Are you getting tired of making the same couple of dinners over and over again? I know the feeling... But searching Pinterest for something easy that everyone in the family will like can be a challenge. Don't you hate it when you see a picture of something that looks sooooo good but it involves 15 ingredients and a lot of slicing and dicing? I'm lazy so these are all pretty simple to throw together.
You'll notice a theme - ground chicken/turkey and lots of cheese! Hey... I didn't claim they were healthy, although I do have some ideas for healthy sides to go with them.
Also, I'm not going to write 17 paragraphs about what inspired me to make these meals... I'm just going to give you the recipes and some suggestions for sides. There's a reason why food bloggers do this... To get you to scroll past 12 ads. They gotta make their money, but man... is it annoying!
Also, I'm going to add photos of some of them but I'm not a food photographer... The pictures don't do them justice.
Chicken Ranch Burgers
This will make quite a few burgers.. you can half the recipe, plan to have leftovers, or freeze some of them.
2 lbs. ground chicken
2 eggs
1/2 cup Panko crumbs (regular bread crumbs will work too)
1 packet of Ranch powder mix (or if you have the big jar of it, 2 tbsp.)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus some to sprinkle on top during last few minutes of cooking
Mix all of these ingredients together in a large bowl. Once well combined, shape into burgers. Spray frying pan and cook on medium-high heat until brown on the outside and cooked on the inside (obviously).
Sides we do with this: Alexia Sweet Potato Fries, Alexia Potato Puffs, Sweet Potato Rounds, Kale Chips
Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice
2 chicken breasts, diced into small squares
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. garlic salt
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups rice
1/2 cup milk
2 cups broccoli florets, steamed
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Put Instant Pot on Sauté and melt butter and garlic salt.
Add chicken and cook until lightly browned.
Add broth and rice, cover, and set to High Pressure Cook for 6 minutes.
Once finished, do the quick pressure release.
Remove cover and stir in milk and cheese, then add broccoli.
Fennel Turkey with Pasta & Broccoli
1lb. ground turkey
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. fennel
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (more or less to taste)
2 cups steamed broccoli
1 box cooked Penne (really any pasta will work)
Coat frying pan with olive oil. Add turkey, fennel, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Simmer until turkey is thoroughly cooked.
Add steamed broccoli and stir. I usually chop up the broccoli as I'm mixing it (kids more likely to not try to pick it out!)
Combine with pasta, and top with parmesan cheese.
The turkey and broccoli is also good on it's own topped with some cheese for a gluten-free option!
Ground Chicken Tortillas
1lb. ground chicken
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 fajita seasoning packet
Tortillas
Shredded cheddar cheese
Toppings as desired (lettuce, tomato, etc.)
Coat pan with olive oil. Add chicken and fajita seasoning. Stir together and cook over medium-high heat until chicken is lightly browned and cooked thoroughly.
Put chicken mixture on tortilla and add cheese and toppings. We also have a quesadilla maker and like to toast them up in that.
Sides: Alexia Sweet Potato Fries, Sweet Potato Rounds, Kale Chips.
Turkey Zucchini Ricotta Burgers
1 lb. ground turkey
2 tbsp. bread crumbs
1 cup shredded zucchini (one medium sized zucchini)
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
Shred the zucchini using a cheese grater and then use paper towels (or a cheesecloth if you happen to have one) to squeeze the water out. This is important or your burgers will be very mushy!
Mix turkey, bread crumbs, zucchini, ricotta, egg, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
Shape into burgers and cook in a frying pan on medium-high heat. I don't recommend these for grilling as the ricotta makes them moist and too flimsy for the grill.
Some easy sides...
Kale Chips
Kale bunch
Olive oil
Garlic salt
Parmesan cheese
Pre-heat oven to 350.
Tear kale leaves off into chip size pieces, careful not to use the big stem in the middle. Alternatively, you can buy the pre-chopped kale.
Put kale pieces in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic salt and mix to coat all chips.
Spread kale pieces onto a baking sheet.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Bake for about 7 minutes. I would check them after 5, sometimes they burn quickly!
Serve and eat immediately. These do not keep well if you try to store them.. Tried it!
Sweet Potato Rounds
1 sweet potato
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. chili powder
Pre-heat oven to 425.
Cut sweet potato into thin slices, a little thicker than a potato chip. Add olive oil and seasonings. Mix to coat all of the pieces.
Put on a baking sheet in one layer.
Cook for about 20 minutes until edges start to brown and the insides are soft. They may need to cook longer depending on thickness.
These will not be crispy.... But they're very tasty!
Enjoy! Let me know how these recipes work out for you!