Easy Meal Ideas: Weeknight "Opa!"

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Easy Meal Ideas From Janet's Kitchen   Greek Pasta with Meatballs Jarred marinara sauce makes Greek Pasta with Meatballs (recipe below) that much easier for a weeknight dish. The recipe calls for ground lamb which can be expensive. Substitute ground beef, if you’d like. It’s a one-pot dish because you’re serving it with orzo.  Greek Pasta with Meatballs  2 cups hot cooked orzo 1/3 cup plain dry bread crumbs 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 pound lean ground lamb or beef 1 garlic clove, minced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided 2 large egg whites 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil 2 cups jarred marinara sauce 3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook orzo according to package directions; drain. Keep warm. Combine bread crumbs and next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a medium bowl; stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons parsley. Add egg whites, stirring mixture until just combined. Shape mixture into 12 (1-inch) meatballs; cover and chill meatballs 5 minutes. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs to pan; cook 8 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Drain well; wipe pan clean with paper towels. Return meatballs to pan. Spoon marinara sauce over meatballs; sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 11 minutes or until meatballs are done. Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons parsley. Serve over orzo. Serves 4. Nutritional information per serving: Calories 486, fat 14 g (6 g saturated), protein 37 g, carbohydrate 50 g, fiber 4 g, sodium 919 mg. Source: Cooking Light		Tip of the day. This from the Food Network: Use a coarse Microplane to shave vegetables into salads or vinaigrettes. You can create an orange-fennel dressing by adding grated fennel and orange zest to a simple vinaigrette.     Deal of the day. Got a deal? To have your deal featured in tampabay.com's Easy Meals newsletter, contact Maryann Balbo at mbalbo@tampabay.com or call 727-892-2237.       On Sale This Week. Got a deal? To have your deal featured in tampabay.com's Easy Meals newsletter, contact Maryann Balbo at mbalbo@tampabay.com or call 727-892-2237.   Janet Keeler , who cooks in a kitchen she hates for a job she loves, has been food editor of the Tampa Bay Times since 2000. The paper's Taste section has been honored three times in the past decade by the Association of Food Journalists. Janet is the author of "Cookielicious: 150 Fabulous Recipe to Bake & Share" (Seaside Publishing, 2010) and is an adjunct journalism instructor at the University of South Florida-St. Petersburg.

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