Spinach Turkey Meatballs

Life with a toddler can be tricky at times, especially getting a balanced meal in when they are finding their voice and opinions. A great way to do this is by mixing vegetables into dishes they already love, and it doesn't hurt when we add more veggies for ourselves either. We tend to add leftover steamed broccoli to our scrambled eggs to get veggies into every meal. These meatballs are high in iron from the spinach and mix oatmeal in to substitute for breadcrumbs. And they have enough seasoning to provide flavor for adults to enjoy as well. You can either eat them plain or in your favorite sauce over pasta.

Spinach Turkey Meatballs
Yields ~24 meatballs

Ingredients:
1lb ground turkey
1/2 small onion finely chopped
1 package frozen chopped spinach
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 Tablespoon dried rosemary
1/2 Tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1 egg
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 355 degrees.

Heat a Tablespoons or 2 of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until soft. Add spinach, reduce heat to medium and cook until thawed and most liquid has evaporated. Place the onion-spinach mixture in a colander and press with a spatula to remove remaining liquid.

In a large bowl, combine the spices, ground turkey, spinach mixture, oats, bread crumbs and egg. Mix well to combine. Using moistened hands, roll 2 Tablespoons into ball and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I used a small cookie scoop to make it easier and keep them uniform.

Bake at 355F for 20 minutes or so depending on how big the meatballs are. If you want to store them, let them cool and freeze in ziploc bags. At mealtime, grab a couple out of the freezer, and microwave to defrost. 

Crock Pot Bolognese

It is hard to find time to try new recipes these days. I finally tried out a new crockpot recipe that made enough to stock the freezer. While this goes against my usual crockpot recipes that just have you turn it on, dump everything in and come back to a finished dinner. I was able to save a few steps and buy pre chopped onions, but can also find pre chopped celery and carrots. You can adjust the flavor based on your preference but this is a great go to sauce that doesn't require you to stand over the stove all day to get flavor.

Crock Pot Bolognese
Serves:10
Adapted from: Skinnytaste

Ingredients:
1 large white onion
2 celery stalks, minced
2 carrots, minced
2lbs ground turkey or meat of choice
(2) 28oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp dried oregano
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf

Directions:
In a large deep sauté pan, add onions, celery, carrots and cook on medium low heat until soft, about 5 minutes.

Increase to medium-high; add meat, season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano. Saute until meat is browned. Drain the fat.

Add meat mixture to crockpot, then add tomatoes and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve over pasta and can freeze leftover sauce.

Authentic Homemade Italian Dinner

Jason's grandmother immigrated to this country from Italy. Growing up he was lucky enough to enjoy her authentic cooking. Unfortunately, I never had that luxury, but his aunts/cousins all learned from her in the kitchen. The last time his aunt was visiting I asked if she would come show me the family secrets. Not only was it fun to have his aunt and mother come over and cook in the kitchen, but created a fantastic Italian and family meal. Unfortunately, we were too busy chatting to take photos of the actual process and food, but there are some action shots.

First we started with the sauce, which was the base we cooked the meatballs in and used in the lasagna. As with most family recipes the seasoning was a little of this and a little of that, until it looks/tastes right.

Sauce:
(2) 28oz cans crushed tomatoes
12oz can tomato paste
basil
oregano
garlic powder
salt & pepper

Directions:
Pour the crushed tomatoes into a food mill and rinse with 1/2 can of water each over a pot. Mix through the mill and then discard the pulp that is left over. Add the paste into the pot and seasoning. Simmer over medium-low heat. If it seems too thick, add a little bit more water.

Meatballs:
Ingredients:
1.5 lbs ground beef
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
1 tsp Parsley
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
2 eggs

Directions:
Pour all ingredients into a big bowl and mix together with your hands. Roll into walnut sized balls. 

Heat a skillet over medium high heat and brown the meatballs on all sides to get a crust. Then put the meatballs into the red sauce to continue cooking and absorb the flavors.

Serve with the sauce over your favorite pasta.

Turkey and Spinach Lasagna

Lasagna is a great way to feed a crowd with not a ton of work, or if you want to have a lot of leftovers. If you are having a group over for the holidays or New Year’s Eve, this is a healthier spin on lasagna that tastes just as great. Jason’s family is Italian so for Christmas there is always a lasagna in addition to the main meal. This year it was just us, so we made this lasagna together to try and incorporate some tradition on the day, but would be good any day! The original recipe called for beef, but we used ground turkey to cut down on the fat and didn't miss the beef. By adding spinach to the lasagna it is a great way to get in some vegetables, especially with kids. The recipe made a ton, so our freezer is full of 2 piece portions to defrost for quick weeknight meals.

Turkey and Spinach Lasagna

Serves: 12

Source:  Taste of Home

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey

1 medium onion, chopped

2 jars (24 ounces each) spaghetti sauce

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

2 cups part skim ricotta cheese

1 egg

2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

9 no-cook lasagna noodles

Directions:

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, garlic, basil and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, ricotta and egg.

Spread 1-1/2 cups meat sauce into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Top with three noodles. Spread 1-1/2 cups sauce to edges of noodles. Top with half of the spinach mixture and sprinkle with mozzarella. Repeat layers. Top with the remaining noodles, sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Cover and bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

Rosemary Parmesan Crusted Chicken Tenders

Happy Friday! This has been a long week and am definitely looking forward to the weekend. It is hard for me to think of different recipes and ideas for dinner during the week. This one is definitely a keeper. An added bonus for us was that we could use the rosemary from the huge rosemary bush in our backyard, I don't think we will ever run out! It can be hard to find a baked chicken that does not get dried out. The panko bread crumbs are light and form a great crunchy coating. The Parmesan and rosemary provide a lot of flavor so for us it didn't even need a dipping sauce. You can cut them up or eat them with your hands, especially if you have kids. Either way, enjoy a healthier and more flavorful spin on chicken.

Rosemary Parmesan Crusted Chicken Tenders
Serves 4
Source: The Slow Roasted Italian

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken tenders
2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese, finely chopped
2 egg whites
2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary (divided, ½ chopped, ½ crushed)
Olive Oil Cooking Spray
Non-stick olive oil spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°. Prepare a baking sheet by lining with aluminum foil and spraying with non-stick cooking spray.

In a gallon sized plastic bag combine flour and salt, set aside. Add bread crumbs, 1 Tablespoon chopped rosemary and parmesan cheese in a flat bowl, stir to combine. Set aside. In a second bowl, add egg whites. Set aside.

Add chicken tenders to plastic bag and shake until the flour coats the chicken tenders. Place chicken tenders, one at a time, into egg mixture. Flip chicken to cover on both sides. Remove and place chicken tender into bread crumb mixture. Flip in mixture to coat both sides, lightly pressing it on if necessary.

Place chicken tender on baking sheet. Once chicken is all on the baking sheet, spray with olive oil spray. Bake for 8-12 minutes (until the tenders are golden brown on the bottom side). Flip nuggets over, lightly mist with olive oil and bake for another 3-5 minutes, until crispy and golden brown on the outside.

Remove from oven, sprinkle with crushed rosemary and serve.

Crock Pot Italian Turkey Meatballs

I love Italian food, especially spaghetti and meatballs. The only problem's that I was not great at making meatballs that don't have chunks of onions or taste mealy. So when I came across this recipe for healthy meatballs that can be made in the crock-pot and left alone it was a perfect match. As you know, we received a crock pot for our wedding and since then have been trying to find a variety of recipes to make in it since it's such a great invention. The recipe is really easy and doesn't take much prep time or cost a lot of money. I think this whole recipe cost under $10 and can serve at least 4-6 people. It does call for 93/7 lean ground turkey, the additional fat is what gives it more flavor, but you can use the 99/1 ground turkey if you prefer, just a bit drier. I didn't brown the meatballs in the oven prior since I was tight on time, but if you want to you can bake them at 350° for 15 minutes to brown them and add a bit of crunch. I plan to do this next time.Overall, this was a success and Jason was impressed that not only did I make the meatballs but homemade sauce that they cooked in.

Crock Pot Italian Turkey Meatballs

Serves: 6

Source: Skinnytaste

Ingredients:

20 oz (1.3 lb) ground turkey breast 93% lean
1/4 cup whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Reggiano Parmigiano cheese, grated
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 egg
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For the sauce:
1 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed
28 oz can crushed tomatoes with basil
1 bay leaf
salt and fresh pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil or parsley

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, garlic and cheese. Using clean hands, mix all the ingredients and form small meatballs, about 1 heaping Tablespoon each.

In a small saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn. 

Pour crushed tomatoes into the crock pot with bay leaf. Add garlic and oil.

Drop meatballs into the sauce but do not crowd them or they won't cook well. Cover and set crock pot to low, 4 to 6 hours. When meatballs are ready, adjust salt and pepper to taste and add fresh chopped basil or parsley. Serve over your pasta of choice, I like the fresh linguini from the refrigerated section and enjoy!

Basic Lasagna

Who doesn't love Italian food?! I know we do. And one of the things that is so great about it is that it is usually easy to make and makes enough for a family meal. So that is exactly what we did. Jason's parents live nearby and we like to do Sunday dinners together. Although, depending on the week it depends on how adventurous I want to be in the kitchen. The past week had been a bit crazy so we went with something simple and always a crowd pleaser - lasagna! I have never made a meat one so I stuck to basic cheese lasagna and added some frozen chopped spinach from the freezer to get in a vegetable. One of the great things about lasagna is that it is so versatile. With the same concept and foundation you can add any type of meat or vegetable you like for a different and still delicious flavor. And the best part about the one I made was it only required 1 dish and a bowl so minimal clean up required!

Yum, look at all that gooey cheese and spinach! That piece did not last long on the plate and seconds were had by all!

Basic Lasagna
Serves: 8-12

Ingredients:
1 box no bake lasagna noodles
2 eggs
15oz part skim ricotta cheese
4 cups (16oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
10oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained
2 jars marinara sauce or homemade

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F

Spray 13x9x2 baking dish with non-stick spray. In a medium bowl, beat eggs. Stir in ricotta, 2 cups of mozzarella and the parmesan cheese.

Spoon half jar of sauce on the bottom of the pan; layer with 4 noodle sheets, half ricotta mixture and spinach and remaining sauce. Add 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Layer 4 more sheets, remaining ricotta mixture, spinach and half of second jar of sauce. Top with 4 sheets, remaining suace and 1 cup mozzarella.

Bake covered  with foil until bubbly for 50-60 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Let it stand for 15 minutes before cutting so it firms up a bit.

Garden Lasagna

I really like lasagna and have been looking for a good vegetable one with a non-red sauce for a while. I saw this one and thought it looked delicious. I know that they take a while to bake so I bought all the ingredients during the week with the intention to make it over the weekend. We have a small basil plant in our garden that has grown rather large so the sauce in this recipe was a great way to use some of it. Little did I know how long it would take to prepare! It was definitely delicious, Jason even went back for seconds, but had a ton of steps and pots and pans. I am not sure that I would make this again, or if I did would use frozen spinach only to cut out at least a few steps. Also, I  used skim milk in the sauce to be healthier but would use 2% next time since it was a little bit runny.

Garden Lasagna  
Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients:

• 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup raw baby spinach leaves    
• 1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 3 cups ricotta cheese (I used part skim)
• 1 egg
• 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch thick (Omitted due to picky eater)
• 1 jar (16 oz.) roasted red bell peppers, drained and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 lb. baby spinach, blanched and squeezed dry
• 9 oz. no-boil lasagna noodles, torn into rough 2-inch pieces
• 4 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh basil 

Directions:

In a blender, combine the basil leaves, raw spinach, 1/2 tsp. of the garlic and the 1/2 cup olive oil and process until a thick sauce forms. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and pepper. In a bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tsp. garlic and the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly stir in the milk, increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and let cool for 15 minutes. Stir the basil puree into the sauce.

In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the 1 Tbs. olive oil. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and the excess moisture has evaporated, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Add the bell peppers, blanched spinach, salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Preheat an oven to 375°F. Butter a 3 1/2-quart shallow Dutch oven.

Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the pot and arrange a single layer of torn noodles on the sauce. Top with 1/2 cup of the ricotta mixture, 1 cup of the vegetable mixture, 1/2 cup of the sauce and 1 cup of the mozzarella. Layer the noodles, ricotta, vegetables, sauce and mozzarella 2 more times, then add a layer of noodles, ricotta, vegetables and noodles. Spread the remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 cups mozzarella.

Cover the pot, transfer to the oven and bake until the noodles are nearly tender and the filling is bubbly, about 45 minutes. Uncover the pot and continue baking until the top is browned, about 15 minutes more. Let the lasagna rest for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the sliced basil, cut into slices and serve immediately.

Source: Williams-Sonoma Kitchen