Meatless Monday: Spaghetti Alla Ceci

Somehow, this weekend we had heavy red meat dishes three days in a row.  So by Monday, I was more than ready for a meatless meal!  For inspiration, I scanned some old recipe books and came across a loved but forgotten recipe for spaghetti with chickpeas in Rachael Ray Express Lane Meals.  I didn't have all of the ingredients but it provided a great starting off point for a great pasta dinner, with a little more of a Greek flair than the original.

Here is the original recipe, which is wonderful.  

Here is my adaptation:

1 lb thin spaghetti

1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans, drained and rough chopped in the food processor
2T extra virgin olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1T herbes de Provence
1/2 T oregano (just a shake or two)

Black pepper

1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock

1 can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes

Small handful kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano

Crumbled feta cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook spaghetti.  While spaghetti is cooking, preheat a large skillet to medium high with olive oil.  Add chickpeas and saute for a few minutes.  Add onion, olives, garlic, and herbs.  Stir and cook a bit longer or until onions start to color.  De-glaze with chicken stock and reduce down for a minute or two.  Add tomatoes, turn heat to low and cook for 10 minutes or so.  Drain spaghetti and toss in sauce with parsley and cheese.  For an extra Greek twist, add some crumbled feta on top.  Mmmm...this was such a yummy and simple meal, light and hearty at the same time!

Gorgonzola Stuffed Mini-Meatloaves

Yesterday, I pulled some ground beef our of the freezer to defrost and asked Hubby if he wanted meatloaf or taco soup for dinner the next day.  He replied "Um, meatloaf.  Have you ever met me?"  Touche, the man tends to shrink from anything labeled "soup" but I keep trying to shove it down his throat.  Not literally.  Yet.

I had some Gorgonzola and spinach hanging in the fridge waiting to be used so I thought I would use that as a starting point and here's what I came up with.

For Meatloaves:

1 lb lean ground beef (I like longhorn or sirloin)
1/2 small onion, chopped
Handful of button mushrooms, wiped clean and chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 egg, slightly beaten
6 whole wheat saltines, finely crushed.  Or 1/2 C bread crumbs.
2-4 T Worcestershire sauce
Black pepper, cumin, herbs de Provence
4 oz. Gorgonzola or other blue cheese, cut into 4 1 oz each pieces.  Or the equivalent amount of crumbled blue cheese.

Pre-heat a small skillet with olive oil.  Saute veggies until tender-crisp, then set aside to cool.  Meanwhile add remaining ingredients in a large bowl, except for cheese.  Add cooled veggies and mix until well incorporated.  Form a mound of meat in the bottom of the bowl and score it with the side of your hands to make 4 equal-ish wedges of meat mixture (a Rachael Ray trick).  Scoop out a wedge and form it into a patty, like you are making a burger.  Add the piece of cheese in the center and fold up the meat around it, like you are making an empanada.  Carefully form the meat around the cheese until the cheese is completely covered inside the meat.  Form into a football-ish shape and put in a glass baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.  Repeat with the remaining meat mixture.  Bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes, until meatloaves are browned and cooked through.

Spinach and Grape Salad:

This one's tricky so pay attention...combine fresh spinach leaves, halved grapes, pecans if you have them, and dressing of choice.  Look the other way while your kids eat only the grapes.  Actually my daughter ate all of her spinach, and her brother's.  My little rabbit girl!

I also served this with Knorr Stroganoff noodles.  Yes, sodium-filled, processed, dehydrated, packaged food.  They're yummy and go great with meatloaf!  The spinach cancels it out, right?

Rachael Ray's Turkey Tamale Pie

Last week on her show, Rachael Ray made this yummy turkey tamale pie and it reminded me to give it another spin.  I have seen her make a similar recipe before (you know, cuz I apparently watch a little too much RR) and I remembered that Hubby really liked it when I made it.  This newer recipe was a bit different than I wanted, but I used it as a jumping-off point for my own dish.  So, here is the original recipe:  Tex Mex BBQ Turkey Tamale Pie

Here is my slight variation:

1  lb lean ground turkey
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 large or 2-3 small to medium cloves garlic, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and cubed

Brown turkey in cast iron skillet with olive oil.  Drain liquid if needed (turkey tends to put off a lot of watery liquid).  Add veggies and cook until tender-ish, about 8 minutes.  Next, mix sauce  ingredients.

Sauce:
1 can no-salt-added tomato sauce
Small handful of brown sugar
1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained
1-2 cups chicken stock or borth, start with 1 cup and add more until you get the consistency that you want
2-4 T worchestershire sauce
1 T each chili powder, cumin, and oregano
Pepper to taste

Pour sauce into skillet and stir.  Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes, adding more stock as needed.

1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix, prepared according to package directions.
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used medium cheddar)

Spoon cornbread mix gently over the turkey mixture.  Spread as evenly as possible.  It won't be perfect!  Top with cheese and cook at 375 for about 20-30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and cornbread is fully cooked.  Spoon into bowls and enjoy!

 This was super yummy; thanks Rach!!!