Turkey Meatballs with Tomato & Roasted Pepper Ragu

If you’ve been following me long enough you know that I have a love/hate thing for meatballs. I love them, but I can’t really make them. Now don’t get me wrong, the taste isn’t the issue. It’s making it into an actual ball that’s my problem. These were wonderful and I enjoyed the whole process knowing that I was feeding my family something equally healthy as much as tasty.

Turkey Meatballs

1 lb ground turkey

3 slices bread*

1/2 cup milk

1/2 onion, finely diced

1 carrot, peeled and finely diced

1 celery stalk, finely diced

1 large egg

3 T flat parsley, chopped

2 T fresh oregano (or 2 tsp dried)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 – 1 tsp nutmeg (to taste)

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 cup flour

3 T EVOO

1. Tear the bread up into small pieces and place into bowl. Cover with milk and let stand  until the bread has absorbed the milk. *I used wheat bread which takes a little longer to absorb the milk; about 20 minutes. If using white it should only take about 10 minutes.

2. In a food processor you can throw the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in at once to chop everything up together.

3. In a large bowl combine the turkey meat, soggy bread, diced veggies, egg, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and paprika. Using your hands and blend the ingredients thoroughly.

4. Form golf ball-sized balls and roll them through the flour.

5. Heat the EVOO over medium heat. Working in batches cook the meatballs for about 10 minutes, browning them on all sides. *One of my few meatball tricks has always been to put the meatballs into the oven to brown before finishing up in a sauce or other cooking process. This method would work just as well as cooking them in oil. However, it may even be better to do both methods since these particular meatballs are so mushy. Next time!

6. Place browned meatballs into sauce and simmer for 20 minutes.

Tomato and Roasted Pepper Ragu

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

3 T + 2 tsp EVOO

1 lb. fresh tomatoes, chopped

1 onion, finely diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 red jalapeno chili*, finely chopped

2 T tomato paste

1 tsp thyme

2 tsp oregano

1 bay leaf

2 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes

salt & pepper

1 tsp basil (fresh if you have it: 1/3 cup)

1. Preheat oven to 450*. Line a cast iron pan or roasting pan with foil and heat in hot oven for about 5 minutes.

2. Rub the 2 tsp EVOO over the peppers and place into hot pan. Using tongs,cook the peppers for 20 minutes, rotating every 5 minutes, or until the skins are blackened and blistering.

3. Remove peppers from oven, place into bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap for an additional 15 minutes. This will steam the peppers and finish their cooking process.

4. Allow the peppers to cool slightly then peel off the outer skins. Remove the seeds. Cut into strips set aside.

5. In a large pot, heat 3 T EVOO over medium heat. Add the onions, jalapeno (*I could only find green- worked fine), and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the tomato paste, stir in well, and cook for 1 minute.

6. Squeeze the canned tomatoes in your hands over the pot as you are adding them in. This will crush them slightly and add a bit more of their juices to the sauce.

7. Add the herbs. Stir in the fresh tomatoes and the roasted bell pepper strips. *If using fresh basil wait to add until after the first hour of cooking. 

8. Simmer gently over medium-low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, allowing the flavors to blend. Season to taste and add a 1/2 cup water after the first hour. *Or add 3 about ladles pasta water.

*Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and reserve about 4 ladles worth of pasta water (3 for the sauce, 1 for the pasta). Toss the pasta with the pasta water, 2 T butter and some chopped, fresh flat leaf parsley. Serve with ragu and meatballs.

The Rating System

If you prepare a meal that no one liked you probably wouldn’t make it again, right? There are standby meals that we’ve made for years that are good, and at one time were favorites, but that gets stagnant fast when relying on the same things over and over again. One of the great things about blogging food is that I get to see what other bloggers are making for dinner, and then try them as well. My boys have really enjoyed eating all these new meals instead of the same old things. We decided we’d have a rating system to determine which of these were “keepers” and which were not. I’ve included any desserts and side dishes as well. Based on a 5 star rating, this is what we’ve come up with.

  Apple Butterscotch Cake

Baked Chimichangas

Butternut Squash Bake

Chicken Alfredo Sandwich

Chicken Rio

Chicken Spaetzle Soup

Chicken Tarragon

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Cinnamon Apple Tart

Chocolate Mousse Napoleons 

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Luscious Tropical Dream Cake

Meatball Minestrone

Meatball Sub Cups

Potato Skins

Ratatouille

Rice & Beans

Romano-Crusted Chicken

Turkey Salisbury

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Ribbon Dessert

Cilantro Lime Rice

Corn & Wild Rice Muffins

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

Homemade Manicotti

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie

Saucy Joes

Tuscan Herb Salmon

Beef and Cheese Foldovers (These really were good but not fantabulous.)

Lemon Chicken Piccata (Too much lemon but lots of potential.)

Auntie Mary’s Meatballs (Porcupine Balls)

I said in a past blog that I am not a great meatball maker, which is why I use Harris Teeters turkey meatballs for just about everything. However, I failed to recognize that there is one meatball I can make and they are my Auntie Mary’s Meatballs.

I come from a long line of great female cooks, but more than anything I think it was just luck that I enjoy cooking as much as I do and  have been able to glean what I have. My grandmother and her sisters were always cooking up wonderful things and passed down many great traditions and recipes to their children and so on. These meatballs are just one of them.

Actually, Hubby affectionately refers to these as “salt balls” because once, early in our marriage, I added a whole tablespoon of salt instead of a teaspoon!

Auntie Mary’s Meatballs

1 lb. lean ground beef, ground turkey or ground chicken

1 large carrot, grated

1 stalk celery, minced

1 onion, minced

1 cup  brown rice, cooked

1 t. salt

1 egg

1 can cream of mushroom soup

water (about 1 can’s worth)

Combine all except soup. Shape into meatballs about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. Place on a baking sheet about 1 inch apart and bake at 400* for about 15 minutes or until outsides are browned. Place meatballs in shallow baking dish in a single layer, combine soup and water (feel free to use 2 cans of soup for a little extra gravy) and pour over meatballs. You want the liquid to just cover the meatballs so add some water if needed. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes or until heated through.

I use my handy-dandy mini processor to mince my veggies super quick. I love this thing After the carrots, I throw in the celery and onion for more quick mincing.

Actually, I didn’t have any celery but it came out pretty much the same. You could place the raw meatballs into the baking dish, pour the soup mixture over them and bake for about an hour and a half (uncooked rice, too) but I find these meatballs come out rather mushy. Plus, my general luck ends with crunchy half-cooked rice. You can try it both ways and see what works best.

 

 

 

 

 

Because I like to reduce the amount of “leftovers” I only rolled up 15 balls. This fit my baking sheet perfectly and allowed each of us at least 3 meatballs each, give or take with a few leftover. I’d rather have a couple in the fridge than half a pan, as the larger the “leftovers” the more likely it is to go to waste, or at the very least end up in the freezer.

There was still meatball mixture left over, however. I used my 1 inch melon baller and scooped out mini meatballs. This also made a whole pan (about 1 1/2 dozen) which I baked, then placed into a freezer bag so I’d have some meatballs at the ready for the next recipe.

I had lots of greens left over from my recent veggie box and so it became a veggie-filled dinner. Since the meatballs have rice in them I never like to serve any other starchy sides. So I threw some sweet potatoes in the oven, baked some kale chips, steamed lima beans for the boys, and cooked down a mess of collards, tat soi spinach and bok choy in chicken stock. It was a very green dinner!

These meatballs are super yummy, easy to make, and healthy. You can make them into just about any size, just adjust the cooking time accordingly. I have been known to make them much bigger. I hope you enjoy these as much as we do

Meatball Sub Cups & Butternut Squash Bake

Last night for dinner I made a fun version of the meatball sub. Now I’m not so great at making my own meatballs- I frequently use Harris Teeter’s turkey meatballs. They are so tasty and easy. Whenever I want to make spaghetti and meatballs, or a meatball sub, I just open the package and put said frozen meatballs into a pot and simmer with a jar of red sauce. Perfection. I’ve also been known to throw meatballs into a crock pot with BBQ sauce to serve as appetizers. So whether you buy them premade or make your own, this meal is a winner.

I got the idea from Pillsbury.com. It’s a Bake-Off winning recipe called Jumbo Burger Cups, which basically takes all your favorite burger fixins and encloses it all into a muffin-like cup. I saw that and thought “Awesome! I’m going to do that as a meatball sub!” And I did.

Meatball Sub Cups

These were really yummy! Since I used a jumbo muffin tin, instead of cutting 6 biscuits in halves I used a dozen- 2 for each cup, a top and a bottom. The biscuits were thawed and flattened and placed into the muffin tin with the dough pushed up the sides to create a cup. I only used 1/2 a jar of red sauce to simmer the meatballs in because there really wasn’t much room for extra sauce in the cups- though serving extra sauce on the side is an excellent idea. I then placed 2 meatballs into each cup and topped with a little shredded mozzarella cheese. provolone would work well, too. Place the second biscuit on top, sort of molded over to replicate a muffin top, and shake some sesame seeds to give it a “bun” appearance. Bake at 350* for 20 minutes.

Okay, remember my veggie box? I’ve been posting periodically all about these new veggies and what recipes I’ve used. I didn’t get any butternut squash which was kind of disappointing, but my fellow veggie box friend, Antoinette, had several and gave me some I’ve been holding on to them for a few days, waiting for the perfect recipe to try, and here it is. Truly the most yummy thing on my plate last night (aside from the meatball cups, of course!)

Butternut Squash Bake

This recipe came from Better Homes & Gardens magazine. The recipe was split between pages and I did not save the very last bit of instructions, so when it came to cooking it I relied on my own experience. I assumed it should bake at 350* (doesn’t everything?) and I eye-balled it to see when it was done. It took about 20-25 minutes to heat through, since everything was essentially already cooked.

Preheat oven to 425*. Peel, seed, and cube squash. Toss with olive oil and place into greased baking dish (recipe called for 1 1/2 lb. squash = 3 cups and a 15 x 10 inch pan. I used 2 small squashes, have no idea how many cups it was but it fit perfectly into a 8 x 10 pan.) Roast, uncovered for 30 minutes, until lightly browned and tender, stirring twice (I forgot to stir. Still came out okay.) Cook 6 oz. whole wheat, extra wide noodles according to package. Drain and set aside. In same pot melt 2 tbsp. butter and add 6 chopped shallots, cook for 3-5 minutes over medium heat until shallots are tender and butter is just beginning to brown. Stir in 1 tbsp lemon juice. Add noodles to shallots. Stir in 8 oz. mascarpone cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan, 1 tbsp dried parsley (or 1/4 cup fresh), and 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper, each. Stir until cheese is melted and all ingredients are blended. Add squash and combine everything. Transfer back into baking dish but make sure you’ve allowed the oven to cool down to 350* (I baked the meatball cups during this time). Top mixture with 1/4 parmesan cheese. Place dish in oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until heated through.

This was really, really good! I’ve never used mascarpone cheese before, and not sure I will again soon. It cost $5.79 for 8 ounces! I know there has to be a cheat out there somewhere with regular cream cheese, so if anyone knows it please share! I also had to buy the wide noodles. I could have used something else that I already had but I really wanted to experience this recipe the way it was written- and I wasn’t disappointed.

Overall the added expense wasn’t bad (except for paying almost $6 for an item when my weekly budget is $60.) I already had all the ingredients for the Meatball Cups (which is why I didn’t mind using white flour biscuits- wanted to use them up in some way), and only had to buy pasta, shallots, and mascarpone cheese. I feed 5 people last night and still have 1 Meatball cup leftover and 1/2 pan of Butternut Squash Bake. So we’re looking at 6 full meals, and about 3 other servings of the squash (about 10 total servings) all for $9.58. That’s $.96 a serving. Yeah, I can live with that.

If you love butternut squash you will love this recipe! And if you are not sure if you would like butternut squash or not, this is the perfect recipe to start with. You can’t loose! Happy eating!