Photo: Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic (4 smashed, 1 minced)
- 1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 small piece parmesan rind (optional)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3/4 pound 93% lean ground turkey
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for topping
- 1 slice stale whole-wheat bread, crust trimmed, bread chopped
- 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
- 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
- 12 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the smashed garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the tomatoes with their juice, 2 cups water, 1/4cup basil, the parmesan rind, if using, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 8 minutes. Discard the parmesan rind, if used.
Chop the remaining 1/4cup basil, then mix with the turkey, parsley, bread, ricotta, parmesan, egg white, minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl using your hands. Form into 4 large or 12 small meatballs; add to the sauce and simmer, turning, until cooked through, 6 minutes for small meatballs and 12 minutes for large.
Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of salted boiling water as the label directs. Drain and return to the pot. Toss with some of the sauce, then divide among bowls. Top the spaghetti with the meatballs, the remaining sauce and more parsley and parmesan.
Per serving: Calories 547; Fat 9 g (Saturated 2 g); Cholesterol 46 mg; Sodium 938 mg; Carbohydrate 81 g; Fiber 15 g; Protein 41 g
Photograph by Antonis Achilleos
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By msdldavies_4020648
Salisbury, NC
on November 06, 2012
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Love this recipe. Can't understand why people would substitute things like Newman's own vodka sauce. The whole point of the recipe is that it is a healthier alternative to traditional spaghetti with tons of cheese and fat.
By sweetlizzy
Queens, NY
on October 22, 2012
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meatballs are one of my fave dishes, especially coupled w/spaghetti's!! this was a delish recipe and so so easy and quick to prepare. My sauce wasn't as runny as some of the others described because I added only 1 cup of water. Could probably use less next time though. I didn't use the parmesan grind and it was still tasty.
The meatballs were yummy yummy yummy! I used Romano cheese instead of parmesan and since I didn't have stale bread, I just lightly toasted a slice of whole wheat bread. Not sure if that did anything to the recipe, but the meatballs were fine... very juicy and tender and tasty!
Overall, this was a fun recipe to make especially the part where you crush the tomatos with your hands! Oh, and I agree that the aroma from all the fresh herbs was amazing! I felt like a real cook. :
By Legallady62
on September 12, 2012
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Not ba for a weeknigght meal - but it did take longer than estimated. The meatballs were very good - much better than I expected turkey meatballs to be. The sauce wasn't bad, but needed more herbs and spices. I made it exactly according the recipe - but we added salt & pepper at the table (something I rarely do and felt it could have used some oregano and other Italian seasonings. One additional step - I did brown the meatballs before I put them in the sauce.
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