Homemade Turkey Meatballs, Pennsylvania State University

A couple of years ago a campus initiative was started at Penn State University, in University Park, to promote healthier eating within residential dining halls. That initiative prompted Corporate Executive Chef of Culinary Support Services Bill Laychur and his team to adjust recipes to make them healthier without sacrificing taste or texture. One example of the initiative in action is found in dining services’ meatball recipe. The team substituted ground beef and pork for turkey. “We test marketed [this recipe] at a conference at our Altoona Campus over rigatoni topped with fresh marinara, sprinkled with fresh shaved Asiago cheese and basil,” Laychur says. “It looked beautiful and we actually almost ran out.” Laychur says because of the response at the conference the recipe has been added to the dining menu for this fall.