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Turkey Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

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Turkey Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

I don’t know about you guys, but the Harris-Polak boys have been in an eating frenzy over the last two months. We’ve taken full advantage of holiday treats with reckless abandon and it’s showing in our waistlines. Some friends dropped off a holiday package of cookies and chocolate popcorn last week. I am serious when I say Jim and I sat on the sofa and finished off ever single crumb without batting an eye!

Ten pounds later, we are mustering our willpower and recommiting to lightening things up over the next few weeks. With that said, I have to admit that I am bored silly with salad and grilled chicken. My challenge becomes finding lighter recipes that are satisfying and fun to make.

This post represents my effort at lighter fare, so for this recipe, I used ground turkey instead of beef for the meatballs. Of course, if you served the meatballs with a big bowl of pasta, you couldn’t really consider this dish waistline-friendly, but if you insist on pasta, a small portion of the whole wheat version would be a better choice. Spaghetti squash is also an excellent alternative to serve with these meatballs.

Our diet over the next few weeks will be light on carbohydrates and I was actually completely happy with a bowl of sauce and meatballs and a side salad. If you want to lighten things up to recover from the holidays, I think you’ll enjoy this recipe.

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Turkey Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Serving Size: 3 to 4 meatballs

Turkey Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

For the meatballs

2 pounds ground turkey

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup white wine

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

Instructions

For the meatballs:

1. Combine turkey, onion, breadcrumbs, egg, cheese, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Mix ingredients only until combined. Do not overmix.

2. Form mixture into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls and place on a baking sheet or platter.

For the sauce:

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and saute for 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.

2. Add tomatoes, wine, salt, pepper, sugar, and basil. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

3. Add meatballs to skillet and spoon sauce over them. Cover skillet and simmer over low heat for 20 to 30 minute until meatballs are cooked through.

https://southernboydishes.com/2013/12/30/turkey-meatballs-with-tomato-sauce/

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Comments

  1. I made these last night and they were amazing! Even my red meat loving family were begging for seconds! Just one question… Any idea on the nutrition facts? I’m doing weight watchers and would like to be able to accurately count the poins for a serving size. Thanks!

    Reply

  4. Yeah, I know what you mean about too much happy eating. We need to cut back too. When it comes to meatballs, I actually don’t much like them with pasta. I love them in a hero, or just with sauce, as you made them. I rarely use poultry in meatballs but I should start – much healthier. Anyway, Happy New Year!

    Reply

  7. These meatballs will be on our table soon.We enjoyed your turkey meatloaf too. I don’t keep wine around. Should I sub something else for that or just leave it out?

    Reply

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