Happy Autumn! This is about the time every year when school schedules start ramping up and social calendars become busier causing those familiar “what should I make for dinner?” blahs start to kick in. Am I right? Well, MPM is here to the rescue with a brand new quick-fix meal! I am betting when you serve your family this colorful veggie- packed dish made with the simplest of ingredients they will be racing each other for seconds!
Consider enjoying this meal for Sunday supper or football nights, then make use of the yummy leftovers for time-crunched week nights.
And because this recipe “makes a bunch,” think about freezing the extras when you need to get a hearty dinner on the table-FAST. (Look HERE for MPM’s Freezer-Friendly Collection)
This meal in-a-pot will also look elegant on your company table and will travel easily to fall gatherings and tailgating parties. Feeding a smaller crowd? No worries-this recipe halves easily.
Rustic Turkey-Vegetable Marinara
Yield: about 6 servings
Click HERE for the full recipe, but in the nutshell, here is what you do:
Instructions
In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium setting. Sauté onion and garlic for about 5 minutes until softened.
Add ground turkey to stockpot. Continue sautéing for about 7 minutes or until no pink color remains. Drain and reserve.
Heat additional olive oil in the same stockpot over medium setting. Stir in mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, peppers and eggplant. Sauté for about 10 minutes or until vegetables are softened. (If vegetables begin to stick, stir in a few tablespoons of vegetable or chicken broth.)
Stir in reserved ground turkey mixture, canned whole (or fresh if using) and crushed tomatoes, marinara sauce, tomato paste and spices (including salt and pepper)
Simmer, covered for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through and mixture is hot, stirring occasionally. Taste; adjust seasonings as needed.
Serve over hot cooked spaghetti squash and/or sautéed spinach or other greens. (*see Notes for Preparation Tips)
Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Rustic Turkey-Vegetable Marinara
Yield: about 6 servings
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 large onion coarsely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 pounds ground turkey (a mix of dark and light is recommended-may also use lean ground beef)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil additional
- 8 ounces mushrooms quartered (any variety)
- 3 carrots sliced
- 1 medium zucchini sliced and halved
- 1 medium yellow squash sliced and halved
- 2-3 medium bell peppers any color, seeded and cut into chunks
- 1 medium eggplant peeled and cut into chunks
- Vegetable or chicken broth if needed to prevent sticking
- 1 32 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped (shown in photo)
Or
- 8 plum tomatoes coarsely chopped (or 4 medium-any variety)
- 1 32 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 28 ounce jars all-natural marinara sauce (with no sugar or preservatives such as Muir Glen, Mezzetta or Paul Newman’s)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 2 teaspoons each dried basil and thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- Coarse pepper or cayenne as desired
Optional
- About 6 cups hot cooked spaghetti squash 1 large (*see Notes for preparation tips)
- Sautéed spinach or other greens, if desired (*see Notes for calculating quantity needed)
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium setting. Sauté onion and garlic for about 5 minutes until softened.
- Add ground turkey to stockpot. Continue sautéing for about 7 minutes or until no pink color remains. Drain and reserve.
- Heat remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in the same stockpot over medium setting. Stir in mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, peppers and eggplant.
- Sauté for about 10 minutes or until vegetables are softened. (If vegetables begin to stick, stir in a few tablespoons of vegetable or chicken broth.)
- Stir in reserved ground turkey mixture, canned whole (or fresh if using) and crushed tomatoes, marinara sauce, tomato paste and spices (including salt and pepper)
- Simmer, covered for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through and mixture is hot, stirring occasionally. Taste; adjust seasonings as needed.
- Serve over hot cooked spaghetti squash and/or sautéed spinach or other greens.
- Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
Notes
Serving ideas: delicious served over brown rice, orzo, spaghetti, penne and couscous.
Going low carb? This dish is very nice served with sautéed spinach (or chard or kale) in addition to or in place of the spaghetti squash! *to calculate quantity of greens needed: 1 pound fresh spinach = 1 cup cooked.
New to cooking spaghetti squash? Here’s my tried and true method: preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with foil; place squash on baking sheet. With a sharp knife, prick squash all over. Roast for 20 minutes or until a knife can easily pierce the shell. Cut squash in half lengthwise. With a kitchen scissors, snip strings and seeds. Scoop out any remaining fibers and seeds with a spoon.
Lightly drizzle cut halves with olive oil. (Or use an oil sprayer like the Misto.) Continue roasting for approximately 25 minutes or until flesh is soft and lightly browned. Scrape out flesh with a fork.
*If your squash is very watery, after removing from shell, set in a strainer set over a bowl. Refrigerate and let drain at least 4 hours or overnight. (Or roll squash in a kitchen towel, pressing out as much water as possible.)
Other quickie one-pot meals to enjoy:
Coming to the Blog: Crockpot Banana Apple Steel-Cut Oats…a Warming Autumn Breakfast!
Ceeya next Time!
Hungry for More?
I invite you to visit my Recipe Collections where lots of goodies such as goodies such as Favorite Crockpot Dishes, Pack ‘n Go Lunch Favorites, Pudge-Busting Dishes, Favorite Poultry Dishes, Dinners in a Flash, Freezer-Friendly Meals, and Healthier Indulgences are awaiting your discovery!
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Linda Shapiro, Meal Planning Maven
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