Turkey Meatballs & Spicy Tomato Sauce

Is it me or is this week really long?!  I don't know what you all wear to work, but I wear business casual clothing every day except Fridays.  This week was special because on Wednesday we got to wear jeans, and it threw me completely off.  Don't get me wrong, I like wearing jeans; I would rather it be sweatpants, but you have to pick your battles.  Going forward I need to just stick with jeans on Friday's so I don't get confused :) 

Now, let's talk about food shall we?  Here's the uber-healthy version of spaghetti and meatballs.  I've posted a couple times about how I'm loving turkey meat.  I'm finding more versions of popular dishes that substitute with turkey.  When I saw the spaghetti and meatball twist with turkey, I had to try it!

I thought it was interesting to add carrots to the meatballs.  I had just bought fresh organic carrots from Central Market and thought they were perfect to grate and add to the meat.

Along with grated carrots, you'll need to chop a 1/2 cup of onion, mince two cloves of garlic and grated Parmesan.

You can either use 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs, or tear about a slice of whole wheat bread.

In a medium bowl combine the ground turkey with the carrot, Parmesan, onion, garlic, parsley, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper to taste.

Then add egg and stir to combine all the ingredients.

Form into 2 1/2 inch balls and place on baking sheet, that's been sprayed with non-stick spray.  Preheat the oven broiler, and broil for around 10 minutes until browned and almost cooked through.

The main ingredient in the tomato sauce is fire roasted crushed tomatoes.  I found a can of organic tomatoes at the grocery store and they worked perfectly.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large sauce pan.  Add onions and saute for around 3 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for another minute.

Add the fire roasted tomatoes and stir in with the onions and garlic.

Then add tomato paste, cayenne pepper, oregano, and salt.  Bring to a low boil, reduce and heat for around 15 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Once the sauce has simmered for around 15 minutes, and the meatballs are cooked, add them to the sauce.  Cook for an additional 10 minutes, until the meatballs have absorbed some of the sauce.  While the meatballs are cooking cook the pasta according to package directions.  Once pasta has been cooked, drain, and toss into the sauce over medium heat.  Garnish with parsley and grated Parmesan.

I really liked the fire roasted tomatoes and the cayenne pepper together, it gave the normal tomato sauce a bit of a kick.  The turkey meat balls were great, and again I couldn't tell much of a difference between turkey and ground beef.  I think from now on I'll only use fresh bread crumbs, I could taste the difference as opposed to normal packaged bread crumbs.  Enjoy!

Turkey Meatballs & Spicy Tomato Sauce

Adapted from: Food Network.com

Serves 4 (I cut in half)

Meatballs:

cooking spray

1 pound ground turkey

1slice fresh whole wheat bread, torn into crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 cup finely grated carrot

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 large garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, minced

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

black pepper

16 oz whole wheat penne or spaghetti

Sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 (28 oz) can crushed fire roasted tomatoes, including liquid

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons oregano

salt

To make the meatballs: preheat the broiler.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine the turkey with all other ingredients in a large bowl.

Form into 2 1/2 inch balls and place on baking sheet.

Broil for around 10 minutes, or until browned and almost cooked through.

To make the sauce: heat olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan.

Add the onions and saute for around 3 minutes.

Add garlic and saute for another minute.

Add crushed tomatoes and stir to combine.

Then add tomato paste, cayenne pepper, oregano, and salt.

Bring all ingredients to a boil, reduce heat and cook for approximately 15 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and cook for another 10 minutes.

While the meatballs are cooking in the sauce, cook the pasta according to package directions.

Drain pasta and return to the pot, add the sauce and meatballs. 

Toss and heat through over medium heat.

Divide and garnish with parsley and Parmesan.