5 Best // Mandy in the Making // July 2023
#1 : Slow Cooker Mexican Street Corn Chowder
INGREDIENTS
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped
- 5-6 ears corn, shucked and kernels cut off of the cob (roughly 4 cups corn kernels), divided
- 3 cups chicken broth, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
- 1 cup cotija or feta cheese crumbles
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:
- Chopped chives or green onions, chopped cilantro, sliced jalapeno, additional cotija and bacon, sour cream, lime wedges, diced avocado, etc., to serve
INSTRUCTIONS
- Using an immersion blender or blender, puree the chipotles in adobo, 1 cup of the corn, and 1 cup of the chicken broth. Set aside.
- Add all remaining ingredients except for the heavy cream, flour, bacon, cotija, and toppings to the slow cooker. Pour in the pureed corn. Stir, cover, and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
- Whisk together the flour and heavy cream until smooth. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker and stir. Mix in the bacon and cheese crumbles, reserving some to top, if desired. Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
- Serve warm with toppings of your choice.
#2: Authentic Mexican RiceIngredients
- 4 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 2 cup dry long-grain white rice
- (8-16) ounces canned tomato sauce Use at least 4 or up to 8 ounces of tomato sauce
- 4 cups warm water
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 4 teaspoons Caldo de Tomate tomato bouillon
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic about 2 cloves
Instructions
- Heat oil in a 5 quart saute pan over medium-high heat. Add rice. Cook rice, stirring constantly, for several minutes, until rice begins to turn a golden color.
- Reduce heat to low to avoid spattering. Gently pour in warm water, then tomato sauce and stir. Stir in chili powder, Caldo de Tomate and minced garlic. Turn heat back up to medium-high, bring to a boil, then reduce to low and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until all water has been absorbed.
- Turn off heat, fluff rice then let sit, covered, for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Several people felt that the rice was a little too saucy for them. We have always used a full can (8-ounces) of tomato sauce but I have recently tested this recipe with just just half of a can (4-ounces). It still tastes amazing, just not as saucy (but still moist and fluffy). You can freeze the remainder of the sauce and use it the next time you make Mexican rice.Nutrition
Calories: 160kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 3gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 1mg- #3 Pesto Baked Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb ground turkey
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1 cup of pesto
- 2/3 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- In a large mixing bowl combine ground turkey, egg, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried basil
- Use your hands to combine this mixture thoroughly
- Take 1/4 cup of the pesto and spread a thin layer along the bottom of a 10×10 square baking dish
- Form 16 meatball by taking 2 tbsp of the turkey meatball mixture for each meatball
- Arrange the 16 meatballs in the baking dish
- Pour the remaining 3/4 cup of pesto over the meatballs ensuring each one is covered
- Bake in the oven for 25 minutes
- Then remove from the oven, add the mozzarella cheese and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese melts
- Allow to cool slightly and serve with noodles or veggies!
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.Reader Interactions
Something Else To Try
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Aleks
Easy & delicious weeknight recipe! Used a homemade spinach/basil pesto and served it with Banza Gemelli pasta. Perfect!!
★★★★★
Madeline
YUM! love that you made your own pesto!!
Bella
To make this paleo I took out the cheese and added a little almond flour. These were quick, easy, and delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Madeline
YUM that sounds awesome! Thank you!
Sydney
I accidentally used iodized salt in this recipe, so the meatballs came out a little too salty to enjoy. Definitely plan to try this recipe out again though and fix my mistakes! Would the correct salt to use be sea salt like you have linked?
Madeline
Hi Sydney! I am sorry to hear that, but I have to say 1tsp of salt is a very small amount to make something inedible. Are you sure you did not use a full tablespoon? Perhaps it was the pesto you used? Either way I would say you can make again with a different salt or reduce to a 1/4 tsp
Caroline
Served these with Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi and added some sundries tomatoes and it was amazing! Will definitely be in my quick week night repertoire.
★★★★★
Madeline
ah yum!! Love those additions!!
Olivia
This was so good! I cooked the meatballs a bit too long, but they still tasted great! I used your walnut pesto and it was delicious!
Madeline
Thank you! So glad you tried both together!
Jess
This was SO yummy. I wish it was less calories and fat though. Would using a light olive oil help? What other options are there to reduce calories and fat?
★★★★
Madeline
Hi Jess, the turkey is very low fat so it would depend on what pesto you use and what cheese. You could try a low fat pesto and low fat cheese
Liz K
Crowd pleaser!
★★★★★
Madeline
yay! Thank you!!
Rachael
Simple and delicious week night dinner! I added red pepper flakes to give it a little kick
★★★★★
Madeline
amazing!! love that addition!
Mary
What a simple and AMAZING recipe! My picky 4yo even loved it.
★★★★★
Madeline
awesome!! so glad that its picky kid approved 🙂
mc
Delicious and easy – thank you!
★★★★★
Madeline
wonderful!! Thank you!
Caroline
Wow these are DELICIOUS!!! I blended up a piece of bread and added it to the mixture to make the meatballs a little less goopy and it worked great. I think these are going to become a weekly staple for me!!
★★★★★
Madeline
wonderful! so glad!!
Shelley
Fantastic and actually takes only 30 minutes as advertised. I was even able to brown the other 1.5 lbs of ground turkey on the stove while these baked, so now we’ve got the leftover meatballs and taco meat for baked tacos later this week. This recipe will definitely be in the rotation in the future!
★★★★★
Madeline
amazing!!! Love that you were able to do a little meal prep too!
Jessie
These could not have been simpler and they were so delicious! They baked so nicely and weren’t dry at all. I love that they’re turkey instead of beef, will definitely be making these again!
★★★★★
Madeline
wonderful!! Thank you so much!
Danielle
Wow. This was delicious! I wanted a bit more sauce so I scraped the pesto off the bottom of the pan into a pot and added some cream and cream cheese to make a quick sauce and then I served it over spaghetti squash. Looking forward to the leftovers!
Madeline
amazing! Thank you!
Haleigh
Super simple and so delicious! They are a nice change up from meatballs in marinara.
★★★★★
Madeline
wonderful!! Thank you!!
fl
Yum!Hubby and kids said they loved it. it was a hit and as they say the best meal so far. I had to make one batch with a little tomato sauce to trick the kids there were no pesto in it. hehe. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
★★★★★
Madeline
AW YAY! That makes me so happy!
Julie
I liked this recipe. I had ground chicken on hand so I used that instead of ground turkey and it still turned out great. This is a combo I never would have thought to make so I’m glad for the unique idea!
★★★★★
Madeline
So glad to hear that! Thank you!
Allison
So yummy! I love pesto! And basic ingredients which makes it so easy to quickly whip up last minute. Thanks Madeline!!
★★★★★
Madeline
amazing! thank you!!
Robbie
The whole family loved these and they were easy. Perfect for leftover lunch also!
★★★★★
Madeline
wonderful! thank you!
Caroline
I always wanted to try making my own meatballs but felt overwhelmed by other recipes with extensive ingredients and lists. This recipe is simple and oh so delicious! Definitely will be making again!
★★★★★
Madeline
yay!! so glad I could simplify it for you!
Corinn
These are DELICIOUS! I used ground chicken and store bought pesto, and my family loves them. So easy to make and perfect to stick in lunches to warm up the next day! So good!
★★★★★
Madeline
Thanks Corinn! Glad your family loves it.
Emily
This was delicious. I added the noodles to the pan and mixed it all before topping with cheese and baking the last 5 minutes. So good
★★★★★
Susanne
So delicious! I have made this several times! My family always asks me to make these.
★★★★★
Ellie
Obsessed with this recipe for a quick week night meal! I served over rice with roasted veggies and it was a hit!
★★★★★
Madeline
perfect combo! thanks Ellie!
Katie P
A very healthy, flavorful dish! There also aren’t many ingredients, which is always a plus – most of which you probably already have in your fridge or pantry!
★★★★★
Madeline
that’s the best part! thanks Katie!
imsen
LOVE this meatball recipe. It’s my go-to favorite recipe for meatballs.
Easy Family Recipes
★★★★★
Madeline
thanks so much!
Pat
Madeline,
Thank you for the recipe! I made it last night, and my husband gave it rave reviews! But, of course, I have COSTCO’s pesto sauce, so I cheated there!
★★★★★
Madeline
love a good store bought pesto, and love Costco! thanks Pat!
Liz p
Yum! These were great. Made homemade pesto, then when I took it out of the oven, I mixed in gf pasta then topped it with the cheese. So good!
★★★★★
Madeline
yum sounds great! thanks Liz!
Madi
Delicious! My boyfriend and I loved it!
★★★★★
Madeline
thanks Madi!
Sue
Came out great! I added some fresh chopped spinach to the meatballs and baked them in a pan with a bunch of tomatoes. Super delicious served with pasta and a dash of balsamic.
★★★★★
Madeline
amazing!! thank you!!
Cindy
These were absolutely delicious! I used 3/4 of the pesto sauce and had it with broccoli, after broccoli was cooked I put some of the pesto from the baking dish on it. I will definitely make these again! Thanks for the recipe!
Madeline
yay! so glad you enjoyed!
Stef
Loved this recipe. I couldn’t get any turkey so I made with minced pork instead and used my homemade kale pesto. Was delicious! The meatballs held together really well too.
★★★★★
Madeline
Yum! That sounds delicious.
Margaret Scavotto Nusbickel
Outstanding! These are on the regular menu rotation
★★★★★
Madeline
Great to hear!!!
Anne
So easy to make, but so much flavor and healthy! They’ve become a regular on our meal menu!
★★★★★
Madeline
Awesome to hear. Thanks, Anne!
Eric Weaver
Made these meatballs last night for Dinner. They were absolutely delicious and so easy to make!!
FIVE STARS ALL THE WAY
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Madeline
This makes me so happy. Thanks, Eric!
Tara
As others have said- so easy to put together. Served over Trader Joe’s dried spaghetti squash which I boiled during the last 5 min. Used Costco basil pesto. Was skeptical about only 1 egg to hold it together but the meatballs were wonderful and not dry at all. Can’t wait to try with my own pesto sauce!
★★★★★
Madeline
Wonderful! Thanks, Tara!
Eric Weaver
I’ve made this recipe and it is fantastic. My wife who does not typically like ground turkey thought it was very delicious. Will definitely be making it again!
Madeline
Fantastic. Thanks, Eric!
Erin
Can you use frozen meatballs?
Madeline
Hi Erin! I have not tested this recipe with frozen meatballs but I would recommend reading the instructions for cooking the frozen meatballs and then following the steps of adding pesto, baking, adding cheese, and then baking again.