This recipe is going to sound very familiar to you, especially if you read my Orzo Stuffed Peppers recipe. Well here’s what happened. I couldn’t think of what to make for dinner the other night. The plan was a dish with chicken breasts, but I could only find two in the freezer. (I haven’t done that freezer organizing thing I did with my cabinets yet.) But, I did find a package of ground turkey and a package of frozen chopped spinach. I knew I had orzo pasta in the pantry and I had shredded cheese in the fridge. Wow, I could make stuffed peppers if only I had the peppers. Then, realizing how much my family enjoyed the stuffing part of the stuffed pepper recipe, I decided to just make the stuffing. Boy was it good!

My original recipe called for fresh spinach and shredded Italian 4-Cheese Blend. All I had was shredded Monterey Jack and frozen chopped spinach. It still tasted really great with these ingredients. I used what I had on hand, and created a very satisfying and tasty meal. Give this a try. I know you will like it.

INGREDIENTS

1 (28-ounce) can seasoned diced tomatoes with its juice

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

10 oz. pkg. of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 ½ pound ground turkey cooked and drained

16 ounce pkg. orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)

8 ounce pkg. shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Garlic salt, to taste

Ground black pepper, to taste

Cook and drain the ground turkey and set aside.

In a large frying pan, sauté the garlic and the spinach in the olive oil for 3- 5 minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes with its juice and the cooked turkey.

Season with garlic salt and black pepper.

Stir well and cook over low heat for approximately 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo as directed on the pkg. (al dente) Drain.

In a large bowl, combine the hot turkey mixture and the cooked orzo. Mix in the shredded cheese and stir till melted.

Serve and Enjoy!