My lightened up Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs features multigrain spaghetti and flavorful turkey meatballs that are baked in the oven.
This is my first “Recipe Resuscitation” post where I’ll be creating a healthier spin on a classic dish. This recipe is my version of one of my favorite comfort dishes- spaghetti and meatballs.
Why These Meatballs are Lighter than traditional meatballs
Traditionally, Italian meatballs are made using a combination of beef, pork, and veal and most often they’re shallow fried before being simmered in tomato sauce. In my Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs, I use ground turkey instead, which is lower in calories and fat. I also bake my meatballs in the oven instead of frying them oil, thus lightening them up even more. Then I finish the meatballs by simmering them in my quick homemade tomato sauce.
How to make the meatballs moist and flavorful
The key to using ground turkey is to infuse it with ingredients that add a lot of flavor and moisture to the meat. I have two secrets to ensuring a delicate, moist meatball. First, using a box grater, I add grated onion to the meat. And second, I incorporate bread that’s soaked in milk. Both add moisture to the meatballs, and the bread also acts as a binder to hold them together. Be careful not to overwork the meat when you’re mixing all of the ingredients together otherwise the finished product will become tough.
Whole Grain Pasta instead of Traditional Pasta
Instead of regular pasta I like to use multigrain pasta like Barilla Protein Plus, which is made with ingredients like flaxseed, barley and oats along plus protein-rich chickpeas, lentils, and egg whites. I also like to make this dish with quinoa spaghetti, which is a whole grain pasta. Whole grains are packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. To learn more about the health benefits of whole grains, read my post Everything You Need to Know About Whole Grains.
So the next time you’re looking to make a hearty, comforting Sunday dinner without feeling guilty about the calories, try out this recipe!
Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb. whole grain spaghetti
Meatballs:
- 2 slices whole wheat bread, crusts cut off
- ½ cup milk
- 1 package (1.2 lbs.) ground turkey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup grated yellow onion (about 1 small onion)
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Tomato Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 (28-oz) cans crushed San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the quinoa spaghetti according to package directions. Do not overcook. Drain and set aside.
- To make the meatballs, soak the bread in the milk in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the ground turkey, garlic, grated onion, parsley, egg, cheese, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Remove the bread from the milk and squeeze out any excess liquid. Break the bread up into small pieces and add it to the turkey mixture. Mix to combine being careful not to overmix the meat. Form the meat into approximately 16 meatballs, about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Place the meatballs on a lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
- While the meatballs are baking, make the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, another 2-3 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, sugar, red pepper flakes, and oregano and stir to combine well. Simmer while the meatballs are baking.
- When the meatballs are done, remove them from the oven and add them to the sauce. Cover the pan and simmer them in the sauce about 15 minutes, until they are completely cooked through. Stir in the fresh basil. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
- To serve, toss the cooked spaghetti with the tomato sauce and place in a large serving bowl. Arrange the turkey meatballs on top. Garnish with sprigs of fresh basil. Serve with crusty Italian bread and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on the side.
I just made this tonight. It was amazing! Thank you so much for sharing! Now I've got left overs for the next few days. Awesome. =)
Thanks Nerd_Alert! I'm happy the dish turned out so well!
Thus sounds really good. Thanks for the tips on how to make the turkey meatballs moist. I've never tried quinoa pasta do will put that on my shopping list!
MRock
Thanks, Melissa! I love quinoa pasta, especially the spaghetti. I like the texture and flavor even better than whole wheat pasta.
I shared this dish on Amee's Savory Dish- http://www.ameessavorydish.com/2012/04/fit-and-fabulous-fridays-28.html
So delish, Sonali!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe on Fit and Fabulous Fridays! I need to try the quinoa spaghetti!
I just linked up this recipe on Recipes for My Boys' Thursday's Treasures co-hosted by Chocolate, Chocolate and more Chocolate- there are so many great recipes to check out!
(http://www.recipesformyboys.com/2012/05/thursdays-treasures-1st-co-host-is-joan.html)
I really love this healthier version! I'm going to try the quinoa pasta soon. Thank you for sharing on Thursday's Treasures Week 33. I hope you will join again soon. <3 and hugs! http://www.recipesformyboys.com/2012/05/thursdays-treasures-1st-co-host-is-joan.html Open all week.
Made these meatballs tonight and they were awesome! My only changes were I substituted dried Italian herbs for the parsley and used 100% whole grain bread. I als made your Caribbean fish tacos last night with Mahi Mahi
Keep these fantastic recipes coming 🙂
To make this recipe even HEALTHIER I add to the meatballs – instead of the bread – a few tablespoons of wheatgerm: does the same job and even better! try it! 🙂 ETI(I am a physician M.D too)
Spaghetti and meatball are my favorite. I think it make an awesome taste for me in today.
yuuummyy….. this look very delicius… thanks for share this recipes