Turkey Quinoa Meatballs with Mashed Potatoes and Cheesy Pasta

Nothing says comfort like meatloaf, especially the ones with a thick slather of tomato sauce. Seems like not many people are that into it lately. I love how versatile it is, you can add really any spices, meats, and veggies to suit your taste.

Originally I planned to make a turkey and quinoa meatloaf, but figured meatballs are way more fun and easier for little hands. My son’s, not mine. Haha.

Also a note to myself for next time and to whoever might try to make these recipes….it makes a ton. I ended up with like 8 cups of pasta, a huge bucket of potatoes (more like 8-9 cups, but just seemed like sooo much more at the time), and 24 1.5″ to 2″ meatballs. You end up with about a cup of sauce, which is enough to spread over all the meatballs and have it drip all over the potatoes. Yummm…..

Turkey Quinoa Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 lb ground lean turkey
• 3/4 c cooked quinoa
• 1/2 c shredded carrot
• 2 lg eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 c fresh basil, cut into thin strips (or 1/2 to 1 tsp dried basil, depending on your preference.)
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 c Italian breadcrumbs
• 2/3 c ketchup
• 4 tsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 4 tsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Fluff/loosen the turkey with a fork.

Add all ingredients from the quinoa to the pepper, mix well, but don’t compress mixture.

Add breadcrumbs and mix to incorporate.

Shape mixture into 24 balls. Each are about 1.5-2 inches.

Place on parchment lined baking sheet.

Prepare glaze: mix ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, tomato paste, and Worcestershire together.

Brush or pour tomato sauce over meatballs.

Bake for 40 mins.

Mashed Red Potatoes

Ingredients

• 3 lbs red potatoes, unpeeled and cubed into 1 – 1.5 inch pieces
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 c milk
• 1/4 lb unsalted butter
• 1 c sour cream (1/2 c would be good, but my husband loves sour cream, so it became a whole cup)
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Boil potatoes until soft, about 15 mins.

Drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl and mash with fork to desired consistency.

Heat milk and butter in a small saucepan until butter is melted.

Mix in the milk mixture.

Fold in sour cream, salt and pepper.

Cheesy Stove Top Pasta (adapted from Evil Shenanigans)

Ingredients

• 16 oz macaroni, or any small pasta
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 c milk
• 1 1/2 c freshly grated cheddar cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper
• 1 tsp sriracha sauce
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Boil the pasta according to package directions

Drain and pour back into the cooking pot.

Over medium-low heat, add the butter and stir until melted.

Mix the egg, milk, and spices and pour over the pasta.

Stir until it begins to thicken, about three to five minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat then add the cheese.

Mix well so cheese melts.

Quinoa Veggie Burger with Roasted Broccoli

I’ve been slacking! Lately I can’t seem to get it together and finish up my old posts or even take pictures for new posts. So in the next week or so, I’m determined to get it all done and catch up. The main reason is my photo quality. It seems like I’m only able to take photos at dinner or later at night and the pictures are horrible!

Anyway…..

I saw these from Pinterest and couldn’t wait to try them. These patties are full of flavor and very filling. I had some trouble with it because I used a Magic Bullet instead of a food processor. The Magic Bullet almost burnt out and died on me after trying to grind down all the carrots, beans, etc. So note to self, next time either chop everything super fine, or bust out that food processor.

Loaded Quinoa Veggie Burgers (adapted from Whole Living)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup rinsed quinoa
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp chili
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

In a small saucepan, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil; add quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until liquid is absorbed, 12 to 14 minutes; set aside.

In a food processor, pulse carrot until finely chopped. Add cooked quinoa, carrots, scallions, garlic, beans, breadcrumbs, egg, and spices; pulse until combined but still slightly chunky.

If you’re chopping by hand; grate carrots, then add scallions and chop very fine. Mince garlic and mash beans, add to carrot mixture. Add quinoa breadcrumbs, egg, and spices, mix well.

Form mixture into four 3/4-inch-thick patties (dip hands in water to prevent sticking). If too soft, refrigerate 10 minutes to firm. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium; cook burgers until browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes per side.

Roasted Broccoli

Ingredients

• 2 stalks broccoli, cut florets to bite size pices
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss broccoli with oil, salt, and pepper. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Roast for 15 mins or until tender.