Veggie Loaded Pasta

After a wonderful weekend in Memphis, I knew Monday's meal was going to be a simple one. I headed North to celebrate our little blessing that will be making her appearance in February. Here is the only shot I got on my phone. My lovely sister took lots of real pictures that I will share when she sends them my way.

L to R (My sister Lilian, Myself, my best friend Sarah, and my sister Melissa)

Because there is a bun in the oven, I knew I wanted to add some fresh veggies to keep our baby girl healthy. The great thing about this recipe, you could easily change of the vegetables you use. If you would prefer zucchini over asparagus, swap them out! You could always add in mushrooms as well. 

I chose to use whole wheat linguine as my pasta of choice. Super easy to swap in gluten free pasta to make this meal completely GF and DF! What makes this meal even better, it is a one pot meal! Oh these types of meals make me so happy.

Lets make some pasta! Printable Recipe Here

Veggie Loaded Pasta 

GF/DF

Ingredients:

1 red onion

1/2 bundle fresh asparagus

1 bell pepper  (I used orange)

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 cups chicken broth

4 cloves fresh garlic

12 oz linguine, whole wheat or GF

2 T olive oil

1 t Italian seasoning

2 T corn starch

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper

5 oz fresh spinach

What to do:

Lets start by getting the veggies ready. Dice your onion.

Rinse and trim the ends of your asparagus. Discard the ends. Then cut the asparagus spears into about 1 1/2 inch pieces. 

Slice the bell pepper in half and remove the seeds. Chop into bite size pieces.

Slice your cherry tomatoes in half lengthwise.

Dice your chicken into bite sized pieces. 

Mince your garlic. Oh a little side note. While I was using my garlic mincing gadget, Hubs mentioned he read an article that "real chefs" don't use kitchen gadgets like this one. Well folks, guess I'm not a real chef! But hey, at least its quick and easy!! :) Hubs thinks he is so funny. 

Cook your linguine according to package directions, drain, and set aside.

Grab a large dutch oven and heat 1 T olive oil over medium heat. 

Add in your chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Periodically stirring, cook the chicken for about 8 minutes, or until no longer pink. 

Remove the chicken and set aside. Whoops. It appears I didn't snap a pic. Sorry!!

Into the same dutch oven, add an additional 1 T olive oil.

Add in your minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds and they garlic becomes fragrant. 

Add in onions, asparagus, and bell pepper. 

Cook for 3-5 minutes, and the onions begin to soften.

Add in your cherry tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and another pinch of salt and pepper. 

Stir it all together and allow the tomatoes to cook for another 3 minutes. 

While your tomatoes are cooking, in a large measuring cup, whisk together chicken broth, lemon juice, and corn starch. 

Return your chicken to the pot with the veggies. 

Then pour in the chicken broth mixture. 

Bring the mixture to a simmer. Lower the heat and allow to cook for 5 minutes. 

Toss in your fresh spinach, stirring constantly, the spinach will begin to wilt. 

Once the spinach has wilted, add in your cooked pasta and toss everything together.

That's it! Happy Eating! 

Thanks Y'all!

-Wise Wife 

Turkey Stuffed Onions

So I am not really sure how I came up with this idea. I knew I wanted to make something with ground turkey but I didn't just want to make burgers. Somehow onions popped into my head. I often stuff bell peppers and I love it! What is it about stuffing something? It makes it that much more fun/delicious to eat. So why can't we stuff an onion? I love onions so I went for it.

I made a simple marinara sauce to go with the meatball like mixture. If you don't want to make your own, grab your favorite brand from the grocery store. 

I did have a little bit of the stuffing left over so I made a few meatballs and popped them in the oven to have for lunch the next day. Or, you could really use the stuffing to stuff another onion and serve another friend. 

Lets stuff some onions! Printable Recipe Here!

Turkey Stuffed Onions

GF/DF

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pound extra lean ground turkey

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1 egg

1 t extra virgin olive oil

1/4 t salt and pepper

2 cloves fresh garlic

2-3 Large white onions

Sauce Ingredients:

2 cans tomato sauce

1 t dried basil

1/2 t garlic powder

1/4 red pepper flakes (amount can be adjusted for spiciness)

1/4 t salt

What to do:

Preheat your oven to 400°.

Start with preparing your onions. Cut both the bottom and top off of your onions.

Remove the outer skins.

Using a paring knife, carefully slice around the edge, leaving 1-2 layers on the outside. 

Using a spoon, scoop out the center of the onion, reserving the insides of one of your onions.

Set your hollowed out onions aside.

Chop up the scoped out onions. You want about 1/3 cup chopped onions.

Chop your parsley.

Mince your garlic.

Add turkey, parsley, egg, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper into a large bowl. 

Stir together.

Add in your reserved chopped onions and stir again.

Stuff your hollowed out onions with your turkey mixture.

Place onions in a small baking dish.

Bake for 50-60 minutes.

About 35 minutes into the cooking process, its time to make your sauce. Add sauce, dried basil, red pepper, and salt into a large skillet.

Stir it all together.

Heat over medium heat until the mixture reaches a low simmer. 

Stirring periodically, allow the mixture to thicken for about 20 minutes. Yup, that's it! You have your mariana sauce.

Once your onions are done, top with your marinara sauce and enjoy!

Thanks Y'all!

Wise Wife