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Big sauce night

Awhile back John and unofficially made sunday "big sauce night" basically we'd have some kind of pasta with red sauce. We got out of the habit for awhile but we brought it back last night with a bang!! It was a beautiful day here, the perfect kind for raking leaves. Crisp blue skies, a slight chill in the air, beautiful. Last night the menu was thin spaghetti with turkey meatballs. I've taken a recipe that was originally from my Aunt and switched it up a bit, I LOVE these meatballs, perfectly garlicky and tender, what more could you ask for??


Turkey Meatballs (adapted from Aunt Carols recipe)
1 lb. ground 99% fat free turkey (Aunt Carol uses... beef or a combination of beef, veal and pork)
1/2 cup grated cheese (Parmesan, Romano or a combination of these) (I used part skim)
1/2 cup panko (Aunt Carol uses Italian flavored breadcrumbs)
1 egg
1 medium onion, chopped or diced fine
3 or 4 good size garlic cloves,put through a garlic press or diced very fine
1 rounded tablespoon (about) finely minced parsley
Salt, pepper and Italian seasoning to taste
(Taste the mixture before adding salt. The cheese and breadcrumbs contain salt)
1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms (I added these to keep the moisture level up since we got rid of a lot of the fat by using the lean turkey)

Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. If mixture is a little dry, add some water, a little at a time, until proper consistency is reached. Roll into meatballs, fry lightly on each side in a small amount of olive oil (I used olive oil in a mister spray bottle). When almost all the way cooked through, add spaghetti sauce and cover to steam cook them until done.

Note from Aunt Carol: You can double, triple, etc. this recipe. Also, I find that the beef, veal and pork combination make a softer meatball. Hope you like them!

16 chews:

Anonymous said...

Meatballs do sound perfect for dinner today! Very yummy!

Anonymous said...

I wrote about sauce today too, but not the fabulous kind you are talkig. That does sound like a great dinner choice!

Ang said...

I love meatballs. I never make them though because I'm always afraid they won't be cooked enough.

Natalie said...

Yum this looks good, I would love to make it for myself! Kyle would laugh if I told him we were having turkey for dinner (hes so red meat stubborn) but I think it looks great!!

stephchows said...

5 star foodie- I'm already ready for the leftovers!

sunshinemeg- great minds think alike!

ang- no worries ang! just steam them with the sauce and they will cook through without drying out. You can always use a thermometer to check the temp, but I normally just break one in half and do the eyeball test :)

Natalie- You could totally do this half beef half turkey and just don't tell him ;) bet he'd never know! Or just use a lean beef. YUM

Pam said...

Sometimes you just need a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. This looks really delicious.

I don't know if this would dry out the turkey too much, but it works great with the beef or the mixture. Place the meatballs on a disposable aluminum broiler pan and stick them in a 350 degree oven for about twenty minutes. The grease drains out of them. Then put them in the sauce to cook further or just serve.

Christina said...

oh my, this is definitely going on my ever growing list of stuff recipes to try (that you've shared!!)

Heather said...

i love making meatballs! these look delicious! i love tons of garlic :)

Looks great, Steph! I think I need to have a big sauce night too!

There's a package of ground turkey thawing in my fridge right now. I know what I'm making with it tomorrow. Thanks Steph....looks delicious!

Juliana said...

Turkey meatballs, sounds yummie and very healthy...

Reeni said...

I love your Sunday tradition - such comfort! Your meatballs look delicious!

Awww, Sunday supper. Fun tradition. The garlicky, the better!

Astra Libris said...

I love the idea of a big sauce night! Too cool!! :-) Such a glorious meal, too, with the beautiful healthy meatballs...

Steph said...

I really need to try ground turkey... can you believe I've never had it before? The pasta looks really yummy!

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