Turkey Meatball Pasta with Light Marinara Sauce

COOK THIS

• Preheat oven to 400°F . Bake using a wire rack on a baking sheet.  There will be drainage, so make sure the baking pan has edges.
• In a medium bowl mix the ground turkey, seasonings, parmesan cheese, egg, garlic and bread crumbs.  Best to do this with your hands or a large spoon.  Make sure the egg is fully mixed together.
• Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a wire rack.  Bake for 15-20 minutes and temp to 165°.
• In a large pot, boil water.  Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and then add the pasta.  Follow the package recommended cook time.  Once you can cut through with a fork with no less than firm pressure, you will have perfect “firm to the bite” pasta, “al dente”.   Keep ½ cup of the water, drain the rest, rinse and set aside.

• Expert tip:  If you can plan the pasta to complete at the same time as the sauce then you do not need to rinse the pasta.  The starch from the pasta will thicken most any sauce.  This is helpful for natural sauces that don’t naturally thicken or don’t contain cheeses.   Examples are lemon butter, homemade marinara, marsala, etc…

• In a deep skillet or cast iron on medium-high heat, add oil, tomatoes (sliced in half), pepper and garlic and saute until the tomatoes start to break down.  Do not over stir.  Best to move gently around without an actual stir.  The tomatoes should keep their shape. Once they look brownish or soft, add the water or broth.  Add additional salt or pepper if needed.  Simmer until slightly reduced/thickened.  
• Serve pasta, top with sauce and meatballs.  Garnish with thinly sliced fresh basil and shaved or grated parmesan.

INGREDIENTS

‍

Meatballs

• 1 pound ground turkey
• ⅓ cup parmesan cheese - shredded
• 1 large egg
• 1 garlic cloves or 2 roasted garlic
• ½ cup Panko bread crumbs or Italian Bread Crumbs
• 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning OR 1 tablespoons dried basil and  ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

‍

Sauce

• 20-30 grape or cherry tomatoes - Sliced into halves - tri-color if available, green, yellow and red.
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 garlic cloves or 2 roasted garlic cloves
• ½ cup of pasta water or chicken broth
• 2 pinches of salt or a small amount ¼ teaspoon
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• Recommended Pasta:  Bow Tie (Farfalle), Linguine, Gemilli, or Rigatoni

‍

COOK THIS

• Preheat oven to 400°F . Bake using a wire rack on a baking sheet.  There will be drainage, so make sure the baking pan has edges.
• In a medium bowl mix the ground turkey, seasonings, parmesan cheese, egg, garlic and bread crumbs.  Best to do this with your hands or a large spoon.  Make sure the egg is fully mixed together.
• Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a wire rack.  Bake for 15-20 minutes and temp to 165°.
• In a large pot, boil water.  Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and then add the pasta.  Follow the package recommended cook time.  Once you can cut through with a fork with no less than firm pressure, you will have perfect “firm to the bite” pasta, “al dente”.   Keep ½ cup of the water, drain the rest, rinse and set aside.

• Expert tip:  If you can plan the pasta to complete at the same time as the sauce then you do not need to rinse the pasta.  The starch from the pasta will thicken most any sauce.  This is helpful for natural sauces that don’t naturally thicken or don’t contain cheeses.   Examples are lemon butter, homemade marinara, marsala, etc…

• In a deep skillet or cast iron on medium-high heat, add oil, tomatoes (sliced in half), pepper and garlic and saute until the tomatoes start to break down.  Do not over stir.  Best to move gently around without an actual stir.  The tomatoes should keep their shape. Once they look brownish or soft, add the water or broth.  Add additional salt or pepper if needed.  Simmer until slightly reduced/thickened.  
• Serve pasta, top with sauce and meatballs.  Garnish with thinly sliced fresh basil and shaved or grated parmesan.