1 Turkey Breast = 3 Recipes
Hello there and Happy New Year to you! So, it seems 2021 is a mixed bag so far and where it’s going is anyone’s guess. It’s a difficult time for many, so I would like to share as many money-saving, grocery-budget stretching tips and ideas as possible.
First up: 3 meals from 1 turkey breast. I purchased a very small turkey breast the other day and while I stood there in the grocery store, I literally said, “I bet I can stretch this into THREE meals!” I paid about $10 for a fairly small chunk of roasted turkey, unlike the mega-sized roasted turkey breast you’d find at Costco or other big-box stores for about $14. The best part? I actually got FOUR meals out of this baby! After making a YUMMY turkey soup along with a couple turkey panini sandwiches, and adding a bunch of diced turkey to a fresh and delicious salad, there was still plenty left over for a great frittata made with egg whites and tons of veggies (even plenty left over to share with the dogs).
These are just a few of my quick, go-to ideas for using turkey breast meat. Leave a comment below and share YOUR favorite turkey dishes.
# 1 Turkey Soup
Ingredients
1 ½ to 2 cups (I used 267 g.) Turkey breast, diced
½ yellow onion, diced small
2 stalks of celery, diced small
¼ c. red bell pepper, diced small
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 c. fresh spinach leaves, chopped (20 g.)
1 c. white wine (I like to use Riesling)
32 oz. Low-sodium chicken broth
15.5 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 tsp, dried oregano
1 Tbsp. fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 bundle of Soba noodles
Olive oil
Method
Cook Soba noodles according to package directions. Drain. Drizzle and toss with a little olive oil and set aside.
Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in bottom of large soup pot. Add turkey, onion, celery and bell pepper. Stir and cook until turkey starts to brown and veggies start to turn opaque.
Stir in garlic. Stir and cook another 35 to 40 seconds, or so.
Pour in wine. Bring to boil. Reduce heat slightly and let simmer about 5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients (except for noodles). Bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat. Let simmer about 30 minutes.
To plate, place a good amount of noodles in the center of bowls and ladle soup over the top.
#2 Turkey Panini
There is no real "recipe" for this, but I did combine about a tablespoon of basil paste (found it in the produce section of the grocery store - used this instead of fresh because fresh basil is so hard to find this time of year), along with several grape tomatoes and minced garlic in my mini chopper. With the machine running, I drizzled in just a little olive oil to make a pesto-type spread.
I heated my grill pan on the stove. I made two sandwiches, so I used 4 slices of store-bought sourdough French bread. I placed 2 thick slices of turkey side by side on each and spread each one with the pesto mixture. I placed 2 slices of provolone side by side over pesto, then put the lid on (top piece of bread).
I placed both sandwiches on the grill pan and put my large cast iron skillet on top to sort of mash them down to create those beautiful grill marks. Flip them only once and brown on both sides until cheese melts.
They are OH, WOW delicious!!!
#3 Turkey Salad
And the third use for this very small turkey breast was for this super-good salad. Bursting with flavor and fresh goodness, this makes an amazing lunch for 2!
I hope to share many money-saving recipes and ideas as we forge ahead into this New Year. Please be safe. Be kind, and live life with a grateful heart.
