Food Impressions: Turkey Meatball Parmesan over Portobello Mushrooms (17 DayDiet Friendly)

Turkey Meatballs Parmesan over Portobello Mushrooms

Whether you are on a diet or not, you will love, love , love this recipe! I made Turkey Meatball Parmesan over Portobello Mushrooms! Dave and the boys ate every last bite and kept saying oh my gosh this is soooo good! I really wanted to make turkey meatballs over zoodles (zucchini noodles) but zucchini isn't on the approved food list for Cycle 1 of the 17 Day Diet. So I'll just have to wait til Cycle 2 for my zoodles. So I kept thinking what would go good with turkey meatballs? Then it came to me…they would go amazing over big, beefy, juicy portobello mushrooms caps. Then I thought turkey meatballs on top of portobello mushroom caps wouldn't be enough…it needed more. So I then I thought to add tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese over the top. Then I'd bake it so the cheese would melt and make it all ooey-gooey. Genius idea, right? And way better than Turkey meatballs over Zoodles! I'm getting hungry just writing about this killer good dish.

This recipe is very easy to make but it involves quite a few steps. So the preparation and cook time is about an hour. Trust me, the results of this dish were well worth the effort it takes. I made this as a weeknight meal so it can be done if you are not in a rush. We all ate the mushrooms except Tyler, he despises any type of mushrooms. I give him credit because every time I make mushrooms he will give them a try but can't muster up a liking of them. I think it's a texture thing for him. When I was baking the portobello mushroom caps he looked at them with his eyes wide opened and said "Are you trying to make me have nightmares tonight?" So instead of mushrooms for Tyler, I put the meatballs and cheese over a top of crusty italian bread. He loved it. So if you have a mushroom hater too, simply use bread in place of it.

We were all stuffed when we finished this meal....stuffed like we had just eaten a giant bowl of spaghetti and meatballs or a feast on Thanksgiving. I made pretty sizeable meatballs so that's where the heartiness factor kicked in. Don't make puny little meatballs, make them giant like I did. And the best part of this hearty meal is that it's 17 Day Diet friendly! I'm telling you, after you make and eat it you'd never in a million years think it was low-carb and low-calorie. With some of the meals I've been making on this diet I've said they are guilt free foods so serve yourself 2 or 3 helpings. Well not with this meal, I mean you could, but you wouldn't want to because his dish is that filling. A diet recipe that fills you up?! You don't see that too often.

Turkey Meatball Parmesan over Portobello Mushrooms the perfect 17 Day Diet meal! Salute to a delicious satisfying low carb, low calorie meal where you won't need a second helping!

Cycle 1, Day 8 of the 17 Day Diet: Menu and Impressions

Morning Beverage: Hot water with fresh lemon.

Breakfast: Non fat Greek yogurt with fresh blueberries and a cup of green tea.

Lunch: 2 pieces of Turkey, Spinach, Cheddar Egg Casserole (super delicious) and a cup of green tea.

Snack: I cup of strawberries, before 2:00 pm of course.

Dinner: Turkey Meatballs Parmesan over Portobello Mushrooms, a cup of green tea.

Exercise: Unfortunately none, no excuse, I was simply too lazy.

Impressions: So last Saturday was my toughest day but today was my best day so far! I am happy to report that those little red Old Navy shorts are getting loser on me! Yippie!!! I can't tell you how happy I am that these shorts finally fit me better. Trust me, they aren't falling off or anything but there is more give on the sides. For those of you who have been following me know that I am not weighing myself on the scale…I am using these shorts as my scale. Dave's squeeze of my body is another weight scale of mine! So within one week, I've already lost weight and I feel great. I wish I could tell you how much I lost…maybe after the 17 days I'll weigh myself. I am still really enjoying the hot water first thing in the morning. Dave loves it too…it's so nice when a loved one joins in on your healthy habits! He's also loving my recipes. Knowing him, he'll loose more weight than me and he's not even tying! Ugh! As far as exercise, I haven't been so good. I blame it on this lousy weather. My dear friends Christa, who I'm going to Florida with, made my Hearty Cabbage Soup recipe (click for recipe). She sent me a text picture of the soup she made and said "Andrea, you are killing me with the 17 Day Diet. I figure I am going to the beach with you so I better eat some of the things you are making!"Nothing is better motivation than to have support from your friends.

Turkey Meatball Parmesan over Portobello Mushrooms

You'd never guess it was 17 Day Diet Friendly!

Bake 12 Extra Large Turkey Meatballs

Bake 6 Extra Large Portobello Mushroom Caps with Olive Oil for 10 minutes or so.

Add Baked Meatballs to Tomato Sauce, sugar free of course!

Assemble and Bake for 10 minutes until cheese melts, fat free cheese of course!

Just out of the oven! Delicious, hearty and healthy!

You won't need seconds, this dish is so filling!

Turkey Meatball Parmesan over Portobello Mushrooms: (Click to print recipe)

Preparation and cook time: 1 hour

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 pounds of lean ground turkey
2 eggs
1 t oregano
1 t basil
1 t parsley
salt n pepper
6 large portobello mushrooms, cleaned
olive oil
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, no sugar added
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes, no sugar added
8 basil leaves, shredded
4 oz fat free mozzarella cheese, shredded

For turkey meatballs: In a bowl mix ground turkey, eggs, oregano, basil, parsley and salt n pepper together. Make 12 large meatballs and set on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Bake for 15 minutes in a 375 degree oven. When meatballs done in oven place them in saucepan with the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes or so.

For portobello mushrooms: Drizzle olive oil and salt n pepper over mushrooms and set on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Set aside when done.

For sauce: In a large saute pan add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, shredded basil and salt n pepper, stir and let heat on medium to low heat.

For assembly: Add 2 meatballs to portobello mushroom caps, add a heaping spoonful of tomato sauce over the top and then add shredded mozzarella to the top. Bake in oven for 5-10 minutes until cheese melts. Eat and enjoy!