Is there anything more comforting than a giant bowl of pasta smothered in a homemade basil infused marinara and topped with giant turkey meatballs? This my friends ... is comfort food at it's finest. (According to this Italian girl anyway.) These Italian Style Turkey Meatballs are amazing. Do not be freaked out by the fact that they have anchovy paste in them and by all means - do NOT leave it out. Anchovy paste is sold in a tube (think toothpaste style tube) and is available in most grocery stores these days. It adds so much extra flavor to these meatballs - you will be amazed. Trust me - do not be freaked out by the anchovy factor. Embrace it. Italian Style Turkey Meatballs 1 cup chicken broth 1/2 ounce dried shitake mushrooms 2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, cut into 1 inch pieces 1/2/ cup grated parmesan cheese 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped 1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin salt and pepper 2 Tablespoon anchovy paste 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey (85% lean) 1 egg 3 garlic cloves, minces 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes 1/2 teaspoon oregano 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes 3 Tablespoons olive oil 2 Tablespoons tomato paste 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped sugar Microwave broth and mushrooms in covered bowl for 1 minute. Let sit 5 minutes. Drain mushrooms and reserve liquid. Totally forgot to take a picture of this step - sorry peeps. Divide mixture into 16 portions. (1/4 cup each) Roll each portion into a ball. Place on a plate and refrigerate 15 minutes.
Transfer meatballs to platter.
Pour sauce over meatballs and serve with extra Parmesan - and spaghetti. These turkey meatballs are NOT lacking in flavor or texture. The mushrooms, the saltiness of the anchovies, the spice of the red pepper flakes, the hint of garlic, the heartiness of the parmesan - it all works together to make a perfect turkey meatball. Serve these meatballs with any pasta that you like. Our family favorite is traditional spaghetti. If you end up with leftover meatballs, serve them on sub rolls or put them in your freezer for a second meal. Either way - you can never have too many of these turkey meatballs.
Ciao! *Disclaimer: This recipe, just like many of my others, was inspired by my very favorite recipe source: America's Test Kitchen. I modified the original recipe slightly.
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We had our first little hint of cooler weather last week so I did what every Fall loving girl who lives in Atlanta does when they can sense Fall - I ran inside and made a giant batch of SOUP! I've been hanging on to this recipe for several months because I just couldn't bring myself to make it in the middle of summer. I spotted what I'm fairly certain what the very first Fall leaf in my yard and that pretty much launched me into full blown Fall Cooking Mode. Bring on the cinnamon muffins and pumpkin cupcakes, the apple pies and the steaming pots of soup. By the way, did you know that you do NOT have to be a cash deprived college student to enjoy a great bowl of Ramen? Oh, and you don't have to eat them out of a microwaveable cup either. Who knew? To be perfectly honest, I had no idea that really delicious, noodle packed, wholesome Ramen even existed when I was in college. I am LOVING this grown-up version of Ramen. Kale, shiitake mushrooms, carrots and curly udon noodles in a ginger and garlic infused broth - that's what I'm talkin about. Homemade Ramen 1 Tablespoon sesame oil 3 teaspoons grated ginger 1 clove garlic, minced 4 cups chicken broth 4 cups water 1 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms, sliced 1 package udon noodles 1/2 cup scallions, sliced thin 2 cups kale 1 cup shredded carrots 1/4 cup toasted panko crumbs
Stir in scallions, carrots and kale. Cook until kale is tender. (5-6 minutes) Serve steaming bowls of this yummy Ramen soup with a spoonful of toasted panko. Now we're preparing to have 2 kids in college next Fall so we're back to right where we started - eating large quantities of Ramen. (And we thought we were poor back then. Hahaha) At least this time around - it tastes a whole lot better than the uber salty microwaveable version that we ate when WE were in college.
I didn't go completely homemade with this whole "homemade" Ramen idea. I used a box of chicken broth and a package of ramen noodles instead of making those from scratch but lets be realistic - I don't have 6 hours for dinner prep. Does anyone? Ciao! Happy Labor Day I'm hoping that each of you will get to spend this wonderful day doing whatever it is you love to do - with the people that make you happy. If grilling out for your family is what makes you happy - I've got a great recipe for you to try today. A Chicken and Avocado Burger with a Spicy Chili Yogurt Sauce is a great alternative to a traditional burger. These burgers are juicy and flavorful and perfect for any cookout. Chicken Burger
Yogurt Sauce 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt 1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt Combine chicken, garlic, panko, salt, pepper, scallions and ricotta salata. Form into 6 patties. Grill. Drizzle burgers with yogurt sauce. Serve on whole wheat buns. My family LOVED these burgers. I really liked the big chunks of avocado in the burgers and of course the melted cheese made it even better. The original recipe called for feta cheese but I substituted ricotta salata because I'm not a huge feta fan. These burgers are definitely on my "make again soon" list.
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