When I think of a meal that is perfect for the whole family, Spaghetti and Meatballs usually comes to my mind. It has certainly always been a household staple for me and my family. Something I love about it is that it can be made in so many different ways. Spaghetti and Meatballs is the kind of meal you can have at least once a week and not be tired of it. I love making it for friends as well, because if they are picky eaters, it is a common food that they have tried before so they know exactly what they are getting.

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I start with a homemade marinara sauce, some packaged pasta that I boil according to the package instructions and some ground meat for the hearty meatballs. I love making my meatballs extra large. I think they are gorgeous that way and full of flavor and moisture. The meatballs that I make in this dish are made with Ground Turkey as opposed to beef or pork. I like using Turkey because it is a lot leaner.

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Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs

Recipe by Recipe Helper

Course: DinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

20

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Ingredients

• For the Spaghetti Pasta:

• 1 package 1 of spaghetti pasta, cooked according to package instructions

• For the Sauce:

• 28 ounces 28 diced tomatoes

• 1/2 cup 1/2 onion, diced

• 1 tablespoon 1 olive oil

• 2 teaspoons 2 chopped garlic (about 2 cloves)

• 2 teaspoons 2 Italian seasoning

• 1 teaspoon 1 granulated sugar

• For the Turkey Meatballs:

• 1 pound 1 ground turkey

• 1 1 medium sized egg

• 1 slice 1 white bread, torn up

  

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• 1/2 cup 1/2 bread crumbs

• 1/2 cup 1/2 onion, finely diced

• 2 tablespoons 2 chopped garlic (about 2 cloves)

• 1 1/2 tablespoons 1 1/2  onion powder

• 1 tablespoon 1 Italian seasoning

• 2 teaspoons 2 Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon 1 black pepper

• 1 teaspoon 1 salt

Directions

• For the Turkey Meatballs: 
  
• Preheat the oven to 350° F/177° C. In a large bowl, mix together: ground turkey, egg, onion, garlic, onion powder, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, salt, bread crumbs and bread. Combine well.
  
• Using a tablespoon roll into large balls and place about 1 inch apart on a greased or foil lined baking sheet.
• Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, toss the meatballs in the spaghetti sauce and serve over spaghetti pasta.
• For the Sauce:
• In a pot over medium heat, combine diced tomatoes, olive oil, sugar, Italian seasoning, garlic, and onion. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

Since Ground Turkey is leaner,  it really does not have that much flavor or fat. It is also drier than ground beef. Do not let this turn you off because this part is where you can show off your quality home cooking skills. You are going to get up in that meat mixture and flavor it up with plenty of robust ingredients. To add plenty of flavor, you will use: freshly chopped garlic, finely diced onion, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt and pepper to taste. You can also use garlic powder as a replacement for freshly chopped garlic. Do not skimp on these seasonings. It is important to really season the meat. When you bite into one of these turkey meatballs, you want to be able to taste every flavoring you used!

To add moisture, simply crack one egg and you are good to go! As a binding agent, I use breadcrumbs AND a slice of white bread. I use both because the ground Turkey is already wet as is. It gets really moist with the added egg so the combination of bread crumbs and sliced bread works perfectly. Combine it all and it is now perfectly put together! 

Next, it is time to actually form the meatballs. Now, this part gets a little messy. You are certainly welcome to wear gloves if you cannot bear the feel of raw meat on your hands. This part is quick. I promise!

Since we are dealing with raw meat and raw egg, be sure to wash your hands really well before touching the oven door or anything else to avoid any cross contamination. I want you to enjoy this cooking process and something that makes the process enjoyable is practicing food safety! 

Since we are making these meatballs large, take a heaping tablespoon of meat and roll it between the palm of your hands into a ball. Place on the baking sheet and repeat. Make sure these meatballs are about 1 inch apart from each other for best results. Bake these for 15 minutes and then toss them in that special homemade sauce. The sauce takes about 20 minutes to simmer. It is simply diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar, Italian seasoning fresh garlic and diced onion. Plate the sauce and meatballs onto a heaping pile of spaghetti pasta. See how simple this meal can be? Your tastebuds will surely thank you for such a delicious meal.

Enjoy!

-Madison

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