This is a "stretch the meat" meal, and it's incredibly tasty! I usually opt to make burgers, because they're faster and easier, but you can also make meatballs with this ground turkey recipe. Either will turn out soft, moist, and well-flavored on the inside. The quick-to-mix-up burgers or meatballs nestle in a rich sauce of onions and stock. Like onion soup, the dish gets a generous layer of French bread slices in the pan and plenty of Swiss/Gruyere cheese on top. You don't need to broil the dish, just cover it with a lid until the cheese melts. The bread will soak up the sauce, and you'll have a generous and incredibly good meal in your skillet. Just add a salad and perhaps a dessert (cookies?), and you'll have a great meal. Plus, the leftovers make great lunches. Enjoy!
Ground Turkey Onion Soup Burgers or Meatballs -- Serves 4+
2-3 teaspoons of olive or canola oil
2-3 large/medium onions, chopped (2 1/2 - 3 cups)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
3 cups of water
1 tablespoon of reduced sodium chicken "Better Than Bullion"
1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme
2-3 tablespoons of white wine
Turkey Burgers/Meatballs
8-10 ounces of lean ground turkey (93 percent or so)
1 large egg
3/4 cup of ricotta cheese (part skim is fine)
2-3 tablespoons of chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of dried parsley flakes
1-2 pieces of crumbled stale bread (I use an English muffin or 2 smallish pieces of bread)
2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
On Top
10 -12 pieces of toasted, sliced French bread (a baguette, 1/2-inch slices or so)
1 cup of shredded Swiss/Gruyere cheese
Chopped fresh parsley, optional
In a large skillet or chef's pan, heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Add the onions, salt, and pepper and gently cook the onions until they are golden brown--about 20-30 minutes. Stir the onions every so often and turn the heat down to medium low/low if the onions start to burn. While the onions are cooking, in a large bowl mix together all the ingredients for the burgers/meatballs. You want the mixture to be cohesive and just a bit moist. When the onions have turned a golden brown, add to the pan with them the water, Better Than Bullion, thyme, and wine and stir the mixture. Bring the mixture to a low boil. Form either small patties or meatballs (about the size of a large marble/or golf ball) and drop them gently into the onion mixture, spacing the patties/meatballs so that they are separated as much as possible. Turn down the heat to a simmer, partially cover the pan, and let the turkey burgers/meatballs cook for 10-15 minutes or until cooked all the way through (165 degrees) and the sauce has reduced by about a third. Remove the lid from the pan and put the bread in the spaces around the burgers/meatballs, pressing the bread slices into the onion mixture, so that the bread is mostly submerged in the sauce. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the bread and burgers/meatballs. Turn off the heat and cover the pan a few minutes until the cheese melts. Sprinkle on the parsley, if you're using it. Serve the burgers/meatballs with the onion-sauce soaked bread and cheese.
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