Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Turkey Burgers

As the 4th of July weekend approaches, we’re thinking about firing up our grill to make some of these delicious burgers. 

Stuffed with spinach and cheese, these turkey burgers will make an excellent addition to any grill out. 

Pair these burgers with our 40-minute whole wheat buns, a tangy tomato cucumber pasta salad, and a our favorite 4th of July Cherry Berry Dessert and you have an excellent dinner. 

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 tsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning (by McCormicks)
• 1 T minced onion
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 C fresh spinach leaves (or 1/2 C frozen spinach)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 C diced cubes of Monterrey Jack cheese

Directions

Begin by placing the ground turkey and diced cubed cheese into a large bowl. 

Add in 1 tsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning, 1 T minced onion., 1/2 tsp. paprika and 1/2 C frozen spinach.  Add in the egg and mix well. 

Shape into 6 burgers.  We love using our Tupperware burger shaper to do that!  It’s an oldie, so be on the lookout at garage sales for this one. 

Place the burgers on the grill, and grill 7 minutes per side, checking that the internal temperature has reached 180 degrees. 

Serve warm, topped with additional cheese, if desired. 

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash and Wild Rice Casserole

Our garden was fruitful this year when it came to butternut squash!  One plant produced three giant butternut squash fruits, so we have been looking for creative ways to enjoy them.

This dish brings together all the flavors of fall, and quickly became a family favorite.  Trust me when I say, don’t skimp on the 1 tsp. cinnamon.  I did when I first saw the recipe, and I took one bite and thought – this is kind of bland!  So, I added the rest of the cinnamon and wow, it took the dish to a whole different level.  So, don’t skimp on the cinnamon.  Lesson learned. 

Butternut Squash and Wild Rice Casserole – Adapted from Simply Healthy Family

Ingredients

• 1 C cooked wild rice
• 1/2 lb. ground turkey
• 1 medium onion, chopped (or 1 T minced onion)
• 1 medium butternut squash, cubed
• 1 C frozen spinach (or 2 C fresh)
• 1 C apple juice
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• pinch of thyme (up to 1/2 tsp)
• 1 tsp. parsley
• 1/2 C shredded Monterrey jack or mozzarella cheese

Directions

Place the cubed butternut squash into a large glass baking dish.  Pour in 1 C apple juice, and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and cook at 400 for about 20 minutes, until cubes are slightly soft.

 

Meanwhile, brown the ground turkey and season it with salt, pepper, and a pinch of thyme.  Add in the 1 T minced onion, if you are using that instead of diced.   

When the meat is browned, drain any excess grease.  Add in the onion and spinach, cooking until the spinach is wilted and all the water has evaporated and the onions are translucent. 

Stir in the cooked wild rice and remaining 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.  Don’t skimp, really.  Add the cubed butternut squash and 1/4 C shredded cheese.  Stir well. 

Transfer the mixture into a large, lightly greased 2-3 quart casserole dish.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 C cheese over the top and garnish with parsley. 

Bake, covered, at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes. 

Serve warm.  

Turkey Meatball Sub Casserole

With our leftover meatballs from our crockpot turkey meatloaf dinner, I opted to try something that looked extremely delicious from the Country Cook.

The recipe relies on French bread, meatballs, spaghetti sauce, and a creamy mixture originally made out of cream cheese and mayo.  We opted to combine Greek Yogurt and cream cheese for a lighter center, and it worked out great. 

This was a great leftover meal, changing plain old spaghetti and meatballs into something fresh the next day.  Kind of like another one of our favorite spaghetti leftovers – spaghetti braid. 

Meatball Sub Casserole – Adapted from The Country Cook

Ingredients

• 2 C spaghetti sauce (leftover preferred)
• French Bread
• 4 oz. cream cheese, slightly softened
• 1/3 C plain Greek Yogurt
• 1/2 tsp. basil
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1/4 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 C mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese for garnish, if desired

Directions

Begin by slicing up your French Bread into 1-1/2 inch slices.  Arrange the slices in the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish and lightly spritz the top and bottom with olive oil.  Place the pan in the oven and broil for 1-2 minutes on each size, watching carefully so they do not burn.  You want to get the bread toasty so it doesn’t get soggy. 

Meanwhile, warm the spaghetti sauce and meatballs for about 2 minutes in the microwave.  Set aside. 

Prepare the spread by whipping the 4 oz. of slightly softened cream cheese (we used Neufchatel) and adding in 1/3 C Greek Yogurt along with the 1/2 tsp. basil and 1/2 tsp. oregano, pepper and minced garlic.  Stir well.

Using caution because the bread and 9x13 baking dish will be hot, spread with cream cheese mixture over the top of the bread slices. Sprinkle with a little cheese, if desired. 

Top each with a meatball and marinara sauce.

Sprinkle shredded Mozzarella and/or Parmesan cheese over the top. 

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. 

Serve warm. 

What are your favorite ways to use leftovers? 

Turkey Meatballs in the Crockpot

If you have 15 minutes in the morning, you can have a filling dinner when you get home from work, allowing your crockpot to do all the work. 

We made these turkey meatballs last week and enjoyed them so very much.  Meatballs around here are a treat – heck, meat is a treat around here, especially in spaghetti.  Typically, we load our marinara sauce with veggies and if we do want meat, we toss it in as a garnish.  But, these meatballs – wow.  Definitely stole the show. 

We reserved the leftovers for a meatball sub casserole.  I can’t wait to share that recipe with you. 

Turkey Meatballs in the Crockpot

Ingredients

• 1 recipe quick spaghetti sauce (skip the meat)
• Whole wheat spaghetti noodles (we love Healthy Harvest)
• 1 medium zucchini (or summer squash), shredded
• 1/2  tsp. minced garlic, divided
• 1 C spinach (fresh or frozen, torn)
• 1/3 C Panko bread crumbs
• 1/3 C shredded Parmesan cheese
• salt & pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 lb. extra lean ground turkey

Directions

Get your crockpot all set up and ready to go. Lightly grease the bottom and sides with olive oil.  

In a large bowl, combine together 1 lb. ground turkey with shredded zucchini, 1/2 tsp. minced garlic, 1 C spinach, 1/3 C Panko bread crumbs and 1/3 C Parmesan cheese.  Mix together well. 

Add in 1 egg and salt and pepper and continue mixing.  I recommend using your hands here. 

Then, using a T cookie scoop or your hands, shape the meat mixture into fairly tightly packed meatballs about 1 T in size.  Place each in the bottom of the crockpot.  If you’d like, you can make the meatballs as large as 2 T in size. 

Arrange the meatballs carefully in the crockpot. {Note – I tried the meatballs with tomato sauce on the bottom of the crockpot and I wouldn’t recommend it.  So, just skip it, even though you can see it in the photo.} 

Place the lid on the top and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until meatballs have reached 180 degrees. 

In the last 20 minutes, prepare a batch of quick marinara sauce and boil up your pasta. 

Serve warm, topped with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired. 

Enjoy!

Spinach Open Face Egg Sandwiches

This was a filling, delicious and easy breakfast to make.  We enjoyed it as something different than our traditional breakfasts of granola or waffles, and our guests enjoyed it too.

Wholesome honey oat bread, fried Canadian bacon, topped with cheesy garlic eggs and spinach.  Yum-o. 

Spinach Open-Face Egg Sandwiches – Adapted from The Live-In Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1-2 C fresh spinach, washed and trimmed
• 2 oz. White Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• ~6 eggs
• 2 T milk
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• 1/2 T butter
• 1 tsp. minced garlic, divided
• 1/4 C Panko Bread Crumbs
• Parsley
• Whole Wheat Bread {Honey Oat recommended}
• ~8 pieces of Canadian Bacon

Directions

Lightly grease a 9x9 glass baking dish.  Line the bottom with the fresh spinach and top with a handful of white cheddar cheese. 

Crack open the eggs over the top of the spinach layer.  Use a knife to slit the yolk for each egg.  Season with salt and pepper and 1/2 tsp. minced garlic. 

Then, drizzle over 2 T milk or half and half.  Top with remaining cheese. 

Bake the casserole at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until eggs are set.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium skillet, adding in garlic and stirring until fragrant.  Add in the bread crumbs and sauté until lightly browned. 

When the eggs are set, remove from the oven and top with the bread crumbs. 

Fry up the Canadian bacon, toast your whole wheat bread (1 slice of each per person). 

Assemble the sandwiches by placing the Canadian bacon on top of the bread, and a slice of eggs on the top. 

Serves 6-8. Sandwiches are best made up fresh the day you plan to eat them.

Enjoy!

Lasagna-Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

This recipe is down right amazing.  I’m a huge mushroom fan, but until I made this dinner I hadn’t ever had large, true, portabella mushrooms.  Sure, we eat the baby bellas nearly every week, but this opened up a whole new world for me.

Right now would be the perfect time to make these too, because of the fresh garden spinach and tomatoes. 

Make it for your next date-night at home, it’s so easy to make and so fancy to eat. 

Lasagna-Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms –  From Annie’s Eats

Ingredients

• 4-5 large portabella mushrooms
• Olive oil
• Minced garlic
• Salt and pepper
• 1 C ricotta cheese
• 1 egg white
• 1-2 T Parmesan cheese
• Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• Grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp. basil
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• Pinch of dried parsley
• 1 C frozen spinach
• 1-2 C sauce

Directions

Begin by washing your mushrooms; remove the stem and use a spoon to carefully scoop out the gills of the mushrooms.

Place the mushrooms with the cap-side down onto a lightly greased and tinfoil lined cookie sheet.  Spritz the top of the mushrooms with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper as well as minced garlic. 

Roast the mushroom caps for 10 minutes at 425 degrees; you may wish to flip the mushrooms over once during this roasting time.  If there is any liquid in the mushroom caps after 10 minutes, carefully spoon that out. 

Meanwhile, combine 1 C ricotta cheese with 1 C frozen spinach and 1-2 T of Parmesan cheese.  Toss in some dried parsley, salt and pepper too, for good measure. 

Mix in the egg white, basil and oregano. 

Carefully, place the ricotta mixture into the mushroom caps. 

Cover the top of the caps with the tomato sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.  

Slice open the tomatoes lengthwise, and place them cut-side up on the cookie sheet next to the mushrooms.  Sprinkle with basil and/or salt/pepper. 

Place the cookie sheet into the oven for 10-15 minutes, cooking until the center of the mushrooms are set and the tomatoes are warmed and beginning to caramelize on the top. 

Serve the stuffed mushrooms with additional marinara sauce, and top with roasted tomatoes. 

Enjoy!