Ingredients
- 8 to 10 slices day-old bread, to yield 4 cups of 1-inch cubes
- 2 pounds ground turkey breast
- 1/4 pound prosciutto, cut into 1/8-inch dice
- 1/2 pound fresh, sweet Italian turkey sausage, out of its skin
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1/4 cup plus 1/4 cup pecorino
- 2 bunches Italian parsley, chopped to yield 1/2 cup, plus1 bunch, chopped to yield 1/4 cup
- Several gratings nutmeg
- 4 tablespoons plus 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup Basic Tomato Sauce, recipe follows
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
Directions
Soak the bread in water for 5 minutes, squeeze by hand to wring excess water, and add to turkey. Add the prosciutto, sausage, eggs, Parmigiano, 1/4 cup pecorino, 1/2 cup parsley, nutmeg and 4 tablespoons of olive oil and mix lightly. Season with salt and pepper and form the mixture into 3-inch balls. Place the balls on a sheet tray, cover with parchment and chill for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil to almost smoking and brown the meatballs in the oil on all sides. Add the tomato sauce and the wine and bake for 30 minutes. Serve with the remaining pecorino and parsley.
- BASIC TOMATO SAUCE
- Recipe copyright 2000, Mario Batali. All rights reserved.
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Spanish onion, chopped in 1/4-inch dice
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried
- 1/2 medium carrot, finely shredded
- 2 (28-ounce) cans peeled whole tomatoes, crushed by hand and juices reserved
- Salt, to taste
In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and light golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the thyme and carrot and cook 5 minutes more, until the carrot is quite soft. Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until as thick as hot cereal. Season with salt and serve. This sauce holds 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer. Yield: 4 cups
Photo: Turkey Meatballs (Polpettone di Tachino) Recipe

















Review This Recipe
You must be logged in to review this recipe.
or Sign Up to Review
Newest Ratings and Reviews
Read all 12 reviews
By aartsawandtool_...
San Jose, CA
on October 21, 2011
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
This is a family favorite. I make my own sauce, add a little extra cheese. Messy to make, wonderful for meatball sandwiches later in the week. NOTE: Wring out as much water as possible from the bread!
By galoki
Suwanee, GA
on July 11, 2011
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
been making these for years now... made them this weekend for a dinner party. 2 days later friends are still calling me to say how awesome they are.
By tchan.canada
Toronto, ON
on June 01, 2011
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
Amazingly moist! Batali is a food genius! I had to make these last minute for a party and didn't have many of hte ingredients on hand and they still turned out great!
I didn't have any parsley on hand, + I like things a lil spicy, so I ended up using some Cajun mix spices instead to season the meat. Plus, didn't have any sausage or the other meats on hand, or any of the cheeses, and didn't have any substitutes, so I skipped those parts of the recipe.
Also didn't have an hour to have the meatballs set in the fridge before cooking, so I cooked them as soon as I mixed the meat. The consequence was the balls didn't hold their shape and sort of became small, thick roundish patties in shape. Didn't matter because as I said, turned out great in flavour and texture!
Read all 12 reviews