Moroccan Style Turkey Spaghetti & Meatballs

Abba Gimel's Note:

We had this for our main meal last night. I rather heavily adapted it from a few others as I like meat & my wife and son like pasta & as we are trying to eat healthier I am trying to find new ways to use turkey meat instead of beef.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4

Yield: 20.0 1 inch ...

Meatballs

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley , finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro , finely chopped
• ½ medium red onion , chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup dry breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ cup flour (to coat)

Spaghetti

• 300 g spaghetti (11 ounces)

Sauce

• 1 red onion , finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves , crushed
• 1 cup mushroom , sliced
• ½ green pepper , cubed
• ½ yellow pepper , cubed
• ½ red pepper , cubed
• 28 ounces chopped tomatoes , from a can
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 pinch salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 10 ounces chickpeas , from a can, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup fresh parsley , roughly chopped
• ½ cup fresh cilantro , roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Meatballs.
2. Mix parsley, onion, spices, bread crumbs & egg with the ground turkey. Make sure it is well mixed so that the spices are evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
3. Fork out 20 one inch balls.
4. Roll the balls into the flour until coated.
5. Pour enough oil to just cover the bottom of the frying pan, heat on medium heat.
6. Place the balls into the heated oil. Turn frequently so they do not burn on the sides. Cook until they are done all the way through.
7. Place off to the side.
8. Put spaghetti in a large pot of boiling water and cook as long as the packet suggests. Mine takes 7-9 minutes.
9. Sauce.
10. Meanwhile, drain oil from the frying pan.
11. Add the onions, garlic and mushrooms and saute until they start to get soft which was about 5 minutes for me.
12. Add the tomatoes, peppers, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric and black pepper and lightly simmer for about 8 minutes stirring frequently.
13. Stir in the chickpeas and heat just long enough to cook through, about 3 minutes.
14. Stir in the fresh herbs and just mix through until they start to wilt.
15. Add in cooked spaghetti and stir to make sure all of the pasta is coated in the sauce.
16. Add in cooked meatballs and stir to make sure all of them are coated in the sauce.