Top Chef's Richard Blais Shares the Comfort Food Recipe You Need to Survive the Cold
Bravo's Top Chef alum Richard Blais presents a comfort food classic — with a twist.
Sure, Bravo's Top Chef competitors may have sampled some of the world's most exquisite and exotic foods. But even for the most elevated and experienced of palates, sometimes nothing beats easy, cozy — and simple — comfort food. Of course, leave it to a Top Chef to put a spin you never even considered on a classic, crowd-pleasing recipe, and make it a delicious part of a heart-healthy diet.
Top Chef: All Stars winner Richard Blais has shared a recipe for meatballs in tomato sauce that is sure to warm up any chilly evening — and this one is extra nutritious and inventive, thanks to this ingredient: Quaker® Old Fashioned Oats!
Here's his recipe for an easy to whip up dish that also reheats just as simply for fast, hearty leftovers. Make sure to hit play on the clip above to get the chef's personal demo.
Oat Meatballs and Tomato Sauce
Prep time 30 minutes
Cook time 45 minutes
For tomato sauce:
1 14.5-oz. can crushed tomato, regular plain
1/3 cup onion chopped
2 basil leaves chopped
For meatballs:
1 pound extra lean ground turkey (fat free)
1 cup Quaker® Old Fashioned Oats
2 cups mushrooms, rough chopped
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
1 teaspoon minced rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil
For tomato sauce: Prepare simple tomato sauce by simmering ingredients together on stove for 30 minutes, stirring frequently to break up tomatoes. Serve with meatballs.
For meatballs: Steep the Quaker® Old Fashioned Oats for 30 minutes, or overnight. Cook the onion, garlic, mushrooms, spices and herbs with a tablespoon of olive oil, in a medium frying pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. In a bowl, mix the Quaker® Old Fashioned Oats, ground turkey, vegetables, and spice mixture. (It helps if you have gloves.) Optional (Ideal): Refrigerate mixture for 30 minutes. Form meatballs into one- to two-ounce balls. Sear meatballs in one tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over high heat until brown on all sides, about two minutes. Add tomato sauce and simmer on low to cook through, roughly 10 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Don't forget to press play on the video above for the chef's personal tutorial!
For nutritional info on this recipe, visit QuakerOats.com
