Turkey Tetrazzini

(photo courtesy of www.examiner.com)

This recipe is another one out of the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. The original calls for chicken, but we had some leftover turkey in the freezer, so I went with that instead. I've added in peas and would also recommend some breadcrumbs in the final step so I've added those to the ingredients list as well.

Prep: 20 mins

Bake: 15 mins

Makes: 6 servings

Oven: 350*

Ingredients

8 oz linguine or spaghetti

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup sliced green onions

2 tbs butter

1/4 cup flour

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1.25 cup chicken broth

1.25 cup milk

2 cups chopped chicken or turkey

2 tbs dry sherry (optional)

1 cup peas

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

breadcrumbs to taste

1. Cook spaghetti or linguine according to directions. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, in large saucepan cook mushrooms and green onions in hot butter until tender. Stir in flour, pepper and nutmeg. Add broth and milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in chicken and sherry. Stir in peas and half the Parmesan cheese. Add cooked pasta; stir to coat.

3. Transfer pasta to a 2 qt baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake at 350, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Nutrition (w/o peas and crumbs): 379 cal, 14g fat, 2 g fiber

Crockpot 8-hour Turkey Stew

3 cups peeled, cubed potatoes
2 cups quartered mushrooms
1.5 cups chopped carrots
1 cup coarsely chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 lbs boneless skinless turkey breast, cut into 1" cubes
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup low-sodium reduced-fat chicken broth
1.5 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp lite worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup fresh parsley

Combine first 8 ingredients in a 3-qt or larger crockpot.

Pat turkey cubes dry and coat with flour. Arrange over top of vegetables.

Mix wine, broth, tomato paste and worcestershire sauce in a small bowl. Pour over turkey.

Cover and cook on low setting for approximately 8 hours. During the last hour, stir once or twice, breaking apart any turkey cubes that have stuck together. Be careful not to remove the lid for more than a minute or so. Stir in parsley just before serving.

Baked Eggplant & Turkey Rotini

Baked Eggplant and Turkey Rotini

1/2 pound lean ground turkey
6 oz whole wheat rotini or other short cut pasta
2.5 cups marinara sauce
1 cup onion, diced (I used red but white works just as well)
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 - 1 eggplant, chopped (mine was pretty large so I only used half)
2 T olive oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp salt (plus more for salting pasta water)
1/2 cup cheese, shredded (I used a mix of 1/4 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat a large pot of water over high heat until boiling. Add salt and pasta and stir. Cook until just al dente, do not overcook since you are going to continue baking. Drain pasta and add to a large bowl.

While water boils, heat a skillet over medium high heat. When hot add ground turkey and brown, crumbling with a wooden spatula as it cooks, add 1/2 tsp fennel seed while it cooks. When cooked through, remove from heat and transfer to large bowl and add marinara sauce.

In the same skillet, heat 1 T olive oil and add garlic and onion. Cook about 2 minutes and add green peppers. Add about half of crushed red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning and cook about 2-3 minutes more. Transfer to bowl with ground turkey. Add remaining olive oil to skillet and heat. Add eggplant, salt, and remaining fennel seed and Italian seasoning. Cook about 5 minutes until slightly softened and transfer to bowl. Toss mixture together gently until well combined and transfer to a baking dish (I used an 8x8 square pan but any similar size baking dish will do just make sure its 2-3 inches deep).

Top pasta mixture with cheese and bake for about 15 minutes until cheese begins to melt. At this point, I switch the oven to broil and let the top brown for a few minutes. You can also just continue cooking an additional 5-10 minutes if you prefer. If you do broil it, watch it carefully so you don't burn the tips of the pasta.

Spice Rubbed Roast Turkey Breast

Spice Rub:
2 T ground cumin
2 T garlic powder
1 T allspice
1 T chili powder
1 T rosemary
1 T thyme
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
4 T butter, slightly softened

You'll aslo need a lemon, onion, and 2-4 cups of chicken stock.

Mix together all the spices in a small bowl and combine with 4 T softened butter.

To cook turkey breast, thaw in the refrigerator as directed on the package (generally at least 24 hours).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I use a roasting pan with a rack but you can also use a regular roasting pan. Rinse turkey with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Rub all over with spice rub, including inside the cavity. Quarter 1 lemon, squeeze juice over the turkey. Quarter 1/2 an onion and place both onion and lemon wedges in the cavity and the bottom of the pan. Add about 1 cup of chicken stock to the bottom of the pan and add more as necessary to baste while cooking. I cook the turkey breast side down on the rack because I think it results in a juicier turkey, albeit, slightly less pretty but I don't carve it at the table anyway. Cook according to package directions, approximately 15 minutes per pound, basting approximately every 30 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to ensure turkey is cooked to 170 degrees. If skin starts to become too brown, cover with a sheet of foil. Once the temperature is reached, cover with foil and let rest about 15 minutes before carving.