What to Make This Week

File this under "five ways to use up ground turkey" and other hot topics!

I’ve been periodically transferring meat and ingredients from the freezer to the fridge and from the pantry to the countertop to work them into meals. This week, our ingredients of choice are ground turkey, fresh falafel patties I purchased from Phoenicia Market in Houston and chicken chorizo sausage. My oldest daughter is working remotely this week, so I’m planning high-protein morning scrambles centered on Breakfast Meatballs and lunches at home. The falafel patties can be pan-seared and served with hummus and a chopped cucumber-tomato salad for a tasty “not sad desk lunch.” Also, anyone else with college kids home for summer knows that “lunches at home” is an aspirational idea.

For the ground turkey, I can’t decide whether to make Turkey Meatloaf, an easy Ground Turkey and Green Bean Stir Fry, Turkey Burgers or The Best Meatballs (recipe below, make with ground turkey instead of ground beef). Serve the meatballs, simmered in tomato sauce, with pasta or on top of steamed spinach; both are delicious options. (Spoiler alert: That’s what we made and it was perfect.)

Turkey burgers before hitting the pan.

Chicken chorizo sausage can be crumbled into a pre-heated pan and cooked until crumbly. Then use it in a rice bowl with black beans, avocado, and salsa, in chorizo tacos or quesadillas. The sausage would also be perfect for a sheet pan or skillet dinner with sauteed summer squash, bell peppers and red onion.

PDF recipes for my favorite meatballs and the easiest ground turkey stir fry are included below for paid subscribers.