Happy Friday foodie friends! This week I’m excited to share a recipe for meatballs that I’m quite happy with. I took a concept I saw for a burger on a cooking show and decided to turn it into a recipe for meatballs. It’s a great way to incorporate some veggies into the classic spaghetti & meatballs recipe! I cooked it, ate it and really enjoyed it, so I’m excited to share it.
The meatballs came out flavorful, juicy & tender. Making the meatballs bite sized made the dish easier to eat and enjoy with the pasta. This is a meal you can put together in a reasonable amount of time and it’s yummy.
Get Cooking: This is not a recipe that involves a lot of exact measurements. Start by chopping a few cloves of garlic, flat leafed parsley & grating about 1 cup of Romano cheese (Parmesan is fine, but I personally prefer Romano). I eyeball when I measure for this. When I say palm, I literally mean that I measure with my hands. 1 palm is about equal to 2 tablespoons.
Mix:
- About 1.5 lbs. of ground turkey
- 1 small package of frozen, chopped spinach (very well drained)
- 1 palm full of chopped, fresh flat leafed parsley
- 2 palms seasoned bread crumbs
- 2 palms grated Romano
- 1 egg
- 2 cloves of minced fresh garlic
- Salt & pepper to taste (suggested: teaspoon of salt & 4 or 5 twists of the pepper grinder)
- Fresh herbs: I use a tablespoon or so of my house blend, which is what I have on hand from my garden. It’s usually thyme, oregano, rosemary and in season a tiny bit of sage. Grind/chop them well.
Tip: Mix gently. Use your hands to incorporate the ingredients. Over-mixing will make the meat get tough.
Cook: Roll meatballs into small balls (half the size of a golf ball). Coat the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil, drop in the meatballs. Bake at 425 until meatballs are golden. Toss into your sauce (use the recipe found in my eggplant parm recipe for your sauce. Let simmer for about 15 minutes. Take your pasta (cooked according to package instructions) and toss it in with the pasta & meatballs. Pasta is always best if you let it rest & soak up the sauce/flavors for about 10 minutes or so.
Serve: Pasta bowls are best if you have them, but not a huge deal. Use your favorite dishes. Shave some fresh Romano over the top with a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley.
This really is a great recipe and I would be surprised (somewhat) if your dinner guests even notice that you used turkey & a healthy veggie in the meatballs. Try it out. Let me know. I’m always open to comments or suggestions. Email me.