Homemade Turkey Helper – A One-Skillet Meal

This is a great go-to meal when you want something quick, easy, and nutritious.  Leftovers are great for work the next day; simply reheat in the microwave oven. I developed this recipe by trial and error many years ago.  At the time, I used to make a boxed brand skillet mixture and just got tired of the taste.  I liked the one-skillet concept so I developed my own.  I have been making it ever since, only now I make a healthier version; I use low-fat tomato soup, brown rice, and ground turkey instead of ground beef. 

Enjoy!

Homemade Turkey Helper – A One-Skillet Meal

Serves 5 – 6 People

2 Tbls. Extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. Lean ground turkey
½ Tsp. Fresh ground pepper
¾ Tsp. Garlic powder
¼ Tsp. Kosher salt
½ Medium onion, diced
2 Stalks Celery, diced
½ Green bell pepper, diced
½ Cup Brown Rice
¾ Tsp. Dried basil, crushed
½ Tsp. Dried oregano, crushed
1 (10 ¾ ounce) Can Tomato soup; low-fat and lower sodium variety
1 ¼ Cups Water
1 to 1 ½  Cups Frozen tender sweet peas or frozen sweet corn

1 to 2 Tbls. Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Heat a 12 inch non-stick skillet on medium high.  Add olive oil to skillet; spread the oil coating the bottom of the skillet.  Add the ground turkey, ground pepper, garlic powder and salt; mix with a wooden spoon to combine. Cook just until turkey begins to brown, about 5 minutes.

Add onions and celery; continue to cook until onions become translucent, about 3 minutes. Add bell pepper and rice; cook another 2 minutes. Add basil, oregano, tomato soup and water to the mixture, stir to combine.

 

Bring mixture to a boil,reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 15 minutes.  Add the frozen peas, or corn to the mixture; cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until rice becomes tender.  Top with the grated cheese (optional ingredient) and serve.

Tomato Soup and Barley

Since my last post I began to think of ways to incorporate more whole grains into our diet.  I precooked some barley and stored it in a closed container in the refrigerator.  Just the other night, in my quest for fast and healthy weeknight meals, I decided to keep it simple and have soup and sandwiches for dinner.  I opened two cans of fat-free, low sodium tomato soup, heated it and added about one cup of the cooked barley.  The barley added bulk and texture to the soup without altering the flavor.

Incorporating whole grains could not be simpler! No recipe here, just a dash of added healthiness.