Spicy Skillet Ground Turkey and Snap Peas
Inspired by the bold and zesty flavors of a Thai larb, this easy skillet meal pairs nuggets of golden ground turkey with sugar snap peas and a mound of fresh herbs. The sauce, a combination of fish sauce, lime juice and red-pepper flakes, makes everything taste both bright and deep, while an optional sprinkling of chopped nuts adds richness and crunch. Serve over rice or rice noodles, or with flatbread.
By Melissa Clark
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced into half-moons
1 pound ground turkey
Salt, as needed
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 to 3 limes), more to taste
2 tablespoons fish sauce (or coconut aminos or soy sauce), more to taste
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1/2 cup torn mint leaves, more for topping
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or basil, more for topping
3 scallions, thinly sliced, dark green parts saved for topping
1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
2 tablespoons chopped roasted cashews or peanuts (optional)
Preparation:
1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add the oil and red onion slices to the skillet and cook until soft and deeply brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Crumble in the ground turkey and a pinch of salt, breaking up the meat. Cook until crisp and dark brown, about 8 minutes.
2. While the turkey is cooking, whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce, red-pepper flakes, torn mint leaves, cilantro and scallion whites and light green parts. Pour the sauce into the skillet and add the sugar snap peas. Toss until combined. Cover and let the snap peas steam until tender and cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Taste and add more fish sauce, salt and lime juice as needed to make everything bright and savory. Stir in the chopped cashews or peanuts, if using. Top with more torn mint leaves, chopped cilantro and dark green scallion slices.
Pasta Aglio e Olio With Tuna
Adding flaked tuna to pasta aglio e olio (pasta with garlic and oil) turns the ultimate Italian pantry pasta into an even more satisfying meal that requires no added time or effort. While oil-packed tuna lends an especially nice lushness here, you can use tuna packed in water, too. Thatap because marinating the tinned fish in lemon zest and juice while the pasta water comes to a boil and the pasta cooks helps even subpar tuna lose any muted canned flavor. But perhaps the biggest win here is that by wilting in an entire clamshell of arugula (or baby spinach or kale, if you prefer) at the end, you’ve got a complete dinner on your hands; no salad required.
By Sheela Prakash
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
Salt
2 (5- to 7-ounce) cans or jars tuna, drained
1 small lemon, zested and juiced
1 pound spaghetti (or other long pasta)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more for serving
5 ounces arugula (about 5 packed cups)
Preparation:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
2. In a small bowl, combine the tuna, lemon zest and juice; set aside.
3. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook 1 minute less than package instructions for al dente. Reserve 2 cups of pasta cooking water then drain the pasta.
4. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet with high sides over medium-low. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until very fragrant and the garlic just begins to turn pale golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
5. Add the reserved pasta water to the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer until reduced by about half, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the pasta and continue to simmer, tossing frequently, until the pasta is al dente and coated in a glossy sauce, 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and stir in the tuna as well as the arugula, handfuls at a time, until the arugula just wilts. Taste and season with salt.
7. Divide among bowls and serve garnished with a drizzle of olive oil and more crushed red pepper, if desired.
Skillet Chicken With Peppers and Tomatoes
This one-pan dinner is coated in a sauce anchored by onion and garlic and a summery mix of bell peppers. A splash of sherry vinegar and squeeze of honey balance the mild flavors of the peppers with a little acidity and sweetness, while cherry tomatoes simmered into the sauce at the end add bright, tangy pops to the meal. A shower of fresh herbs is optional, but go with basil if you’d like a more assertive aroma. Serve everything over steamed rice for soaking up the sauce or with crusty bread for dipping.
By Yewande Komolafe
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
2 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (4 to 8 thighs)
Salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 small onion, diced
2 medium bell peppers (any color or a mix of colors), diced
5 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or parsley (optional)
Preparation:
1. Pat the chicken dry and season generously with salt.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently until just starting to soften, 2 minutes. Add the peppers and cook until just beginning to soften, 1 minute. Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes and season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant and the onions are beginning to brown slightly, 2 minutes. Move the cooked vegetables to a plate.
3. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet. Place the chicken skin-side down and sear without moving until the skin is golden brown, 6 to 10 minutes. Turn and cook the other side until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Pour out all but 1 tablespoon fat from the pan.
4. Add 1/2 cup water to the skillet and stir and scrape to loosen any stuck bits. Stir in the sherry vinegar and honey. Cover with a lid or foil, turn the heat down to medium-low and cook until the meat is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat to medium-high and cook until the sauce is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until they begin to soften and burst, 3 to 4 minutes, smashing open if needed. Return the onion-pepper mixture to the skillet, stir to coat in the pan sauce and cook, uncovered, until warmed through. Taste and add more salt if needed and remove from heat. Drizzle more olive oil over the top and garnish with a shower of basil or parsley, if using.
Green Curry Beans and Greens
Store-bought Thai curry paste is a delicious convenience that can be further enhanced with just a few fresh ingredients. In this recipe, itap freshened up with serrano, ginger and garlic, then simmered with coconut milk and creamy butter beans. Baby spinach gets stirred in at the end, but you can use baby kale too — just cook it until it wilts. Serve the curry over rice or spoon it onto flour tortillas and eat it as a burrito. Use as much serrano as you’d like or remove the seeds before mincing to suit your tolerance for heat.
By Kristina Felix
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 30 minutes
1 or 2 serrano chiles, stem removed
2 garlic cloves
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as avocado
1/2 cup green curry paste (4 ounces)
1 (15-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk, preferably gum-free
2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, such as butter or cannellini, drained
1 bunch basil (preferably Thai, if available; about 4 ounces)
1 (5-ounce) container baby spinach
Salt
Cooked white rice or flour tortillas, for serving
Preparation:
1. Heat a deep 12-inch cast iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium while you mince the serrano chile (seeds included), garlic and ginger together to make a chunky paste.
2. Add the oil to the skillet along with the serrano, garlic and ginger and the curry paste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the paste is very fragrant, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the coconut milk, then fill the coconut milk can with water and pour it into the skillet. Add the beans and turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, mash half the beans and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the curry thickens slightly, about 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, pluck the basil leaves off the stems. Stack half the leaves and thinly slice into ribbons, leaving the rest whole.
5. Stir the spinach and whole basil leaves into the skillet and simmer until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste for salt.
6. Ladle into bowls over rice or on a flour tortilla like a burrito, and serve topped with basil ribbons.
This article originally appeared in .
