Turkey Meatballs with Spinach

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional - adjust to your preference)
• 16 oz frozen chopped spinach (defrosted, drained, and squeezed to remove excess water)
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 2 1/2 lbs lean ground turkey
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs/ gluiten free bread or cracker crumbs
• 2 large eggs

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a large baking sheet by spraying with cooking spray. I actually line my baking sheet with foil and then spray with cooking spray.
2. In a frying pan on medium heat, heat olive oil until hot. Then add onion, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Sauté until onion is tender (about 5-6 minutes total time).
3. Add spinach to pan and combine with onion mixture. Add Worcestershire sauce and chicken broth and mix well to combine. Cook until most of the liquid has cooked out (evaporated). I don't have much liquid in my pan after I combine all these, but it will depend on how well you drained your spinach. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
4. In a large bowl, combine the turkey, bread crumbs, and egg. Add cooled onion/spinach mixture to the meat. I do all of this step with my hands, but you can use a spoon if you prefer.
5. 5. With your hands, create meatballs that are about 1 - 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place them on the baking sheet. Leave a little bit of space between each meatball. When you are done shaping your meatballs, you will probably have about 40-42 meatballs from this recipe. Don't need that many? Freeze them after baking or cut this recipe in half (but I say freeze them and then you've done the work only once and have a future meal).
6. Bake until your meatballs are cooked through with an internal temperature of 160 degrees F - which was about 20 minutes for my oven. Remove from oven and serve as desired.

Stuffed Pasta Shells

• 12 oz Jumbo Shells 
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 lb 99% lean ground turkey
• 32 oz crushed tomatoes
• 1 tbsp basil
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups part skim ricotta cheese
• 2 cups 2% milk reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 egg
• 10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Reggiano

Boil water and cook shells according to package directions, make sure to make them al dente.Meanwhile, saute onions and garlic in oil. Add turkey and salt and brown until cooked, breaking up in small pieces. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and basil, then simmer on low, covered.Preheat oven to 375°.In a large bowl, mix together ricotta, egg, spinach, mozzarella, and parmesan.Once shells are cooked and cool, fill shells with the cheese mixture and place in baking dish with a little sauce in the bottom. Cover shells with half of the sauce, cover with foil and bake 40 minutes, uncover foil and bake 5 more minutes.Serve with additional sauce on top.

avocado basil pasta

Servings: 4 servingsTotal Time: 30 mins

ingredients

• 8 ounces

  dried bow tie and/or wagon wheel pasta
• 2 medium

  avocados, halved, seeded, peeled, and coarsely chopped

  
  
• 6 slices

  bacon, crisp cooked, drained, and crumbled

  
  
• 2/3 cup

  chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons

  lemon juice

  
  
• 1 tablespoon

  olive oil

  
  
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon

  ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon

  salt
• 1/2 cup

  finely shredded Pecorino Romano cheese

add ingredients to list

directions

1.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.

2.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the avocados, bacon, basil, lemon juice

, olive oil, garlic, pepper, and salt. Add the hot pasta and toss to combine. Transfer to

a serving bowl. Sprinkle with cheese. Makes 4 servings.

nutrition information

Calories 491, Total Fat 26 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, Monounsaturated Fat 15 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 3 g,

Cholesterol 18 mg, Sodium 358 mg, Carbohydrate 50 g, Total Sugar 3 g, Fiber 6 g, Protein 15 g.

Daily Values: Vitamin C 20%, Calcium 14%, Iron 21%. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Spinach Stuffed Shells

Spinach Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce Skinnytaste.comServings: 9 • Serving size: 3 stuffed shells • Old Points: 7 pts • Points+: 9 ptsCalories: 360.9 • Fat: 12.8 g • Protein: 28.4 g • Carb: 34.3 g • Fiber: 3.3 g Ingredients:
27 (9 oz) Barilla Jumbo Shells
1 cup onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 lb 99% lean ground turkey
32 oz crushed tomatoes (I used Tuttorosso)
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper
2 cups part skim ricotta cheese
8 oz reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 egg
16 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed well
1/4 cup Parmigiano ReggianoDirections: Boil water and cook shells according to package directions, make sure to make them al dente.Meanwhile, saute onions and garlic in oil. Add turkey and salt and brown until cooked, breaking up in small pieces. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and basil, thensimmer on low, covered, about 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°.In a large bowl, mix together ricotta, egg, spinach, mozzarella, and parmesan.Once shells are cooked and cool, fill each shell with (about 2 heaping tbsp) cheese mixture and place on a large baking dish, or two smaller dishes, covering the bottom of the dish with a little sauce.

Top shells with half of the sauce, cover with foil and bake 40 minutes; uncover foil and bake 5 more minutes.

Serve with additional sauce on top.