Ingredients
- 1/4 cup plain dried bread crumbs
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 3/4 cup grated Romano
- 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound ground turkey, preferably dark meat
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 cups tomato sauce
- 1 pound dried penne pasta
Directions
In a large bowl, add bread crumbs, eggs, milk, 1/2 cup Romano, parsley, salt and pepper and mix well. Add turkey and gently combine, being careful not to overwork the meat. Shape into golf-size balls.
In a large skillet heat the oil over medium high heat. When almost smoking, add meatballs and without moving or turning the meat, allow it to brown for about 3 minutes. Turn meatballs and brown other side. Continue to cook until all sides are golden brown, about 8 minutes total. Add tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Lower heat and allow meatballs to simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and keep warm on stove. Be careful not to over handle the meatballs since they are soft and fragile.
In a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain pasta in a colander. Do not rinse pasta with water since you want to retain the pasta's natural starches so that the sauce will cling to the penne.
Remove meatballs from sauce and place in serving bowl. Pour some tomato sauce over meatballs, but leave about 2/3 cup of sauce in skillet. Place the cooked penne into the skillet with the remaining sauce and toss well. Pour sauced pasta in a large serving bowl. Serve alongside the meatballs. Sprinkle remaining Romano on top.

















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By martellk
on February 23, 2013
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These are our favorite meatballs! I omit the parsley, and add some dried Italian herbs and a pinch of red pepper flakes. You do have to be very gentle with the meatballs in the pan but they don't have to be perfect!
By Pastaphile
on November 05, 2012
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So delicious and super easy. I was not in the mood to make dinner tonight, but after I finished making this yummy meal I was glad I did!
By lindsayevz
San Diego, CA
on August 06, 2012
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These were so simple but so tasty. They stayed together much better than her mini turkey meatball recipe and because they are so simple you can really play with different flavor combos. These will definitely replace my store bouhr turkey meatballs
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