Healthy recipe: Ramen redux

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Lesley George

Name a more iconic duo. I’ll wait.
This recipe adds a little lean protein and some roasted veggies to a classic undergrad dish, creating a yummy low-budget alternative to take-out.

Ingredients: 1 package (approx. 300 grams) of ground turkey (Note: you can substitute in any lean ground meat. A
pork- beef mix is a great low cost alternative).
1 package of ramen noodles (put aside the seasoning; we’ll get to that in a minute), 1 head of broccoli, 1-2 bell peppers, 2 tbsp of olive oil, and 2 tbsp
of garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste.

Step 1. Get yourself together. Don’t   treat   this   recipe   like   a   syllabus.   Read   it  all   the   way   through. Preheat your oven to 450 ° F. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil.
Wash and dry your produce. Cut broccoli and red bell peppers into 1/2 inch pieces. Think bite sized.

Step 2. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper fitted to the size of the pan. You can sub in aluminum foil, but it has a tendency to stick so don’t say I didn’t warn you. In a large bowl, add the broccoli and red bell pepper with 1 tbsp of olive oil and season with salt. Add sunglasses and white t-shirt for optimal meme effect. Arrange the vegetables on one half of the baking sheet.

Step 3. Pat dry the ground turkey with a paper towel. In the bowl used for the vegetables, add the lean ground meat with two tbsp of garlic salt. You can also season with other spices you have handy. Oregano, cumin, or chili pepper are all tasty additions. Mix well.

With damp hands, form 10 equal sized meatballs and add to baking sheet.

Step 4. Toss the pan in the oven for 16 -18 minutes. Stir the vegetables with a spatula halfway through.

It is always a safer bet to overcook than to undercook when it comes to cooking ground meat. Wait until there is a golden brown top to the meatballs. Remove sheet from oven. You are almost there!

Step 5. As the water comes to a boil, add the ramen noodles and strain when cooked.

Step 6. In the same pot that you cooked the ramen, add about two tbsp of butter. Simmer the butter for about one and half minutes or  until the butter starts forming bigger bubbles and turns slightly brown.

Remove the pot from the heat and add the ramen seasoning to the butter. Stir well until combined.

Using a spatula, add the meatballs to the pan and return to low heat.

Spoon butter over meatballs and cook until browned.

Step 7. Combine ramen, roasted vegetables, and meatballs into a bowl and serve.

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