Scott’s Saturday Ground Turkey and Veggies Supper

A couple of weeks ago, I came across Elise Bauer’s recipe for “Mom’s Ground Turkey and Peppers” on her outstanding Simply Recipes web site. We made the recipe and enjoyed it very much.

This afternoon, with family company coming, we needed to put something quick together for Saturday supper – and, as it turned out, we had a package of ground turkey in the fridge.

We also had a package of Trader Joe’s “Fire Roasted Vegetables with Balsamic Butter Sauce” in the freezer. (These veggies are also our favorite as a base for a quick chicken and rice stir-fry!)

So, we tried a new variation on Elise’s Mom’s ground turkey recipe – using these ingredients we had on hand – along with an 8 oz can of Muir Glen Tomato Sauce that was in our pantry. The result was great – in about 20 mins – with a bit more liquid/sauce than in Elise’s original recipe. We served it over a package of Trader Joe’s brown rice – so easy to cook in 3 mins in the microwave. Very tasty indeed!

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 1 package Trader Joe’s Fire Roasted Vegetables with Balsamic Butter Sauce
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 package ground turkey (we used 1.25 lb Foster Farms from Safeway)
• 1 tsp chipotle chili pepper
• 1 Tbsp dried Italian parsley
• 1 Tbsp dried cilantro
• 1 8 oz can of Muir Glen tomato sauce
• 1 packet Trader Joe’s Microwave Brown Rice

Directions

1. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the Fire Roasted Vegetables and cook until softened – about 5 minutes.
2. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
3. Add the ground turkey to the skillet in small “chunks”, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chipotle chili powder. Add the Italian parsley and cilantro.
4. Cook the ground turkey until it is browned on one side, then turn over to cook on the other side. Add the tomato sauce.
5. When the turkey is cooked through (3-4 minutes), add back the vegetables and warm mixture. If serving with rice, cook the rice in the microwave for 3 mins.
6. To serve, spoon the rice into bowls and cover with the turkey/vegetable mixture.

[First posted: June 6, 2009]