Lightened Up Spaghetti & Meatballs

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My mother always made the most wonderful spaghetti dinners on Sundays; you always knew it was Sunday morning when you awoke just by the smells coming from the kitchen. Mama started around 9 am, making the meatballs and a big pot of sauce. I don't have the kind of time she used to, nor the huge family to feed (10 kids, a husband and usually a few neighbor kids).

Over the years I have developed my own version of Mama's Spaghetti and Meatballs. I don't spend as much time as Mama did, but the dish always comes out delicious. One thing I have done, in the interest of eating less red meat, was to use turkey in place of beef in the meatballs. My mom used a combination of beef and pork (usually 1 lb of ground beef and 1/2 lb of ground pork). These meats have a much higher fat content (and more cholesterol) than the much leaner ground white meat turkey. The only problem with ground turkey is that because it's so lean, that usually means the meatballs will be dry. I've found a few remedies for this problem, however. First of all, I sometimes will mix the lean white meat ground turkey with some ground turkey that has a higher fat content (meaning it contains some dark meat). If I'm making 2 lbs of meatballs, I will use 1-1/2 lb of white meat ground turkey and 1/2 lb of ground turkey (85/15 or less). If you only have the white meat (97/3) ground turkey, you can add about 1-1/2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the meatballs. Another thing I've done to lighten up the meatballs is to cook them in the oven instead of on the stove, soaking in oil. And lastly, make sure you let the meatballs cook in the sauce for at least an hour so they can absorb the flavor (and the moisture) from the sauce.

Below you will find my turkey meatball recipe. Make sure you season them well as ground turkey can be pretty tasteless.

2 lbs of lean white meat ground turkey (or a combination of 97/3 turkey and 85/15 or 80/20 turkey)
1 large egg
1/4 cup milk (or more if needed)
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated romano or parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced very fine
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients together with your hands. If the meat feels too dry, add a little milk; if it's too wet, add a few more bread crumbs. Cover two cookie sheets with aluminum foil, then spray with some cooking spray. Roll the meat into balls - the size is up to you; I like them about the size of a large golf ball. Place the meatballs on the cookie sheets. It should make 24-30 meatballs. Cook the meatballs for about 10 minutes, then turn and cook 5 minutes more. Drain on paper towels, then add to your favorite marinara sauce and let the meatballs cook in the sauce for about a half hour to an hour. Serve over your favorite pasta - it doesn't always have to be spaghetti!!!

My version of Spanish Rice

This is another one of those recipes that Mama used to make for us regularly, only I put my own spin on it. The measurements don't have to be exact - mine never are! Just taste as you go along and adjust accordingly.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef, preferably lean
1 T olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 can petite diced tomatoes, seasoned with green chilies
1 cup white rice (uncooked)
1-1/2 cups water
1 T chili powder
Salt & pepper to taste
Shredded Monterey Jack & Cheddar Cheese blend

In a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid, brown the ground beef in the olive oil until all the pink is gone; drain out the fat. Add the onion, pepper and garlic and saute until lightly browned. Add the tomatoes, rice, water, chili powder and about 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; turn the heat down to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 15-20 minutes until the rice is cooked through. If the rice is still a bit soupy, remove the cover and let it simmer on the stove for another 5-10 minutes until some of the liquid is absorbed. Check for seasoning and add some ground red pepper if you want more fire. Now add the cheese and mix in to melt the cheese. Enjoy!

Eggplant Parmigiana

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Michael wanted me to post this recipe. It's very similar to my lasagna, I just substitute eggplant for the lasagna noodles. I never made this dish with homegrown eggplant before, it was delish!

For this dish, you will need about 3 small eggplants. Make sure you select eggplants that are small, then the seeds inside will also be small. I'm not a fan of big eggplant seeds so I made sure that we picked the eggplant when it was small. Slice the eggplants lengthwise, about 1/4" thick. Place the slices on a clean kitchen towel (or a double thickness of paper towels) and sprinkle both sides with salt. Let the slices sit for about 1/2 hour, then blot the excess liquid from the slices. This step is necessary to remove a lot of the moisture from the eggplant, as well as some of the bitterness. While the eggplant is doing its thing, take out two shallow bowls. In one, place about 1 cup of flour, seasoned with salt & pepper. In the other, add two eggs, beaten. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, then add about 2 T olive oil and 2 T vegetable oil. Set up the bowls like an assembly line: first the flour, then the egg, then the skillet. Dip the dried eggplant first into the flour; shake of any excess. Then dip into the egg, making sure it is coated well. Now place into the skillet, a few pieces at a time. Don't crowd them in the skillet; they need room to breathe. Fry until golden on each side, then remove to a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.

Now that the eggplant is all fried up, it's time to assemble everything. Here's what you'll need:

1 8-oz container of part skim ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/4 cup grated romano or parmesan cheese, or a combination of both
3 cups marinara sauce (preferably homemade but if not, then at least a good quality brand)
2 tablespoons pesto
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Mix the egg with the ricotta cheese in a mixing bowl, and add about 2 tablespoons of the grated romano cheese. Mix in about 2 tablespoons of water so the mixture is just a bit soupy. Heat the marinara sauce in a skillet, add the pesto and let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes. In a large casserole dish, place some of the sauce (2 or 3 ladels-full) in the bottom of the dish. Now make a layer of eggplant. On top of the eggplant layer, spoon out about 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture and spread it around, then top with about 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese and a couple tablespoons of romano cheese, then top with marinara sauce. Start again with the eggplant, then ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and sauce. Top with more eggplant, then sauce and finally mozzarella cheese and romano cheese. Place in a 375-degree oven for about 45 minutes. If the cheese is getting too brown, cover with foil for the last 15 minutes or so.

Serve with extra sauce, a salad and plenty of hot Italian bread. Mangia!