Who doesn’t love spaghetti and meatballs? It’s always been one of those comfort foods that I just can’t get enough of, but only when it’s done right. Which is why nowadays the only time I eat spaghetti and meatballs is when I make it myself. From scratch. Even the sauce. Ok, so the spaghetti noodles aren’t from scratch and I use tomatoes from a can, but in my world, that is 100% from scratch.
So, yeah, I know..if you’re a true meatball lover, you probably prefer yours made from beef or a combo of beef, pork, and maybe some veal. Well, I gave up veal long, long ago..just a personal choice. And I also don’t eat much red meat anymore, but when I do, it’s usually in the form of filet mignon or a juicy burger. And yes, I could still make them from beef, but I’d only be able to eat about half as much as I do when I make them from turkey..where’s the fun in that? But seriously, these are so good, I doubt if you’ll miss the beef.
It took me a couple tries to get the right combo of flavors for my turkey meatballs, and I think this recipe is as close to the perfect turkey meatball as I’ll ever get. My first trick is to use half turkey breast and half regular ground turkey which has a little more fat and flavor. I’ve tried them with just turkey breast, and they’re OK but too dry for my taste. The other thing I do is use panko bread crumbs that are soaked in milk so they get nice and soft. I also saute my onions, garlic, and seasonings in olive oil. I’ve tried using raw onions and garlic, but if you’re not a big onion or garlic fan, it can be a little too strong that way. My husband hates onions, but when I make these meatballs, I never notice him picking out the little bits of onion, which means recipe success in my kitchen!
To save even more calories and fat, I bake my meatballs rather than frying them. In fact, I avoided making meatballs for years because I couldn’t stand the mess of frying them. Then one day I saw some chef on TV baking their meatballs, and my meatball-making world was immediately re-opened. No more store-bought bags of frozen meatballs for me!
While your meatballs are baking you can make your sauce. Or not. If you’re in a rush and would rather use sauce from a jar, I won’t judge. But since you’ve already dirtied a pan for your onions and garlic, you’re almost half way there, so why not chop a little more onion, open a couple of cans of tomatoes, pour a little red wine (some for the sauce, some for you), and enjoy the satisfaction of making something so comforting and healthy for yourself and your family. You won’t regret it, I promise!
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ cup panko break crumbs
- ½ cup fat free milk
- 1 egg, beaten
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 pound ground turkey breast, 99% lean
- 1 pound ground turkey, 93% lean
- Preheat oven to 375. Ideally, you should use a cookie sheet with a rack that fits inside it to allow any grease to drain from the meatballs while they cook. If you don’t have a rack, then line your cookie sheet with foil and lightly grease it. If use a rack, you’ll want to lightly grease it as well.
- If you’ll also be making the spaghetti sauce, you can saute your onions and garlic in the same pot that you’ll use to make your sauce. If you’re only making the meatballs, then you can use a small skillet for the onions and garlic.
- Over low heat, saute the onions in the olive oil until they’re very soft, about 10-15 minutes. Add a pinch of salt to the onions which will help them soften. Once the onions are very soft, add the seasonings and garlic and saute about 5 more minutes, stirring often so that onions and garlic do not brown. If needed, add a little more olive oil.
- While the onions are cooking, in a large bowl combine the bread crumbs and milk and set aside.
- Stir the onion and garlic mixture into the bread crumbs, and allow to sit for a few minutes so that the onions and garlic can cool, and so that the bread crumbs can absorb all of the milk and oil.
- Stir the cheese into the bread crumb mixture and taste for seasoning before adding the egg and turkey. Add additional salt and seasoning as needed. You’ll want the seasoning/salt to be a bit stronger than you think it should be because the flavor will become milder once the turkey is added..and you can’t taste for seasoning once you add the turkey!
- Add the beaten egg and mix well. Add the turkey and gently mix with your hands or a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Using a measuring tablespoon, measure out a heaping tablespoon for each meatball..they’ll be just a tiny bit smaller than a ping-pong ball. Using that size as a gauge, you should come out with about 24 meatballs, but feel free to make them any size you like.
- Place the meatballs on the baking rack about an inch apart. You should be able to fit all of them on one cookie sheet.
- Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes or until they are no longer pink inside.
- Add the cooked meatballs to your spaghetti sauce and simmer until ready to serve.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- salt, to taste
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1-2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1-2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 28 ounce can whole or crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups of tomato sauce
- 1 cup of water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons of fresh basil, finely chopped
- Place onion, olive oil, and a pinch of salt in a large pot and saute over medium-low until onions are soft, about 10 minutes, stirring often so that onions don’t brown.
- Add the garlic, seasonings, and tomato paste and saute another 1-2 minutes, stirring often so that the garlic doesn’t brown.
- Add the red wine and increase heat to medium, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Simmer over medium until wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, and sugar. If using whole tomatoes, use your hands to crush them as you add them to the sauce.
- Simmer partially covered for about 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, making sure that the sauce doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and/or spices as needed. Return to low heat and stir in the basil, then add the meatballs. Simmer over low heat until ready to serve.
- Cook your spaghetti according to the package directions and drain. Stir about 1 cup of the sauce into the cooked noodles, then top the noodles with the remaining sauce and the meatballs.
