Turkey Meatballs W/ Spicy Tomato Sauce and Whole-Wheat Spaghetti

Submitted by Darrinw2001

"The spicy kick and multiple herbs in this sauce lend layers of flavor without fat. The carrot, onion and Parmesan add volume and moisture. Copyright 2006, Ellie Krieger, All rights reserved Food Network Show: Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger"

 

• Ready In: 50mins
• Ingredients: 23
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• Sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, liquid included
• 1 teaspoon finely minced adobo seasoning, to taste (or more)
• 2 teaspoons chopped oregano leaves
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• salt
• 1⁄4 cup torn fresh basil leaf

• Meatballs

• cooking spray
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 slice fresh whole wheat bread, crusts removed, pulsed into crumbs
• 1⁄4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 1⁄2 cup finely grated carrot
• 1⁄2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1 (16 ounce) box whole wheat spaghetti

directions

1. Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil for pasta.

2. Make Sauce:

3. In a 4-quart saucepan heat the oil over medium heat. Saute the onions until translucent, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add tomato paste, tomatoes, chipotles, oregano, rosemary, and salt. Bring all the ingredients to a low boil, reduce heat and cook for approximately 15 minutes, until liquid has evaporated slightly. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. While sauce is cooking, make meatballs.

4. Meatballs:

5. Preheat the broiler. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine the turkey with all other ingredients in a large work bowl. Form into 2 1/2 -inch balls and place on a baking sheet. Broil for 10 minutes, or until browned and almost entirely cooked through.
6. Meanwhile, remove rosemary sprig from sauce and add fresh basil. Add the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and cook additional 10 minutes, or until sauce has slightly thickened and meatballs have absorbed some of the sauce. While the meatballs are cooking, cook the whole-wheat spaghetti according to package directions.
7. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the sauce and meatballs, toss and heat through over medium heat. Divide evenly among 4 pasta bowls and garnish with parsley and 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan.

Reviews

[LonghornMama]

Fantastic! And it's healthy, too :)My family does not care for anything made with ground turkey but they loved this. And the delicious sauce makes whole wheat pasta palatable. Made the recipe as stated but tripled the meatballs so I'd have some leftover, and was glad I did. Used a little less than 1 dried thyme. Formed the meatballs a little smaller and they were cooked through after 10 minutes under the broiler. Froze some, added some to plain marinara, and used some with the sauce in this recipe which I loved!! In the sauce, used a T of dried basil and a little less that a t of dried oregano. Assumed the minced adobo seasoning meant minced chipotles in adobo sauce, which was wonderful with the fire roasted crushed tomatoes, I used Muir Glen. The sauce is even better the next day, I'd advise making ahead if at all possible. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

 

[jerison]

DELICIOUS MEATBALLS! Even using the dried herbs I had - these are by far the best meatballs I've ever tasted...we'll see how my kids like them when they wake up. I didn't have the right ingredients on hand for the sauce, so I can't speak for it.

 

[Jules]

MEATBALLS ONLY: I didn't make the pasta sauce. They are wonderful, don't omit the carrots, they add a nice flavor. Hubby said they were great, couldn't even tell they were made with ground turkey. I broiled mine almost twice as long because I prefer them to have a nice brown color, they were still very moist and tender.

 

[aletamarie]

This came out excellent. Even hubby loved it. I omitted onions (he hates them), used regular canned tomatoes (pureed, our preference), and only had dried basil, rosemary, and oregano, but even so it came out fantastic! I am watching carbs so ate my share over spaghetti squash, extremely satisfying. Simple to execute, 50 minutes seems about right. A new standby, thank you so much!