Parmesan Turkey Meatloaf

I made this yummy turkey meatloaf with an Italian twist last week. Tomato sauce and parmesan cheese cover this meatloaf and bring meatloaf to a new level. I made mine completely with ground turkey but it was still moist. It was even tasty as leftovers straight from the fridge. 

Parmesan Turkey Meatloaf

Modified from Mommy? I'm Hungry!

Printable Version

Ingredients

2 pounds ground turkey

2 eggs

1/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 small onion, grated

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup marinara pasta sauce

Directions 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl combine the ground turkey, eggs, breadcrumbs, spices, and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. 

Place the mixture in the greased loaf pan and form into a loaf. Top the meatloaf with pasta sauce. Bake for 45 minutes and remove the meatloaf from the oven. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese on the top and bake another ten minutes. 

Remove the meatloaf fro the oven and allow to rest for ten minutes before serving.

Skinny Meatloaf Cupcakes with Mashed Potato Frosting

Aren't these meatloaf cupcakes the cutest? I saw them on Pinterest and then realized they came from one of my favorite cooking blogs, Gina's Skinny Taste. I modified the recipe from Gina's a bit because I didn't have zucchini or fresh thyme, but they still turned out great. My favorite part was the mashed potato frosting. They are a fun, unique way to eat your meat and potatoes.


Skinny Meatloaf Cupcakes with Mashed Potato Frosting
From Skinny Taste.com
Printable Version
Makes six cupcakes
Ingredients

For the Meatloaf Cupcakes
1.3 pound lean ground turkey 
1 cup grated zucchini, moisture squeezed out and patted dry (I omitted this)
2 tablespoon onion, minced
1/2 cup season breadcrumbs (I used a combination of Panko and seasoned)
1/2 cup ketchup
1 egg
1 tablespoon kosher salt

For the Mashed Potato Frosting 
1 lb potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 tablespoon cream cheese
2 tablespoons chicken broth
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon light butter
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoon fresh thyme or chives 


Directions
Put the potatoes in a large pot with salt and enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat; simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain and return potatoes to pot. Add garlic, sour cream, and remaining ingredeints. Using a masher or blender, mash until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with foil liners (I just used large cardboard muffin liners). In a large bowl mix the turkey, zucchini, onions, breadcrumbs, ketchup, egg,and salt.

Place meatloaf mixture into muffin tins, making sure they are flat at the top. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until cooked through. Pipe the mashed potato frosting onto the cupcakes, peel from the muffin liners and serve. 

Lasagna Soup

Happy New Year! For my first recipe of 2012 I wanted to share this out of the ordinary soup recipe that I found on Pinterest. Lasagna turned into a soup just has to be good, right? It was! I substituted turkey sausage for pork and added in more pasta than the original recipe called for. The results were a yummy, flavorful soup with just a tiny kick of spice from the sausage. It's a perfect, filling dinner for these cold winter nights.

Lasagna Soup
From A Farm Girls Dabbles
Makes 12 servings
Printable Version
Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage (I used 1 pound ground turkey sausage)
3 cups chopped onions
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 28 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes (I couldn't find these so just used regular)
2 bay leaves
6 cups chicken stock
8 ounces mafalda, fusilli, or cellentani pasta (I used about 10 ounces)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves 
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 ounces ricotta cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I didn't end up using very much of this)


Directions
Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch Oven over medium heat. Add the sausage, breaking up into pieces and brown for about five minutes. Add the onions and cook until softened, about six minutes. 

Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown color.  Add in diced tomatoes and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente (about 7 minutes).

Do no overcook soup or let simmer for a long period at this point or the pasta will get mushy. Stir in basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

While the pasta is cooking prepare the cheese by combining ricotta and Parmesan with salt and pepper in a small bowl. Place soup in individual serving bowls and stir in a dollop of the ricotta/Parmesan mixture. If desired sprinkle some mozzarella on top. 

Okinawan Taco Rice

Taco Rice is an extremely popular dish here on Okinawa. It's said that this dish was created by a local chef who combined the Tex-mex flavor of a taco with rice, a staple in the Okinawan diet. It's a genius idea: the flavors of taco flavored meat on a bed of rice and garnished with traditional taco toppings: tomato, lettuce, salsa. It's on the menu at many local restaurants and we've sampled it several times already. We liked it so much I decided to try making it at home. I loved how this dish calls for melting the cheese on the rice before adding the meat. If you want a taste of Okinawa give this fun recipe a try!

Okinawan Taco Rice
From Cooking with Chopsticks
Printable Version
Makes 2 large servings
Ingredients
1 cup of rice, cooked
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound ground turkey or beef
6 tablespoons pureed tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Several drops of lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1 cup cheese
1/2 cup lettuce, chopped
2 small tomatoes, chopped


Directions
Place the cooked rice in an oven proof baking dish. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the garlic and onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes or until the onions are soft. Mix the garlic and onions into the rice gently with slicing motions instead of mashing motions. 

Heat a little more olive oil in the pan and add the meat. Break the meat into small chunks and once cooked add the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, water, and salt and pepper to taste. Allow to simmer until the water reduces. 

Cover the rice with cheese and place into the oven for about five minutes or until the cheese is throughly melted. 

Top the cheese and rice with the meat mixture. Squeeze some lemon on the meat and dust with additional chili powder if desired. Garnish with tomato and lettuce and serve. 

Hawaiian Burgers

Just in time for Memorial Day weekend grill outs and barbecues,  I have to share with you these unique, juicy burgers I made after drooling over them on Strawberry Cake. These burgers reminded me of the best burger I've had. While visiting my sister and brother-in-law in Oahu they took us to an amazing burger joint Kua 'Ania. The burgers at Kua Ania can be ordered with sliced pineapples, fresh avocados, grilled onions, and of course melted cheese.  Here is a Pineapple Burger from Kua 'Aina:

So now that you see how incredible these burgers look,  you can imagine how eager I was to make Sheila's Hawaiian Burgers and try to relive the burger memories from Kua 'Aina! The best part of creating these burgers was having my hubby cut up a whole pineapple. It was a learning experience for both of us, and while our pineapple slices weren't the prettiest slices you'll ever see, they turned out really well for our first time!

These burgers were very, very good and took me right back to Oahu!  The patties are made with diced onion and teriyaki, making them moist and flavorful. My favorite part was of course the grilled pineapples and onions. We also made a wasabi mayonnaise, a simplified version of a wasabi mayo Sheila recommends with her burgers. It was a fantastic addition and I definitely recommend you try it to add a little zing to your next burger.

Hawaiian Burgers
Modified from Strawberry Cake
Printable Version
Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
6 ounces pineapple rings (reserve the juice if possible)
1 1/2 tablespoon Teriyaki Marinade
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
salt and pepper to taste
Toasted buns, if desired
Provolone cheese, if desired
Grilled onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and wasabi mayonnaise (recipe below)


Directions
In a mixing bowl combine ground turkey, teriyaki sauce, garlic salt, onions, and 1/4 cup of reserved pineapple juice. 

Use your fingers to combine throughly. Form into patties (I was able to make 5). Gently press pineapple rings into the tops of the burgers. Season with salt and pepper.

Place burgers pineapple side down on the grill. Cook 4-5 minutes on each side for medium doneness. 

Grill onion slices and extra pineapple if desired.

For the Wasabi Mayo:
Mix 3 tablespoons wasabi paste with 3 tablespoons mayo. 

Add provolone cheese to burgers and serve with wasabi mayo, tomato slices, lettuce, and any other condiments of your choice.

Turkey Burgers with Creamy Cucumber Dill Sauce

After absolutely loooooving Southwest Turkey Burgers with Avocado Sauce, I've been thinking about what other yummy sauces I could make to top turkey burgers. I always buy ground turkey in bulk at Costco so have it in my freezer almost all of the time and on my last Costco visit I also picked up some cute baby cucumbers. They inspired me to whip up a creamy cucumber dill sauce to top off the burgers.

 My hubby didn't seem very excited about the idea, but one spoonful of the sauce changed his mind. It's like a simplified version of tzatziki sauce. Creamy, tangy, a little crunchy. It was very yummy on top of juicy turkey burgers and melted cheese, but could also be a dip for pitas, crackers, veggies, whatever your little heart desires!

Turkey Burgers with Creamy Cucumber Sauce

An Ashley's Cooking Adventures Original

Printable Version

Ingredients

4 small cucumbers

1 1/2 cups sour cream

2 tablespoons fresh dill

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Ground turkey

Seasonings of choice

Cheese slices, if desired

Directions

Slice cucumbers into large pieces. Place into food processor and pulse until diced into small pieces. 

Add in garlic, dill, and lemon juice. 

Pulse to combine. Remove from food processor and scoop into small bowl.

Stir in sour cream and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Prepare turkey burgers and desired and cook. Top with melted cheese if desired. Remove from grill and plate. Scoop creamy cucumber sauce on top of burgers. 

Southwest Turkey Burgers with Avocado Sauce

I'm definitely on a "southwestern" kick lately, but I just love the flavors of the southwestern cuisine. This meal is uh-maz-ing!! Sauteed corn, peppers, onion, and lime juice mixed in with ground turkey made these burgers super juicy and flavorful. Next time I think I'll throw some black beans in, too. 

The avocado sauce may be the best thing I've ever topped a burger with. It's just genius. I'm definitely going to make it over and over again - for tacos, burritos, or just dipping tortilla chips into. Please, do yourself a favor and make these burger pronto.

Southwestern Turkey Burgers with Avocado Sauce
From Taste of Home
Makes 4 Servings
Printable Version


Ingredients
For the burgers:
1 cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 small sweet red pepper, seeded and chopped (I used a combination of frozen peppers from Trader Joe's)
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon oregano
1 pound extra-lean ground turkey

For the Avocado Sauce:
1 medium ripe avocado
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt


Directions
In a large skillet saute the corn, onion, and peppers in olive oil until tender. Stir in the lime juice, garlic, salt, cumin, chili powder, and oregano. Cook 1 minute longer. 

Transfer to a large bowl and cool slightly. Scoop ground turkey into bowl with corn mixture and mix well. Form into four burgers (I actually made 6) and refrigerate for at least 3o minutes. 

Meanwhile in a small bowl mash the avocado and mix with sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, and salt. Refrigerate until serving. 

Grill burgers over medium heat or broil 4 inches from heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees and juices run clear. 

Top each burger with 1/4 cup sauce and serve as desired. I topped mine with cheese, red onion and tomato.