Virtues of Ground Turkey

For a long time, I was dead-set against using ground turkey.  My hubby and I tried it many years ago in an effort to eat healthier, and it just didn’t take.  We didn’t like the flavor or texture at all.  Lately we’ve been trying to lose some weight and eat healthier again, so I decided to give ground turkey another try.

I don’t know if our palates have matured or if the ground turkey from years ago is different from the stuff I bought over the weekend, but oh my god was it good.  I bought the 100% ground turkey breast which is 99% fat free.  Not the regular ground turkey that has dark meat mixed in.  Maybe that was my mistake those many years ago… who knows.

The first thing I made was tacos.  I browned the meat up in just a little olive oil and added a packet of taco seasoning and a little water according to the package directions.  Served up on some “carb watch” whole wheat tortillas with lettuce, fat free sour cream, and some homemade MiloJargon salsa, these tacos definitely rivaled any ground beef tacos.  The flavor was lighter than the ground beef, but it seemed to really brighten up the taco seasoning spices.

Then tonight I decided to make some turkey spaghetti.  Again, I browned the meat in just a little olive oil, but this time I added some salt, pepper, 3 cloves of minced garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of Italian seasoning.  When the meat was done, I poured in a jar of spaghetti sauce and sprinkled some crushed red pepper over it all.  I let that simmer while I (as usual) waited for the water to boil for the pasta.  The finished product was great.  The picky 11-year-old even loved it!  Amazing.

I think I have officially become a believer in the ground turkey.  I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was, but I’m pleased that it was.  The hubby’s cholesterol level definitely thanks me for giving it another try!