Two-in-One Recipe: Meatballs and Meatloaf

It is pretty typical for us to be making dinner around 8pm, so having things ready to heat up makes things much easier. About  a year ago, we posted our Meatball Potpies, which are still a favorite in our house. If we make them on a Sunday, when we have more time, leftovers on Monday are a great way to kick off the week. To keep things easy later in the week,  we have learned that while we are taking the time to make the turkey mixture for the meatballs, we may as well double the recipe and use the rest to make a turkey meatloaf.

To mix things up, once the meatballs are rolled and in the pan, we add some diced bell pepper and BBQ sauce to the turkey, then place in a covered loaf pan to bake later in the week. I have also frozen the meatloaf both cooked and uncooked to have on hand for another time. If you freeze uncooked, just be sure to thaw in the fridge for a day or two in advance so the baking time is quicker.

Ingredients:

2 lb ground turkey (I use 1 lb extra lean and 1 lb lean for added flavor)
1/2 small onion or 2 shallots, diced
1- 2 eggs
1/2 - 3/4  cup bread crumbs (depending on how wet your mixture is)
Salt and pepper
Sprinkle of nutmeg
follow the rest of the recipe for the meatball potpies

Once the meatballs have been made, add 1/4 - 1/2 diced bell pepper (any color) and BBQ sauce to taste (about 1/4 - 1/3 cup) and press the mixture into a greased loaf pan. drizzle more BBQ sauce on top.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, until cooked through.

Meatball Potpies, a Lindsay Original

When the moon hits your eye, like a big... Meatball potpie? Yes, yes, THAT'S amore!

We are always trying new recipes to keep from getting bored with our usual standbys. And sometimes, that new recipe finds its way into the rotation for keeps. This, my friends, is one of those recipes. One that I thought would be fun to try. A new twist on old favorite. One that is now requested frequently, and received with a cheer when my taste-tester walks through the door. What could be better? Oh yeah, the fact that it makes enough for dinner for TWO nights, and is incredibly simple? Weeknight cooking just got a whooole lot better!

Ingredients:

make 4 potpies
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 small onion, diced
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used Italian seasoned)
Salt and pepper
Sprinkle of nutmeg
1 cup frozen spinach
1 jar of marinara sauce
1 pre-made pizza dough (I used whole wheat)
olive oil

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees and spray four ramekins with non-stick spray. Set on a baking sheet, a few inches apart and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine turkey, onion, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and nutmeg and mix well. (Your hands work great for this!)

Add the marinara and frozen spinach to a large pot and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a pan on medium heat and begin dropping in the meatballs. Be careful because these little guys splatter! Brown on all sides and add to the sauce to finish cooking, about 10 minutes. You may need to do in batches if you do not have a large enough pan.

While the meatballs are simmering, roll out your pizza dough and cut into fourths. Make sure each piece is large enough to cover the top of your ramekin.

Once the meatballs are cooked through, divide them among the 4 ramekins, making sure to add the sauce, too. Then, cover each with pizza dough, drizzle with a little olive oil and a dash salt. Bake for 15 

minutes, or until the dough is golden brown.

Be careful! They will be steaming hot when you cut into them, so I suggest opening them up and letting them cool for a few minutes. Enjoy!