stir in 1 cup tomato sauce, rice, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
3. Place in a baking dish. Drizzle with remaining tomato sauce. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until peppers are tender.
4. Serve. I discovered that they tasted pretty good with ketchup!

When I made these, I used 1.5lb of meat simply because I had that much leftover from a 3 lb package I had bought earlier this week. I had bought a large package of bell peppers, but not all of them were very good. To improvise, I took the good pieces of the flawed pepper (along with parts from the tops of the good ones) and chopped them into small pieces. I scattered them across the bottom of a small baking pan and topped them with the remaining filling and tomato sauce, and baked this concoction alongside the peppers. It turned out good and is a great improvisation if you have too much filling. (My hubby prefers the filling over the bell pepper shell, so this was actually a blessing in disguise!)

May 14- Ground Turkey Tacos

Quick. Convenient. Muy deliciouso. 

Tacos don't really call for much of a recipe, but it sure is a nice addition to the weeknight dinner repertoire. All you need is tortillas and seasoned meat. Customize with whatever toppings you prefer. No one ever turned down a taco. Everyone chooses what they like and its a win-win for everyone. 

Tonight our table boasted the following:

Cooked ground turkey, seasoned w/taco seasonings

Whole-wheat tortillas

Flour tortillas

Homemade Spanish rice

Homemade guacamole

Pinto Beans

Shredded cheese

Salsa

The grand finale of the evening was singing loudly to oldies while packing up leftovers and doing the dishes together. I loved married life. 

May 7-Turkey Burgers II w/Steamed Corn

To me, steamed corn on the cob and turkey burgers scream SUMMER. Inspired by 90 degree temps and a 4 for $1 sale on fresh corn, I decided to make this easy summertime meal. All you really need for turkey burgers is ground turkey, 1 egg, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, 1 tbsp milk, and whatever spices you like. I threw in garlic, onion, salt, and pepper for these little guys.

April 2-Mini Turkey Loaves

Mixing it up a bit; My favorite meatloaf recipe, baked into mini loaves and served with creamy mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. 

Mini Turkey Meatloaf

1.5lb ground turkey

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

2 tbsp milk

2 tbsp ketchup

1/2 onion, finely chopped

salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450. Combine ingredients. Divide mixture into a cupcake pan. Top mini loaves with ketchup. Bake 25-30 minutes.

March 19-Taco Soup w/Turkey

I've made this several times, but had not thought to blog it until now. I guess I assumed it was too similar to the other soups I had blogged about in the past. I was definitely holding out on everyone because this is definitely my favorite soup of them all. I've made this soup so many times I guess it never occurred to me to blog about it. I begged my mom for this recipe as soon as I left the house. I wouldn't change a thing about this recipe. It's absolutely delicious, healthy, quick, and hearty enough to satisfy a man's appetite.

Taco Soup

1 lb ground beef or turkey

1onion, chopped

1 package ranch dressing mix

1 package taco seasoning mix

1 cup water

2 14.5oz cans diced tomatoes w/green chiles

2 15oz cans pinto beans

1 15oz can black beans

1 15oz can cream-style corn

Brown beef with onions in a medium-size soup pot. Drain excess grease. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes. 

February 18-Savory Turkey Burgers

Today I decided to stray from the prepackaged variety and make my own turkey burgers. I'm glad I decided to be bold because these came out moist and delicious! My brother came over for dinner, complimented their taste, and finished three on his own. I'm never going back to frozen patties (Sorry, Jennie O!)

Savory Turkey Burgers

(Measurements based on estimations. Add as much or as little as you like for taste, texture, etc. I improvised as I went along.)

1.5 lb ground turkey

2-3 tbsp bread crumbs

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1-2 tbsp dried onion

2 egg whites

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Separate into approx. 8 patties. Grill until cooked through (About 8-10 minutes on the George Foreman).

January 30- Mediterranean Style Turkey Meatballs

Mediterranean Style Turkey Meatballs
 I was a little skeptical as I was preparing these...I had that feeling in the back of my mind that I was going to end up reheating leftover chili at the end of this misadventure. I didn't have all the ingredients, so I improvised a bit. The recipe instructed you to brown the meatballs over stovetop in olive oil, but I made a last minute decision to bake them instead.

 I was pleasantly surprised that these turned out delicious! The mint and the onion definitely make it. It was love at first bite.

My Improvised Version
 1.5lbs Lean Ground Turkey
1/4 Cup Bread Crumbs
 1/2 Onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 Eggs
1/2 Tsp oregano
3 Tbsp finely chopped mint
1/4 tsp salt
 1/4 tsp pepper

 (The actual recipe actually called for 2 tbsp chopped capers, 3 tbsp ouzo, and substitutes the 2 eggs for 1 large egg and 2 yokes-the 2 full eggs was actually an accident. Oops. It also instructs you to refrigerate the balls for an hour before browning them 5 min each over olive oil.) It's hard to tell how long I baked these, since I was eyeballing them the whole time to make sure they were cooked through, without overcooking. They baked on 425 for about 20-25 minutes. I strayed away quite a bit, but here is the Martha Stewart Original. Hers are obviously much more aesthetically appealing.