Most normal people cook a bigger turkey than they need, so they can enjoy some leftovers. There’s nothing better than a fresh turkey sandwich, or three, but after a couple days, that bony carcass is that last thing you want to look at; and that’s where these crispy flautas come in.
As I joked about in the video, when it comes to leftovers, the “add cheese and fry” system is a proven crowd pleaser, but to hedge our bets, we’re also topping with guacamole, sour cream, and salsa. This creates something so different from the holiday meal that you might forget where the turkey actually came from. Depends on how much you’ve been drinking.
Regarding my comment about pre-grated cheese being coated with saw dust – many people on YouTube thought I was joking, but this really is true. That shredded stuff in the bag is coated in a fine cellulose dust, which prevents the pieces of cheese from clumping together. The good news is, grating cheese only takes a minute, and almost anyone can do it.
And if you don’t have old turkey to make these flautas with, eventually you will have some leftover chicken, which would obviously also work. Either way, I hope you give these delicious, crispy flautas a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 12 large turkey flautas:
24 small, white corn tortillas 1 egg white to seal flautas, optional
*1 pound cooked, shredded turkey
6 ounces shredded pepper Jack cheese, sharp cheddar, or a combo of the two (about 2 cups)
1/3 cup chopped green onions
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
*I’ll assume you’re going to use one of our turkey recipes, so your bird will be super moist, but if it isn’t, you can always add a 1/4 cup of chicken broth to the mixture to compensate.
- Garnish with shaved cabbage, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, and freshly chopped cilantro
Making delicious meatballs with fatty, flavorful beef is no great feat, but creating something as delectable using ground turkey is another story. As the old joke goes, it may be bland, but at least it’s dry. So, you’re going to need a very specialized strategy, and by “specialized strategy,” I mean some cold, leftover rice.
As these simmer in your sauce or soup, the grains of rice absorb moisture, swell up, and create a relatively tender, moist meatball. Above and beyond that, you’ll also want to look for ground turkey thigh meat (available at most of your higher-priced grocery chains).
By the way, like all meatball/meatloaf recipes, you can test your seasoning by cooking a small piece of the mixture before rolling your ball. Even though the meat hasn’t simmered in the sauce yet, at least you can see if it needs more salt. I’ll just fry up a little patty, and adjust if need be, and suggest you do the same.
I didn’t intend this recipe to be a Thanksgiving dinner alternative, but now that I think about it, these could actually work. Maybe you have a small group, or don’t like looking at a giant carcass on the table (hey, some people are weird like that), or your in-laws are Spanish, and you want to show them you can pronounce “albondigas.”Whatever the occasion, I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 20-24 small meatballs:
1 pound ground turkey thigh meat
1 packed cup cooked white long grain rice 3 cloves crushed garlic 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley 1 large egg
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil
For the sauce (I didn’t measure these ingredients, so these are just guesses)
2 1/2 cups prepared tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon paprika
1/3 cup crème fraiche or heavy cream
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar 2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley salt and pepper to taste
I've made many a meatloaf in my day, but I had never thought of putting squash in it before. However I swear, you can google any two ingredients and a recipe will pop up, which is exactly what I did last night. By adding butternut squash (cooked in bacon, onion and sage) to this meatloaf, the flavors are off the chart. And now I talk like Guy Fieri from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.
I used this recipe and made some minor changes. Instead of pork, I used ground turkey, I skipped the red pepper flakes (in case my kids wanted to try it, hahahaha, they did not), I didn't use an egg because I didn't have one (it turned out just fine), and before cooking it I topped it with a balsamic/ketchup combo (which I highly recommend doing). By the way, I like to use my hands to form the loaf and cook it on a baking sheet vs. a bread pan. I think it makes the exterior nice and crispy, which I love. I plan on turning it into a sandwich for lunch. Is it lunchtime yet??
After making this insanely delicious Spaghetti Pie the other day (as seen on my Instagram page), I started imagining what other dinners I could make in a pie pan, and because it was Tuesday my mind instantly went to tacos! Taco Pie! But not just any taco pie, no, no... this particular dish is only disguising as comfort food (which is what it tasted like, oh man). This hearty but healthy casserole has lean meat, the protein and fiber from beans and the nutrients from a whole lot of squash you won't even know you're eating. By the way do beans have fiber? I don't know, it just sounded right to say.
At the last minute I decided to add a frozen package of cooked squash into the meat (the pureed kind). It melted beautifully, and balanced out the spice of the meat in a sweet and subtle way. My kids loved it (well, two of them did, not the middle one who would live off of Skittles if she could), and had NO idea I had tricked them into eating something healthy. And by the way, I ate two slices topped with avocado. IT WAS SO GOOD.
1 can refried beans (you probably won't use it all)
2-3 cups Mexican blend grated cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for a few minutes, until onions begin to soften. Add ground turkey and sauté until no longer pink. Add taco seasoning and water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, and then lower heat and simmer until sauce begins to thicken. Add thawed squash, and stir to make sure everything is well incorporated. Remove from heat. Spray a 10-inch cake or pie pan with cooking spray. Add a small amount of the taco sauce and spread with a spatula. Place a tortilla in the pan, and then spread a layer of refried beans on top with a spatula. Top with a third of the meat, then a third of the cheese and finally a third of the taco sauce. Place another tortilla down, and repeat with the beans, meat, cheese and sauce. Place your last tortilla down, top with beans, the rest of the meat, the rest of the sauce and ending with the rest of your cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and golden.
I make a lot with cauliflower, because it's a vegetable that my children will actually eat, but chopping it up is one of my least favorite things to do. It's messy, tedious and time consuming. But yesterday I was at Target, and I came across these Cauliflower Crumbles (did you know if you're a mom and you find yourself with a few free hours you car will actually DRIVE YOU TO TARGET all by itself??? so weird). Yes, these crumbles are a major short cut BUT WHO CARES!? Short cuts at dinnertime make for a happy household. So last night, I made a version of these meatballs with cauliflower crumbles instead of the other vegetables it called for. They were so yummy!! They even went to the party, the party in our tummies, because sometimes we have to sing that song while we eat...
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