Spaghetti and (Turkey) Meatballs

 

Who doesn't love spaghetti and meatballs? It is comforting and delicious, and has some sort of romantic quality (yes, too much time watching Lady and the Tramp....). But seriously, it's a home and restaurant favorite for so many people, including myself.

I love making spaghetti and meatballs. You can pan brown them or bake them, and you can make them traditional or you can spice things up with a variety of flavour combinations. In this case, I made my meatballs with ground turkey and lots of yummy, flavourful ingredients including feta cheese and basil. If you prefer other types of meat, you could use beef or a combination of beef and pork. You can even turn this mixture into a meatloaf (just bake in a loaf pan at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 45 minutes, until the meatloaf is cooked through).

Turkey Meatballs

Makes about 36 meatballs

Meatball Ingredients

1 Small Onion, finely chopped

3 cloves Garlic, minced

1 Large Egg

1/2 cup Bread Crumbs

2 tbsp Ketchup

1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

1 tbsp Dried Basil

1/4 cup Crumbled Feta

Salt and pepper 

500 grams Ground Turkey

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 cups Marinara sauce or Pasta sauce of choice

1/2 cup Water

Cooked Spaghetti

Mix together all meatball ingredients except the turkey. Add the turkey and lightly mix by hand until all is incorporated. Shape into about 1" balls.

Coat the bottom of a large frying pan with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs (you might need to do this in batches). Cook until nicely browned on all sides, 3-4 minutes. Drain off excess oil from the pan. Reduce the heat to medium low.  With all of the browned meatballs in the pan, add the tomato sauce and water.  Simmer until the meatballs are fully cooked, about 5-8 minutes. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with spaghetti or pasta of choice