I've taken a liking to cooking with whole wheat pasta and lean ground turkey. I'm definitely not on a health binge or anything, but if the ingredients are fairly inexpensive and accessible, then why not?
So after a Sunday morning-to-mid-afternoon work shift, mildly tired (but hungry), I like to keep things simple for myself. I look forward to cooking something that will last me a couple of days and prevent me from spending too much for food in Banker's Hill during the work week...cause that can get annoyingly $teep.
But anyway, here we go. Easy. Squishy. Tasty.
::gathering my raw materials::
-1 tbps olive or cooking oil
-1 package uncooked whole wheat pasta
-1 package ground lean turkey (most are usually 93/7)
-chopped onion
-5 saltines (crushed) or about 1/2 cup bread crumbs
-1 egg
- salt and pepper to taste
- dried oregano to taste
- 1 finely minced clove of garlic (or handy dandy garlic paste which is amazing for cooking)
- a few mint leaves (another taste factor)
- 1 can pasta sauce
- 1 cup chopped onions, mushrooms, or whatever other vegetables you like to add to your sauce
::Directions::
In a large pot, bring water to boil with a dash of salt.
While the water heats, combine your ground turkey, egg, crushed crackers (or bread crumbs), onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and chopped mint leaves.
It's actually best to just dive in with your hands and knead...but I suppose you could push around with a wooden spoon if you really don't want to get in there...
Once everything is thoroughly mixed, roll out into little balls and set in another tray as you preheat a large skillet with a bit of olive or cooking oil.
(By now, your water will probably be boiling, so break your pasta in half, and throw in the boiling water. Whole wheat pasta takes a bit longer to cook, so just give it a courtesy swirl every now and then, and you should be okay after about 15-17 min.)
Using tongs, transfer your meat balls to the heated pan. Only don't do what I did, and make sure it's medium heat in lieu of high heat. =)
Not burned, but a bit browned...
Use your tongs and flip the meat balls around to the sides that are not cooked. Let them cook at medium heat. Lid the pan to allow the steam to help cook the meat balls all the way through.
Meanwhile, dont forget to check on your pasta...seems to be doing good...
Once your meat balls are done, transfer them to another bowl and add your onions and chopped veggies to the hot skillet.
Add your pasta sauce, salt, pepper, oregano, and other seasons as desired.
Add your meatballs back into the sauce and coat generously. Allow to simmer on low for a few minutes.
Transfer cooked pasta to a pasta strainer and rinse. Place a bed of pasta on a plate or bowl, and top with your meat balls meat sauce. Garnish with a bit of parmesean if desired. Enjoy!
