Saturday Dinner: Turkey and Broccoli Goulash

Saturday night dinners are officially being changed to Friday night dinners. It's so we can be just like Lorelai and Rory on Gilmore Girls. Ha! No really, as much as we love them, and as much as we are tickled to be able to say that we have Friday night dinners just like on GG, it's a scheduling change to better suit our (or more specifically, my) needs. We made this decision too late to do anything about this week, so tonight we made yet another (relatively!) healthy recipe. Perhaps not the most visually appealing thing we've ever made, but once you taste it and know how little work went into making it, I guarantee you'll be a fan.



The original recipe (I don't have a link for it) was called simply "chicken and broccoli pasta" and involved a slow cooker. It sounded good, even though I generally don't like ground poultry (it's just so watery). After reading the recipe I could not really picture what it was supposed to turn out like -- what was it? After having made it, it seems very like what one of my friends calls "goulash," so I've elected to call it that as well. I also made a few adjustments to the recipe, and it came out really great, so I'm going to stick with the tried and true.

My favorite thing about this recipe is that it utilizes the slow cooker, which is one of the greatest inventions ever. Throw a bunch of stuff in, then come back hours later to find perfectly cooked and yummy food? What's not to like? This recipe requires a little bit of pre-slow cooker work, but not much. And best of all, I think the leftovers will be just as good -- if not better -- than the first serving.



Turkey and Broccoli Goulash

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 lb ground turkey (or chicken breast)
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large shallot, minced (optional)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 12 oz frozen broccoli flowerets
• 14 1/2 oz canned Italian-style tomatoes, undrained
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 7 oz rotini pasta, cooked and drained
• 3 1/2 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

Method

1. In a large skillet, cook turkey, garlic, shallot if you're using, and onion until turkey is no longer pink.
2. Mix in basil and oregano.
3. Transfer mixture to slow cooker. Add broccoli, tomatoes, and chicken broth. Mix well.
4. Cover and cook on low for four hours.
5. Stir in tomato paste, pasta, and cheese.
6. Cover and cook on high for an additional 30 minutes.

Note: You can use lowfat/low sodium versions for each ingredient if you wish; I don't think it would make a big difference, flavor wise. As for the tomatoes I used stewed whole tomatoes, but I think diced might be even better. About 4 1/2 oz of dry rotini pasta was used to make the 7 oz of cooked. I don't think the shallot would make a big difference, but I threw it in because I had it. Also, Jade used ground chicken instead of turkey, so the choice is really up to you. Despite the fact that I don't usually like ground poultry, it worked really well in this dish.

Oh also -- today is apparently National Bundt Pan Day, so I made a quick white cake using an easy peasy Betty Crocker mix. Hey, it's been a very cold autumn and my open kitchen with its hardwood floors isn't my favorite place to be!