We have a freezer full of ground turkey because it was on sale $1.99/lb last week, and I'm a little worried we're going to get bored! Any good ideas for South Beach things to make with it? So far we're doing chili tonight, and later this week we'll do turkey meatballs (using Kalyn's recipe) and taco salad.

What else can I do? Preferably Phase 1, but Phase 2 ideas are ok too, since it will keep a couple weeks in the freezer.

That's a really good price? Is it breast meat only? If not, you can always simmer it and then strain off the fat.

I find ground turkey and chicken can be substituted for ground beef or pork in most recipes. I use it in meatloaf, spaghetti sauce and chili plus as plain old burgers. Experiment!

It's not breast meat only, we're typically straining the fat. It's 93% lean though so to my mind it's lean enough to skip it sometimes. Like for the crock pot chili I'm making tonight I just tossed it in there with a couple cans of Ro*Tel tomatoes and one can each of black and red beans (thoroughly rinsed), and a bit of extra spices. Am I right to be doing that, or do you think it's still too fatty?

How would you make meatloaf without bread crumbs? Parmesan cheese maybe, like the meatball recipe?

I've tried to do burgers with parm subbing in for breadcrumbs, with catastrophic results. It works for meatballs because they are smaller; for a loaf, maybe wait for P2 and use WW breadcrumbs or wheat germ or something similar.

I just posted a Chicken Chili recipe in P1 Soups and Stews last week that is delicious, and could totally be made with turkey...

Ground turkey with green olives, feta cheese, and tomatoes & basil! Yummmmm.

I use it in the Taco Bake recipe.

Do we really need breadcrumbs in a meatloaf? I usually add an egg along with milk and oatmeal which would be OK for Phase II. I'd try a loaf with some finely chopped or shredded veggies instead. I think we've been adding crumbs or oatmeal to stretch the pound of beef.

I think you're right Ruth. I always thought crumbs were needed for binder, but recently I've done meatloaves and meatballs with no crumbs or oatmeal, and they held together just fine. My family isn't crazy for straight turkey loaf though, so I usually mix it with some lean ground beef.

I also use oats in meatloaf. I prefer the texture to breadcrumbs. Other ideas for the ground turkey: asian lettuce wraps, stuffed zucchini or peppers, saurkraut soup from Kaitlyn's blog and good old fashioned burgers with various seasonings - southwest, asian, greek, etc.

Here is a recipe I made while doing low fat and low calorie my family all loves it. I hope you can all use and enjoy it.

Turkey Sausage

1 lb. ground turkey or chicken
2 green onions, finely sliced
1 egg white, slightly beaten
2 t. poultry seasoning
1 t. ground sage
1 t. ground fennel seed
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
1 t. paprika
1 t. salt and pepper

Preheat large non-stick skillet on low-medium heat.
Mix ground turkey, green onion, egg white, and seasonings together. Form into four equal 4oz. patties. Lightly mist skillet with olive oil pan spray and gently place patties inside. Turning once, half way through cooking. Cook until lightly browned on both sides and until no longer pink.

Serve in a lettuce wrap, or in stuffed zucchini, peppers, or tomatoes.
Cal.135 per 4oz serving

Sausage Zucchini Boats

2 med. zucchini
1 (14oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 t. Italian seasoning
1 recipe Turkey Sausage
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 450
Prepare sausage recipe from previous page. Lightly mist a large non-stick skillet with olive oil pan spray and heat over medium-high heat. Crumble turkey mixture into preheated skillet instead of forming into patties. Cook and stir sausage until browned and no longer pink. Stir in tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and heat through. Remove from heat and set aside.
Cut ends from each zucchini and discard. Cut zucchini in half, lengthwise. With a 1 inch melon baller or measuring spoon, carefully scoop out center seeded area of each zucchini half, forming a boat. Lightly mist a baking sheet with olive oil pan spray and place each zucchini boat on baking sheet. Sprinkle zucchini with salt and pepper. Divide sausage mixture evenly into the center of each boat. Cook for 20-25 minutes until zucchini is tender.

Makes 4 servings
Calories: 188 per serving Fat: 3g.

For those who need to bump up the calories, I add mozzarella or pepper jack cheese at the last 5 min. of bake time. RAVES!

That sounds YUMMY!!! Thanks for sharing!!!

Gelene, I made your recipe tonight for dinner...OMG, it's soooooooooooo good!!! It really needs it's own thread in the Entree section...took me forever to find this again!!! LOL

Natasha1534,
I am soooo thrilled you liked it! Like I said it is one of my family's favorites, and I have a BIG family. I have a low fat and low calorie cookbook that I wrote and this is one of my top recipes.
How do I go about posting this as a thread, I am still kind of new here.

Under this forum there should be a subforum called "South Beach Recipes"...find the phase 1 entrees section and open it. Then click on "new thread" and you should be able to post it. I was going to post it but I didn't want it to look like I was trying to take credit for your recipe.

Natasha,
Thanks, I think I figured it out, with your help. Again, I am just glad you enjoyed it. Blessings on your journey.