Turkey Meatballs and Spaghetti

Patrick and I have been trying to incorporate more ground turkey into our diets. At our past trip to Costco we purchased ground turkey here which means we have lots in the freezer (about 4 pounds). Having meat in the freezer enables me to plan week long meal plans and avoid multiple grocery store trips during the week.

This particular meal is a good example of being aware of what's in the pantry and always being mindful to use what you have. The ground turkey for the meatballs we had recently purchased. Eggs, breadcrumbs, and various spices for the meatballs are all items we regularly keep on hand. The sauce was made with veggies on hand and San Marzano tomatoes. I happened to have onions, carrots, and celery to start the base of the sauce but typically I don't always have carrots and celery at my disposal. If this was the case then I would've just made the sauce with onions which I always like to have. We have also started buying the 28oz whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes from Costco; they come in a pack of 3 and are a really great deal. Patrick and I enjoy Italian enough that we have no trouble using these.

This particular meal is also a good example of couple teamwork in the kitchen! Patrick was in charge of the meatballs and I was in charge of the sauce.

Read on for what we did!


For the sauce
Heat two tablespoons oil in medium to large pot. Chop one onion, two carrots, and two celery stalks. Add veggies to pot, stir, and season with salt and pepper. Once veggies are tender, add tomatoes (28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand) and stir. Add 1/4 cup of red wine and a bay leaf then let simmer while meatballs and pasta are cooking. Before serving, remove bay leaf and puree the sauce.

For the meatballs
Mix some ground turkey, eggs, herbs, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper together. Form into balls, place on a baking sheet, and spray with some olive oil. Bake at 400 until there is some browning and meatballs are cooked through, about 20 minutes.

We served this with a side salad.
Do you have a favorite meatball recipe?

2 comments:

  1. I need to also try and use more ground turkey. Might try this.

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  2. The ground turkey from Costco is amazing. Its great as a burger patty, in spaghetti, or even as just meatballs. Love it!

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