Meatball, Spinach and Tortellini al Brodo

This bowl of warm comfort is called Meatball, Spinach and Tortellini al Brodo and each spoonful is a light yet cozy delight on a chilly night.

It’s not cold here in Texas yet but I am anticipating those days with soup! The traditional Italian dish of tortellini al brodo – that is to say, cooked in broth – doesn’t have meatballs or spinach but I couldn’t resist the urge take it up a notch by adding both. 

Meatball, Spinach and Tortellini al Brodo

If you don’t have ground turkey, by all means substitute another light ground meat like pork or chicken. You can also skip the meatballs altogether but why would deprive yourself like that?

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

1 lb or 450g ground turkey

1 egg

1 green onion, white and green, minced

3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup or 20g panko

olive oil

For the tortellini: 

8 cups or 1.9L chicken stock

1 lb 4 oz or 567g fresh tortellini (I used one Buitoni family-size pack.)

To serve: 

Grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and line the bottom of a baking pan with foil or silicone liner to make clean up easier.

In a large bowl, mix the ground turkey, egg, green onion, sea salt, red pepper and a few generous grinds of black pepper together until well combined. 

Add in the panko and mix again. 

Use a small poon or melon baller to divide the mixture into little portions. 

Wet your hands so the mixture doesn’t stick to them and rolls the portions into balls. Drizzle the meatballs with a little olive oil. 

I made 64 mini meatballs. You can make yours bigger, of course, but they won’t be as cute. 

Bake them 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Turn your oven to broil for 5 minutes to brown them. 

Add the meatballs to a large pot along with the chicken stock. Bring the stock to a simmer. 

Add tortellini and cook until just before al dente according to package directions.

Tip in the spinach and stir. You may have to add it in batches to get it all to fit. 

Divide the broth, tortellini and meatballs among bowls and top with grated Pecorino Romano. 

If you have any leftovers, I suggest you store the broth and the tortellini in separate containers or the tortellini will absorb all of the broth!

Enjoy! 

Today my Foodie Extravaganza friends are all sharing pasta recipes in celebration of National Pasta Month. Check out the links below. Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla.

• Baked Mostaccioli by Palatable Pastime
• Blue Evolution Penne by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Casunziei All'Ampezzana (Beet Filled Pasta with Poppy Seeds) by Tara's Multicultural Table
• Chinese Pickled Mustard and Noodle Soup by Pandemonium Noshery
• Grain-Free Garbanzo Beans Pasta and Paneer Soup Magical Ingredients
• Instant Noodles Shots by Sneha's Recipe
• Karen’s Lasagna Bolognese by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Meatball, Spinach and Tortellini al Brodo by Food Lust People Love
• One Pot Lasagne Soup by Our Good Life

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board.

Pin this Meatball, Spinach and Tortellini al Brodo!

 .

Creamy Lima Beans with Bacon and Mustard

Posh beans on toast! These Lima Beans with Bacon and Mustard are creamy and soft and utterly more-ish. Plus they take hardly any time at all to make. 

Do you write in cookbooks or is writing in books verboten in your house? I must confess that while I wouldn’t write in a novel, I do make notes in my cookbooks, in pencil. How else am I going to remember what I actually did since I have a hard time following a recipe word for word? 

Cookbooks, even my favorite ones by my favorite authors, are jumping off points to improving a dish and making it suit our palates and available ingredients. 

Case in point is the recipe I’m sharing today, adapted from Nigel Slater’s The 30-Minute Cook. The first time I made it, I added the following pencil scrawl to the bottom:

“Very good over crusty bread. Next time: add more wine & cream. Serve over rice.” 

And the next time, I did just that! And it was so good! The orange on top is my homemade habanero sauce and extra Parmesan was also a good decision. If you don’t have this cookbook, I can highly recommend looking for a secondhand copy online. 

Creamy Lima Beans with Bacon and Mustard

This recipe serves two but is easily scaled up for more. It’s perfect for a weeknight or a light lunch, on its own or with a small salad on the side. 

Ingredients

1 can (14 oz or 400g) lima beans

4 slices smoked bacon

1 tablespoon canola or other light oil

1 shallot or small onion

1/2 cup or 120ml dry white wine

1/4 cup or 60m heavy cream

1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 1/2 oz or 70g extra sharp cheddar, grated

To serve: 2 slices crusty bread, toasted (and buttered, if desired)

Method

Pour out the liquid from the can of lima beans and rinse them with cool water. Set them aside in the sieve to drain. 

Cut the bacon into small strips and finely dice the onion. 

In a large frying pan, cook the bacon in the oil until the bits are crispy. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until it softens and turns translucent. 

Spoon out any excess fat and add the beans to the pan, along with the white wine. 

Bring the liquid to a boil and then turn the heat down to simmer. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. 

Add in the cream and the mustards. Give it a good stir and turn the heat back up to get it just boiling again.

Then simmer for a couple of minutes. Stir in the grated cheese and simmer till it melts into the sauce. 

To serve, spoon over toasted crusty bread, buttered, if desired. 

Enjoy!

Today I’m joining my Festive Foodie friends to celebrate National Cookbook Month by sharing recipes from our favorites. Check out the links below. Many thanks to our host, Jolene of Jolene’s Recipe Journal.

• Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffins by Art of Natural Living
• BBQ Chicken Tortilla Wraps by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting by An Affair from the Heart
• Chickpea Tortilla Soup by Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Chocolate Crepes by That Recipe
• Joanna Gaines Chocolate Chip Cookies by Jen Around the World
• French Classics Made Easy: Savory Stuffed Crepes by Our Good Life
• German Chocolate Cookies by Blogghetti
• Helga's Meatballs by Palatable Pastime
• Lima Beans with Bacon and Mustard by Food Lust People Love
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins by Family Around the Table
• Vegan Green Loobia Polo by Magical Ingredients
• Wild Rice and Onion Bread by Karen's Kitchen Stories

Pin these Lima Beans with Bacon and Mustard!

 .

Southwestern Chicken Tacos

The filling for these Southwestern Chicken Tacos includes corn, black beans, tomatoes, jalapeños, onions and cilantro so, to serve, all you need to add is cheese and the tortillas! (And extra cilantro, if desired.)

We are fans of pretty much any kind of taco in this house. In fact, Tex-Mex recipes of all kinds are popular. My typical taco is made with seasoned ground meat, either beef, pork, turkey or chicken but occasionally I like to be more adventurous and make something that is a little different.

The addition of beans and corn stretch your chicken budget, which is always a good thing, while adding extra protein and flavor, again both always welcome. Don't like black beans? Use your favorite bean instead!

Southwestern Chicken Tacos

This makes enough filling for more than a dozen generously filled tacos. We use either corn tortillas or the half corn/half flour ones my local grocery store sells freshly made in their bakery section, simply toasted in a dry pan over a medium flame. 

Ingredients

For the taco filling: 

1 1/2 lbs or 625g boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced thinly

Fine sea salt 

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cups or 300g fresh sweet corn (cut off the cob or substitute frozen niblets)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, cut in thin wedges

2 ripe Roma tomatoes, cored and chopped

1 fresh jalapeño, stem removed, chopped

1 can (15.25oz or 432 g) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon tomato paste 

2 tablespoons taco seasoning

For garnish: small handful cilantro

To serve:

12-15 fresh corn tortillas 

grated extra sharp cheddar or Colby Jack cheese

cilantro, cleaned and hard stems removed (optional)

Method

To make slicing the chicken breasts thinly easier, I put them in the freezer for about half an hour first. This firms them up enough that a sharp knife can make clean cuts. 

Season the chicken lightly with fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

In a nonstick skillet, pan-fry the chicken in batches, until slightly golden on both sides. Remove from the pan. 

Tip the corn in and fry until it gets browned, possibly with little charred bits. Add another drizzle of olive oil, if necessary. 

Add in the onions and sauté until they turn translucent and are golden. 

Add in the tomatoes and jalapeño. Stir well. 

Mash half of the black beans with a fork.

Add all the beans (mashed and whole) to the pan with the taco seasoning, tomato paste and 1 cup or 240ml water. Stir well to combine. 

Put all the chicken back in the pan and stir again. Heat to warm through. 

Garnish with some cilantro. Serve with pan-toasted tortillas, grated cheese and extra cilantro and let everyone assemble their own. 

Enjoy! 

Happy Sunday FunDay! As you can guess from the recipe titles below, today we are getting a head start on National Taco Day tomorrow. Why that’s not on a Tuesday, I have no idea but the important thing is that we will be celebrating! There may even be margaritas. ¡Olé! Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm!

• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Ancho Chili Chicken Tacos 
• Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Breakfast Tacos 
• Making Miracles: Honey BBQ Chicken Tacos 
• Palatable Pastime: Shredded Chipotle Chicken Tacos 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Grilled Tacos 
• Food Lust People Love: Southwestern Chicken Tacos
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Spiced Smashed Potato Tacos with Homemade Purple Corn Tortillas 
• Sneha’s Recipe: Tofu Tikka Tacos

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

Pin these Southwestern Chicken Tacos!

.