Well...doesn't sound appetizing but really this recipe can be whatever you make it! I hope that people who happen to read my blog will share with me their own left over medley creations for others to try! The school year for me is winding down and that means that I will soon be embarking on a new journey in my life path. This means another change as I am packing up my stuff and moving from good ol Pittsburgh back to Ohio! Within the next year I hope to again be moving to my own place with a steady job, but we'll keep posted on that! :)
Well one thing I've always grown up on is the concept of leftovers! I'm sure other people have done the same. If not dinner/lunch leftovers its the hassle of 'oh my gosh I'm moving or going to be gone and NEED to get rid of some fresh food before then!' It's a shame to waste fresh food! My mom has always been great at throwing together bits and pieces of fresh things left in the fridge that just aren't enough to make a good full meal by themselves. Well, I learn from the best it seems!
Trying to be witty I decided (just now actually) on a whim while trying to avoid packing of calling these random mish-mash dishes Leftover medleys! So This is MY most recent leftover medley which I had the fortune to share with a lovely group of ladies from my occupational therapy class! Who said cooking can't be fun and creative?!
Ingredients
1 Package of lean ground turkey
1/2 green pepper (ribbed and diced)
1/4 cup fresh chopped broccoli
1/4 cup fresh diced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped baby spinach
salt/pepper
cayanne
1/3 cup milk
mozzarella cheese
shredded Parmesan cheese
romano cheese
2 tbsps butter
flour (optional)
Pasta (your choice)
Assembly
Alright folks, seems like a lot of ingredients, but like I said I pretty much was just using whatever I had left that was fresh! So first off I browned the ground turkey on medium high (make sure to drain the fat/grease!). While I browned that I also made sure to cook the pasta. I used a mixture of pene pasta and macaroni pasta. Cook and rinse the pasta in warm water and set aside. When the meat is browned lower the heat and add in the diced green pepper, broccoli, mushrooms, and spinach. I also add a sprinkle of salt/pepper, and cayanne for a little flavor! Mix this well together and heat for about 1-2 mins. Just enough to warm the mixture through but keeping the green peppers nice and crunchy still! To finish this lovely dish off I made an alfredo sauce!
For the sauce in a pan add milk, cheese, butter, and some cayanne. Mix this all together and simmer until you have a nice sauce like consistency. If the mixture is too thin for your liking add in a little flour at a time until you have the consistency you like! Pour this mixture over the warmed through meat/veggie mixture and mix it up well so it's nicely coated.
To finish dish out the plates (I made enough for four people) with a layer of pasta and top with the creamy meat/veggie/sauce! And enjoy with your friends!
Final Thoughts
Honestly I had NO idea how this was going to turn out, but it turned into a WONDERFUL dish for my friends and I to enjoy! Quick and simple as well, probably only took me about a half hour or so to make it :) The thing with cooking is that you are going to have your triumphs and your failures, but you learn from the failures what works and what doesn't! So experiment and have fun! If it's just with leftovers well...could be worse! Hope you enjoy and happy eats!!
That sounds delicious!
ReplyDelete