Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Tender meatballs filled with onions and Parmesan, bathed in plenty of tomato sauce, are classics in every way except for one: They call for turkey instead of the usual beef. Turkey has less saturated fat, making them heart healthy. One serving provides 31 grams of lean protein and it's a great source of B vitamins and minerals such as zinc and magnesium. Serve them over whole grain pasta or brown rice. To make it a Paleo meal, accompany with a side of broccoli.
Makes: 4-6 servings
Time to cook: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, more for serving, if desired
- ½ cup Panko or other plain dried bread crumbs
- ¼ cup minced onion
- ¼ cup chopped chives or basil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1½ pounds 93% lean ground turkey, very cold
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
- 3 cups marinara sauce, more to taste (I recommend Muir Glen or Rao's)
Cooking Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine cheese, bread crumbs, onion, chives, garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano, and mix well. Add turkey and egg and blend with your hands until well mixed. If you’ve got time, cover mixture and chill for an hour or up to 24 hours. These are easiest to form into balls while very cold. Form into 28 meatballs, each about 1¼-inches in diameter.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large sauté pan. When hot, add enough of the meatballs to fit in one layer without crowding, and brown on all sides, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate, add another tablespoon of oil to pan and brown another layer of meatballs, transferring them to the plate as they brown. Repeat until all meatballs are browned, adding more oil to the pan as needed.
- When meatballs are all browned, add marinara sauce to pan and bring to a simmer, scraping up the browned bits on the pan bottom. Return meatballs and their juices to pan, shake pan to cover the meatballs with sauce, and lower heat. Partly cover pan and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Serve hot, drizzled with more olive oil and sprinkled with more cheese and chopped basil, if you like.
Nutrition per serving
394 calories; 22 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 31 grams protein; 768 milligrams sodium.
Recipe by Melissa Clark, NY Times Cooking
