A pseudo- cajun easy simple meal that hits the spot. Sometimes I have the time and patience to spend 1 hour + on dinner, most times I do not! Especially week nights.
Also you most likely have over half of these ingredients already !!
You'll need
1 cup dry white rice (long grain)
1 lb ground turkey (I like using 94% lean)
1/2 yellow onion (sweet or vidalia), small diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 celery stalks, small diced
1 bunch cilantro - finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon oregano
3 tablespoons butter (will be used throughout)
Lime wedges + hot sauce for serving
Instructions
Bring 2 cups water, 1 cup rice, 1 tablespoon of butter to a boil, cover, bring down to simmer and let cook for 15 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, melt 1/2 tablespoon butter in a pan, then add diced onion, stir to coat in butter, add salt & pepper and let it cook over medium low heat. Once the onion is translucent, add in garlic and cook for a couple more minutes until fragrant. Next add in the celery and cook for a few more minutes until it softens.
Add in the ground turkey, cumin, paprika, oregano and turn the heat to medium. As the turkey cooks, flip it and break it into small pieces. Once the turkey is fully brown and getting some darker color, add a splash of water or chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Cook the liquid down and add a tablespoon of butter and half cup of cilantro, stir in.
When the rice is done cooking, stir in 1/2 tablespoon of butter and 1/2 cup cilantro.
For plating: you can either mix the rice into the turkey or you can add rice to a bowl and then top it with turkey! I like to serve with a lime wedge and a green hot sauce (like Tabasco green pepper hot sauce) Enjoy!
