Oh, hello there! It would appear that my hiatus is over. Hopefully. We will see. Anyway, if you’re looking for something to cook with/for your significant other this Valentine’s Day and you have procrastinated looking at Pinterest, I’ve got you covered. Also, there’s nothing wrong with not celebrating Valentine’s Day and cooking this meal anyways. Just saying.
So what have we got? Well, I recycled my favourite Fancy Naps recipe: Turkey Pesto Meatballs and have added penne and Cesar salad. I know it doesn’t sound that exciting, but I promise it’s super simple so you’ll be able to spend more time gazing into your date’s eyes/gazing at your TV screen than gazing at the oven timer. If you follow the next six directions, you will have dinner on the table in 35 minutes. Isn’t that the point? Enjoyable cooking that’s quick and easy? Why complicate things? Onward….
1. Turn water on to boil. Depending on the type of pot you have, salt the water, or salt it when it starts to roll. (Our pots look rusty and gross because we were putting salt in before the water was boiling but all you want to know is how to cook dinner so I will get on with it..)
2. Mix the meatball ingredients together. Add olive oil to whatever you’re using to fry the balls and turn on medium heat.
3. Form balls and just set them on a plate or cutting board for now. You should get at least 12. Each ball takes roughly 1/4 cup of mixture, if you are the type that likes measuring stuff. Your water should be boiling by now.
4. If your water is boiling, check your oil – sprinkle a little bit of flour in (or even some rogue turkey). Does it sizzle? Good, you’re ready to roll. Turn the temp down a little lower on the oil.
5. First, add your pasta to the boiling water. Use penne or rigatoni and make sure it has lines in it. No smooth pasta shapes. Smooth pasta doesn’t hold this oily sauce! So if you only learn one thing from me in your life, let it be, “NO SMOOTH PASTA SHAPES”. Now you can add all of your meatballs to the oil, cook covered for 4 minutes. Start working on salad (or if you’re cooking with someone else, they can prep the salad anytime)
6. By the time you have flipped your meatballs and cooked on the other side (should have internal temp of 165F), your pasta should be done and your salad should be ready to roll. Take the balls out of the pot (onto a paper towel lined plate), feel free to scoop out some of the oil if it seems like too much, and using a slotted spoon, add the pasta straight to the pot and toss it in the leftover juicy meatball goodness. Grate a shit ton of parmesan cheese on the pasta, I highly recommend Bothwell’s Smoked Parmesan. BON.APP.AY.TEEEET!
Sorry you had to read all that, but it will make it all easier, promise. Check back tomorrow and I’ll have wine pairings up on the Sips page. If you are wondering why I didn’t include dessert, it’s because I feel like that’s a personal choice for everyone! Bake or buy your favourite thing!! Without further ado, here are your recipes!
Turkey Pesto Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 package ground turkey about 0.365 kg
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons basil pesto
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese finely shredded
- 1/2 teaspoon dried chillies
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil for frying
Instructions
- Add first 7 ingredients to mixing bowl and knead together
- Form into 12 meatballs
- Add olive oil to pot and turn on to medium heat
- Oil is hot enough when you sprinkle some flour in and it sizzles
- Add meatballs to pot, cover with a lid and cook for 4 minutes
- Flip each meatball over and cook for another 4 minutes, with lid on
- Remove meatballs from pot, and place on a paper towel lined dish to remove excess grease
- Enjoy!
Fancy Napkins' Cesar Dressing
Ingredients
- Two handfuls romaine lettuce
- 3 tablespoons canola or other light tasting oil
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar balsamic is tasty, too
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh or from bottle
- 2 cloves garlic minced (who am I kidding, I usually use three)
- 4 splashes Worcestershire
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
- Bacon bits and croutons optional. I hate buying them and am usually too lazy to make them so...
Instructions
- Chop and clean your Romaine, I highly recommend buying a plastic lettuce knife. No more rusty lettuce!
- Two handfuls will probably feed two people, but use however much lettuce you want. The dressing works for up to an entire head of lettuce. Add your lettuce to your serving bowl
- Sprinkle the parmesan over the lettuce (it might seem like a lot but just trust me)
- Add oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic and Worcestershire to a glass measuring cup (sometimes I just use a coffee mug) and give it a good stir. I use a fork.
- Add salt and pepper, to taste, stir vigorously.
- Dress lettuce right before serving. Make sure you give the dressing one good last stir before doing so.
Laura, so glad to read you are back! How about some Keto re
Hi Bev! Thanks for reading 🙂 I haven’t read a whole lot into the keto diet, but I don’t think that’s one that I want to promote through my recipes. I’ll keep you in mind though!