Turkey Meatballs with Quick And Spicy Tomato Sauce and Whole-Wheat Spaghetti

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This recipe took me one hour from start to finish in a very small kitchen (think one bedroom apartment. I made a couple of substitutions due to limitations at my grocery store and a lack of desire to make a second trip:

Instead of fresh oregano and fresh thyme, I used the kind in a jar. I used just a touch more of this than the recipe called for of fresh, as the dried kind is not as flavorful. I definitely recommend buying fresh if you can, but I think the sauce and meatballs turned out very good with this sub.

Instead of wheat bread, I used white, because that was what I had on hand and have heard it lends to more moist meatballs.

I used one 28oz can crushed tomatoes and one 14oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes. I definitely was glad to have the extra tomato in the sauce.

My chipotles en adobo did not come minced, but they were simple enough to chop up.

Again, all of these substitutes were done only because the grocery store I stopped at on the way home didn't have all that I needed. I would definitely go for what the recipe calls for if you can, but mine turned out very good anyway!!

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If you are looking for something interesting to do with ground turkey, this is the recipe for you. Very easy to make, minimal prep time and delicious results. I tried one of the meatballs before putting them into the sauce and they were delicious by themselves. I would highly recommend this recipe.

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This recipe is delicous! I was looking for a recipe for ground turkey and found this one. I'm glad I did. My hubby is still raving about it! I also added extra tomato sauce. Plus my ground turkey was also over a pound so I cooked it and added it tothe sauce. It was really thick and yummy. Plus, as a Weight Watcher, it was only 7 points per serving!

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Very delicious! Love the flavor chipotles in adobo add. The ground turkey made for tasty, yet not heavy, meatballs. Will make again!

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I always read the ratings & comments before I try a recipe. This one is definitely a keeper! I added an extra 14 oz can of tomatoes as one commentator suggested after I put the tomatoes in the pan (because the sauce quantity looked skimpy & a bit more of the other sauce ingredients I could (not the onion & other things that had already been cooked, per the first part of the directions, but the ones sitting in cans, etc., unused. I'm glad I did. I liked having a bit more sauce. However, in my area, one can only buy ground turkey in 1.25 lb.Jenny-O containers, so I had extra turkey to work with. Also, I had homemade breadcrumbs (leftover day old bread, frozen, gathered, taken out & pulsed, then sent back to freezer. Somehow, I mis-translated 1 pc of bread into 1cup of crumbs! So my turkey mixture was not only increased 25% in meat, but also increased by quite a lot of bread crumbs. That may explain my decision to add another can of tomatoes to the sauce. Interestingly, in spite of all the bread crumbs I added, the turkey meatballs were still excellent -- very, very flavorful, moist & tender. I will confess I added more salt than what was called for (I tasted the raw mixture before broiling. The sauce is also excellent. I didn't even notice the presence of the chipotle. Think I'll add more next time, so I can taste it! Of course, living near LA, we're used to tasting our chipotle!
I used Barilla Plus Thin Spaghetti. I like the Barilla Plus pasta more than whole wheat pasta. It's whole grain & healthy, but has a milder taste than whole wheat. If you haven't tried it & are looking for healthy, good-tasting dishes, try it.
Served this with Giada de Laurentiis' Italian Greens and Herb Salad -- also five stars -- great combo!

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I was a bit cynical about how good this could be given its "healthy appetite" category but this was a really delicious meal. The sauce had such a fresh and deep taste to it. The meatballs were also flavorful. I must say the meatballs took quite a bit of time to put together with all the grating and herbs mincing. But it was all worth it. Loved all the fresh herbs. I had some mushrooms on hand so I added those when I added in the roasted tomatoes. I used regular angel hair pasta instead of whole wheat. Hubby loved it and wants this to be put in our monthly rotation. Thanks Ellie!

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These are delicious, and a good way to give your kids some veggies with some lean protein. And fun to make and eat!

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The sauce was great although we got the timing wrong and it ended up being the first part done so it became very thick and could have used more tomato sauce.

We substituted turkey with ground beef and fried the meatballs instead of baking them.

Very fun to make and so delicious!

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Great sauce...just spicy enough. The meatballs were so tender and delicious....it was hard not to eat them all!!! What a great meal...will be making and sharing this many more times!!!

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Ohhhhh, these meatballs were GREAT. The turkey stays moist and keeps the sauce from being too greasy. My changes: I doubled the amount of sauce, I couldn't find the fire roasted tomatoes so I just used plain crushed, I used dried herbs instead of fresh except for the basil...which I forgot to put in. After the meatballs broiled I put them in the sauce and let it cook for another 30 minutes, only because I had the time. I added much more chipotle...to taste. Being that I was cooking this for a while (had things to do I added a cup of water..wine would have worked too : These would make great meatball subs and I can't wait to see how much better they are tomorrow. Served with a nice bottle of Chianti. Perfect for a cold winter night.