Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Sauce - Nigella Lawson

A great dish for a crowd or a buffet - make 'em tiny and pile 'em into a crock pot to stay hot. Adapted from a recipe from Nigella Kitchen on Food Network. Serves 4 as a main course, or 8-12 as an appetizer.

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 50 meatballs

Ingredients

• Sauce

• 1  onion, peeled
• 1  celery rib
• 2  tablespoons garlic oil
• 1  teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 3 1⁄3 cups water (use the tomato cans, you need 2 full cans)
• 1  teaspoon sugar
• 1  teaspoon kosher salt, flakes or 1⁄2 teaspoon table salt
•  fresh ground black pepper, to taste

• Meatballs

• 1  lb ground turkey
• 1  egg
• 3  tablespoons  breadcrumbs
• 3  tablespoons  grated parmesan cheese
• 1  teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme
•  salt, to taste

Directions

1. Puree onion and celery to mush in food processor. Remove 2 tbsp of puree and set aside in a small bowl for the meatballs.
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. (If you don't have garlic oil, saute 1 thinly sliced garlic clove in 2 tbsp oil until golden brown and very fragrant, about 3 minutes; remove and discard garlic before proceeding.) Reduce to medium-low, add vegetable puree and thyme, and cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, water, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer and let cook while prepping the meatballs.
4. Add all meatball ingredients to reserved vegetable puree. Mix gently to combine; avoid over-mixing to prevent the meatballs from being leaden and heavy.
5. Form mixture into approximately 50 meatballs (each should be about one heaping teaspoon). Once all the meatballs are formed, add them to the simmering sauce. Continue to simmer 30 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.