Spaghetti and Turkey - Pesto Meatballs

My kids have always thought that meatballs are fun, but for some reason I've never really made them anything other than premade frozen versions before.   These turkey pesto meatballs caught my eye, because they actually called for ground turkey instead of ground beef.  I was very pleased at how they turned out.  Not only were they simple to make, but they were tasty, healthy, and met my kid's definition of fun!  This was one of those relatively rare meals that met the approval of the entire family, including the two pickiest eaters! 

Recipe adapted from:  The Bon Appetit Cookbook: Fast Easy Fresh

Click here for printable recipe.

Posted by Lara. 

The ingredients:


2 jars (28-oz. each) chunky spaghetti sauce
1-lb. ground turkey
1-1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1/3 cup pesto
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp. salt
16-oz. spaghetti noodles

Directions:
Pour just enough pasta sauce to cover the bottom of a heavy medium size skillet.  In a bowl, mix turkey, breadcrumbs, pest, egg white, and salt in medium bowl.

Using moistened hands, form mixture into 1-1/2-inch diameter meatballs (it made about 36 meatballs). 

Place meatballs in single layer in sauce (I had to use two pans to fit them all in). 

Spread remaining sauce over the meatballs.

Bring to simmer.  Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. 

Simmer until meatballs are cooked through, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. 

While meatballs are cooking, cook noodles in  large pot of boiling salted water until tender.  Drain pasta.  Serve topped with meatballs and sauce and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, if desired. 

Enjoy! 

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Meatball Stroganoff in a crockpot

The other day I realized that I had all the ingredients for Beef Stroganoff, including the beef cubes.  Except that particular day I was feeling a little lazy and I didn't want to thaw the beef, and then take my chances with the beef being more cooked and chewy than I like.  So, I decided to make it with frozen meatballs instead.  There are quite a few recipes online and this is a grouping of a couple different ones plus a couple things of my own.  It was a great meal to have with company on a Sunday evening (cause once the crockpot was on, I could take my Sunday afternoon nap).  My boys asked for seconds, they thought it was quite good. 

Click here for printable recipe.

Posted by: Jen


 Ingredients:
1 bag frozen meatballs
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can beef broth (or use a beef bouillon cube and enough water as called for to make about 2 cups if you didn't have beef broth like me)
1/2 (or whole depending on your taste) onion, finely diced
1 can mushrooms (or 1/2 cup chopped fresh ones)
1-2 tsp garlic powder (depends on your taste_
2 Tbsp A1 sauce
dash(es) of paprika, salt, and pepper to taste
1 c sour cream
1 pkg egg noodles (or boiled potatoes, or cooked rice)

(Like how I crossed out chicken and wrote beef on the can of broth?  I don't want to confuse any readers!)

 Directions:
IF your meatballs are NOT precooked, (like mine) then cook them in the oven according to directions.  (I suppose you could place uncooked ones in the crockpot, but I don't know how long that would take to cook because you can't really brown beef in a crockpot).


IF your meatballs are already precooked, then just add them frozen to your crockpot.


Meanwhile, add the soup, broth, mushrooms (if canned), A1 sauce, and spices to your crockpot.  Mix well.  Turn heat on low.

 Add cooked meatballs. (unless they're already in there because they're precooked)

 Mix it all together well.


IF your meatballs are frozen and precooked, then cook everything on LOW for 8-10 hours (or high for 4-6) until meatballs are all heated through. 

IF your meatballs were cooked in the oven and are therefore already warm, then cook everything on LOW for 3 hours to get all the flavorings well blended.

 3 hours later (after your nap) or 8 or so hours later after you get home from work, then add 1 c sour cream.  Mix in well and your sauce will lighten in color.  Replace the lid and let it continue to cook on low for about 20 minutes. (or until noodles are done)

 Meanwhile boil your water and cook your noodles.

 When the noodles are done, then add to your sauce and mix well so the noodles are covered.  You can skip this step and just let people spoon the sauce over their noodles (potatoes or rice) as they wish.

 Serve with a good green salad and sit back knowing how little work you had to do, but bask in the glory of all the compliments of a job well done.

*Note:  yes, I doubled everything in this recipe to serve with company of 4 extra adults.  If you double it and you use precooked frozen meatballs, then use a bigger (6 qt) crockpot, or even microwave your meatballs for about 5 minutes before putting them in the slow cooker. I'm not sure how much longer it would need to cook with twice the meatballs.  

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Wedding Soup

It's Spring break time and unfortunately it's cold and rainy. So, today is a great day for soup. I recently came across this recipe in a Mediterranean cookbook. And as usual, I searched around on the internet for various Wedding Soup recipes and decided to do it this way. It's super easy and rather versatile. You could add more or less of whatever you want. (Like carrots? Then add them!) I ended up adding bow-tie noodles to mine, which was good because my son said, "You know the best thing about eating this? Avoiding the green stuff to get to the noodles!" Um, OK. But at least he ate it. Well, except for the "green stuff".

                                       Click here for printable recipe.

Posted by: Jen

Ingredients:

2 cans chicken broth

about 1/2 bag already cooked meatballs (or cook them previously)

1 c. raw spinach leaves (or a couple good handful)

small handful of chives (about 1/4 c chopped)

2 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese (the real stuff)

The Directions:

Make sure meatballs are cooked. Either in the microwave or the oven. Heat chicken broth to boiling. Meanwhile, chop the chives into tiny pieces (about 1 cm in length)

Add the meatballs and the chives. If desired add other vegetables or small pasta.

At the last minute add the spinach greens and heat until wilted.

Serve with crusty bread (check out this recipe for a great Peasant bread), and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top before serving.

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Meatball Sandwiches

During the week I'm often looking for a quick go to meal for my family. With only four ingredients, I make this quite often and it's a favorite amongst my boys. I love a good sub sandwich and it's even better with melted cheese. Why go out when you can make this in less than 1/2 hour! (Plus, if you're like me you can sneak in pureed carrots into the spaghetti sauce to help the kids increase their veggie consumption!. Shhh. Don't tell them!)

Click here for printable recipe.

Posted by Jen.

Ingredients:
Bag meatballs (precooked or raw. If raw, you'll need to cook them first)
1/2 jar spaghetti sauce
Hoagie buns
Mozzarella cheese, sliced

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375.

Plan out how many meatballs you'll need and either heat them in the microwave or cook them according to the package. I've found that a basic Hogie bun will fit about 4 meatballs. So when I make 4 sandwiches, I need to count out 16 meatballs. (do this with your kids to practice math skills!)

When the meatballs are heated through (or cooked) then mix with about 1/2 jar spaghetti sauce. I only use enough sauce to just coat the meatballs. Too much sauce means soggy buns!
To help prevent the potential soggy bun, I slice some cheese and line the bottom of the hoagie buns so as to provide a barrier for the sauce. Place the buns with cheese in the oven at 375 for a couple minutes just until the cheese is melted. Then remove from oven and fill the buns with your meatballs. You can put on a little extra sauce if you'd like.
Place sliced cheese on top and place under your broiler for a couple minutes to toast the cheese. OR just turn the temperature up to 450 and place the subs in until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately so everything is nice and warm.

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Meatball Curry Soup

Curry….people tend to have strong opinions about it one way or the other.  Before we were married, my husband spent two years serving as a missionary in England, where he was introduced to curry dishes by some of the foreigners that he served and taught there in England.  So for him, curry is reminiscent of wonderful people and a time of  his life spent in selfless service.  I, however, had no such fond memories attached to curry and have always been a little scared off by it.  The last couple of years, though, at my husband’s encouragement we’ve branched out and added some curry dishes into our menu.  I now very much enjoy the flavor of curry, but still am a little hesitant when serving it to the whole family.  It turned out we didn’t have anything to worry about with this soup though…I don’t know if it the familiarity of the ramen noodles or the ever-exciting presence of meatballs in this dish, but this curry dish adapted from Taste of Home was well-received by the whole crew and is getting added to our family keeper list!

Click here for printable recipe.

The ingredients:

5 packages (3-ounces each) ramen noodles
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs. peanut oil
1 can (13.5-ounces) coconut milk, divided
1-1/2 Tbs. red curry paste (I found mine in a small tub in the Asian section of the grocery store)
1-1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric
32 frozen mini fully cooked meatballs (about 1/2 ounce each--mine said they were party sized)
4 cups chicken broth
1 medium zucchini, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, halved and sliced
1/4 cup shredded cabbage
2 tsp. soy sauce
Optional garnishes:  bean sprouts, chow mein noodles, chopped fresh basil, green onions

Directions: Cook noodles according to package directions (discard seasoning packets or save for another use.  Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven or saucepan, saute garlic in oil for 1 minute.  Spoon 1/2 cup cream from top of coconut milk and place in pan. 

Add the curry paste, curry powder, and turmeric; cook and stir for 5 minutes.  Stir in meatballs, broth, zucchini, carrot, cabbage, soy sauce, and remaining coconut milk.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until carrot is tender and meatballs are heated through.  Drain noodles; stir into soup.  Garnish with bean sprouts, chow mein noodles, basil, and onions if desired.  Makes 8 servings.  Enjoy!

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