Katie
I had some ground turkey in the fridge today and was in the mood for some pasta, so I decided to give turkey meatballs a try. After searching online, I decided to go with my variation of a weightwatchers.com recipe. The meatballs had good flavor; the sauce was okay, not my favorite. (I’m not a huge fane of pieces of onion in my sauce.) One day, I will post my family’s meatball and sauce recipe, but until then, this will definitely do!
Start with the sauce…
- Chop 1 onion and a few cloves of garlic.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the garlic and onion and sauté until softened, about 8 minutes.
- Once softened, add 1 large can of crushed tomatoes.
- Chop up some fresh basil.
- Add it to the sauce.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon each of s&p.
- Stir to combine and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil some water and start the meatballs…
- Place 1 package of ground turkey in the bottom of a large bowl.
- Tear up 2 pieces of white bread (I used Weight Watchers brand, of course!) and place the pieces in a food processor.
- Pulse the bread into crumbs and add to the turkey.
- Add 1 egg.
- Add 1 small shallot and 2 cloves of garlic, both minced.
- Add 1/4 teaspoon each of s&p.
- Check your water: when it’s boiling, add some salt and your favorite pasta. (I used ziti.)
- Combine all ingredients with your hands. (Be careful not to over mix!)
- Score the meat into 4 equal sections.
- Form 4-5 meatballs from each section.
- Heat some EVOO in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add several meatballs at a time. (You do not want to overcrowd the pan!!)
- Cook, turning several times, until browned on all sides.
- When the meatballs are browned on all sides, add them to the simmering sauce.
- Stir gently to cover the meatballs in the sauce completely.
- Let the meatballs finish cooking in the sauce until the pasta is finished.
- Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to coat.
Serve with parmesan cheese and some Italian bread for dipping! Enjoy!
