Turkey Meatballs
Tomato Sauce:
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2 sweet Italian chicken sausages or 1 hot Italian sausages (optional)
1- (32 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
1 small can (16 oz) of the Muir Glen Fire Roasted diced tomatoes
1 small can (8 oz) of tomato sauce (save 2Tbls for meatballs below)
2 Tbls tomato paste
1 big sweet onion (save 1/4 cup for meatballs)-chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced and cut into small pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced or diced fine
2 Tbls chopped parsley (fresh if you can; if not, dried is fine)
2 Tbls olive oil
1 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper
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Brown the sausages slightly or just add it to the pot. Discard its juices (i.e. fat run off).
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Mix all ingredients together and cook in a crock-pot for a few hours on low heat. Or you can also simmer (low heat) on stove top for a few hours.
Turkey Meatballs:
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1-pound ground turkey (white or dark meat)
1⁄4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbls tomato sauce (from above)
1/4 cup onion (from above)
2 Tbls chopped parsley (fresh if you can; if not, dried is fine)
Salt & pepper to taste
Minced or powdered garlic (optional)
2 Tbls olive oil
1⁄2 cup of flour- put in a large baggie (for frying if you prefer not to bake)
2 Tbls grated parmesan cheese (optional)
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Mix all ingredients together, except the flour.
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Form the turkey mix into 1 to 1-1⁄2 inch balls and dredge them in flour in the baggie, if you are going to pan fry. Roll each meatball in your hand to make into a round ball and remove excess flour (if baking, don’t roll in flour). Warning, this gets messy!
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To pan fry: Add olive oil to deep skillet and then add meatballs. Cook them over medium heat for 5-8 minutes on each side. Turn once to brown both sides.
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To bake: Spray a cookie sheet or pan with oil. Add meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. You can turn them over halfway through, if you like.
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You can also add the meatballs into the (simmering) tomato sauce once they have been partially fried or baked if you want to cut down on cooking time. They will continue to cook in the hot sauce.
Note: I serve mine with whole grain pasta and I steam off greens, like spinach, brussel sprouts, or broccoli and to go with it as an accompaniment.
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