Turkey Chili Mac Casserole

Happy Fourth of July! On the way to the grocery store this morning, I had no idea what I would be making for dinner tonight. But as I walked into the store, I decided chili sounded like a good meal for the 4th. As I walked down the pasta/canned veggies aisle to get some tomatoes for the chili, I decided to grab a box of elbows and make it a chili mac casserole. This is an easy and cheap one to make for a few people or a crowd; all the ingredients are inexpensive, and adding more pasta and veggies will help stretch it to feed a crowd. I've written the recipe for 4-6 people, but I usually make all the chili, mix a few cups with 1/4-1/3 of a pound of pasta, and make a small casserole for 2. Then I freeze the rest of the chili and thaw later for other meals.

The Ingredients:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 package lean ground turkey (1.3 lbs)
2 Tbsp chili seasoning (I used Penzey’s Chili 3000. I am a huge fan of Penzey's seasoning blends*, and picked this one up last time I was in their shop. But plain chili powder would be fine, too.)
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 medium onion, medium dice
2 stalks celery, medium dice
1 red bell pepper, medium dice
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 ½ cups no salt chicken stock (or homemade stock if you have some. I did not today.)
1 26oz carton strained tomatoes (Any type of canned tomato is fine. Boyfriend doesn't like chunks of tomato, so I used strained tomatoes.)
1 lb elbow pasta (I used whole wheat. If you're making this casserole for a smaller crowd, make the whole batch of chili, and save it for later. But only make enough pasta for the casserole.)
2 cups grated sharp cheddar.

The Directions:

1. Heat dutch over medium heat. Add olive oil and heat through. Add ground turkey and brown, about 5 minutes. Season with chili seasoning powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Add onion, celery, red bell pepper, and garlic, and cook until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1-2 minutes. Deglaze pan with stock, and stir to get all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Stir in tomatoes, bring to boil, reduce to simmer. Cover and let cook at least 15-20 minutes. (The more it cooks, the more the flavors combine, so it can go for hours on low heat if you stir it occasionally),
3. Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Bring water to a boil for pasta. Cook pasta according to package directions, until just under al dente. Drain pasta well.
4. Combine pasta and chili. Pour into large casserole dish. Top with cheddar cheese, and bake at 350°F until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let rest 5 minutes, and serve.

This was fantastic! It had a nice chili flavor, was hearty but not too heavy, and an easy meal with minimal effort. I chopped the veggies pretty small, and Boyfriend ate them all without complaint or picking them out. The whole wheat pasta added another layer of texture to the dish, and the nuttiness of the whole wheat blended really well with the flavors of the chili. I think if I make it again, I would add a bit more of the Chili 3000 seasoning, but it was a great and easy holiday meal.

*I LOVE Penzey's. They have a shop near my parents' house and I love going there with my mom. I like being able to buy small quantities of spices that I don't use frequently or want to try. And they also sell some great spice blends. I go through multiple jars of Mural of Flavor a year - it makes everything taste better!

Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs

This is another favorite in our house. I have played around with a number of meatball recipes, and have found that adding grated onion and garlic not only gives a ton of flavor to the meatballs, but they keep them incredibly moist! If I'm in a rush, I sometimes bake the meatballs and then add them to the sauce, but cooking them in the sauce for as long as possible makes the most flavorful meatballs and sauce, so I try to do that when I have the time.

The Ingredients:

-1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-1 spanish onion, fine dice
-1 clove garlic, smashed
-¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
-½ cup wine (Whatever you have on hand. Stock will also work if you prefer)
-2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
-Salt and Pepper, to taste
-2 lbs ground turkey
-½ Spanish onion, grated on Microplane or box grater
-2 cloves garlic, grated on Microplane
-1 tbsp minced parsley (or other herbs you have on hand - I have also used oregano and basil in this recipe)
-½ cup breadcrumbs (I get breadcrumbs from my local bakery - a bit of a splurge, but I keep a bag of the breadcrumbs wrapped tightly in the freezer and they last for months!)
-1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
-1 tsp tomato paste
-½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
-1 egg
-1 box spaghetti

The Directions:

1. Heat dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil. Sweat diced onion, about 5 minutes. Add 1 smashed clove of garlic and ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, sauté 1 minute. Deglaze with wine (red or white, whatever you have on hand), and reduce 1-2 minutes. Add 2 cans of crushed tomatoes, bring to boil, reduce to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. In large bowl, combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, Parmigiano Reggiano, tomato paste, grated garlic, grated onion, minced parsley, red pepper flakes, egg, and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Form turkey mixture into golf-ball sized meatballs and drop into simmering sauce. Cover and simmer. The longer it cooks, the more the flavors will combine. I try to cook for about 2 hours, but cook at least until the meatballs are cooked through. Stir occasionally.
4. Prepare spaghetti according to package directions. Toss spaghetti with half a cup of tomato sauce, then serve and top with more sauce and meatballs.

I served this tonight with some simple roast broccolini: I tossed broccolini with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and a splash of olive oil, then sprinkled with Parmigiano Reggiano, and roasted at 450°F for about 15 minutes, until the tips started turning brown and a bit crispy. It's a perfect hearty dinner for the cold weather we've been having. And we have plenty of meatballs left over for sandwiches during the week!

Turkey Shepherd's Pie

I came home from work early yesterday, and called out sick today. I've been fighting something(s) for over a month now, and with the weather change, I got worse. But by this evening, I was feeling a bit better, and hungry for something really comforting. I was tempted to make a big pot of soup, but I've seen a ton of Shepherd's Pie recipes recently, and thought I'd come up with one of my own. I thought Thanksgiving flavors would be a good idea, and it basically turned into Thanksgiving dinner in one dish.

The Ingredients:

-1 1/3 pounds ground turkey
-3 Idaho potatoes
-1 Spanish onion, medium diced
-1 large carrot, medium diced
-2 stalks celery, medium diced
-Salt and Pepper to taste
-1 stick butter
-10 leaves sage, torn, plus 6 or 7 leaves sage, minced
-4 sprigs of thyme
-1 tbsp flour
-1/2 cup white wine
-2 cups chicken stock (I think this made the end result a bit too soupy, so next time I'll probably use 1 - 1 1/2 cups)
-1/4 cup heavy cream
-1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

The Directions:
-Pre-heat oven to 350°F. In large saute pan, brown the ground turkey. In small saucepan, melt 1 stick of butter and add 10 torn leaves of sage.
-Peel potatoes, slice or large dice, and put in medium saucepan. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil and cook until tender.
-When turkey is browned, add carrots, celery, onions, thyme sprigs and minced sage. Sweat for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add 1-2 tbsp of the melted, sage-infused butter to turkey. Stir in 1 tbsp flour, and cook for 2-3 minutes. (This will make a roux, which will thicken the sauce). Deglaze pan with wine (if you have it on hand - no need to but wine if you don't have it), and let reduce 1-2 minutes. Add stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and simmer until potatoes are ready. Sauce will thicken and become a gravy.
-When potatoes are tender, drain, and mash with remaining sage-infused butter and the heavy cream.
-Spray baking dish with pan spray, then turn turkey mixture into pan. Spread potatoes evenly over the turkey mixture. Top potatoes with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake 15 minutes, until bubbly. (I threw it under the broiler for a minute to get it really bubbly). Let rest 5-10 minutes then serve.

This was exactly what I needed to make me feel better. It was a bit too soupy, so next time I'll cut back on the stock. But it was like a cross between chicken and vegetable soup and Thanksgiving dinner! It was so comforting, and full of flavor. And while making this, I kept thinking of ways to twist the basic recipe - adding tomatoes and basil, topping with polenta, or chipotles and tomatoes, topping with sweet potatoes... And this could totally be made with Thanksgiving leftovers - just use left over turkey meat, throw in leftover vegetables, and use left over mashed or sweet potatoes! I'll definitely be trying this again!