Friday, March 8, 2013

Garlicky (Turkey) Meatballs

A few weeks ago, I realized I had gotten into a rut with weeknight dinners. I vowed to go through my recipe binder (where I put recipes that I tear out of magazines) and make one new-to-me recipe a week. Michael has been requesting more recipes that include meat, so I thought I would give this one a try. I have never tried making meatballs and wasn't sure if I would like them, but I figured I could just eat the pasta and sauce if I didn't like the meatballs.

I substituted lean turkey for the sirloin, breadcrumbs for panko and dried pasta for fresh, but otherwise followed the recipe. I thought they turned out quite tasty! The leftovers were great, too. I used jarred marinara as the recipe called for, but if you have time for a homemade sauce (or make big batches ahead of time), that would be even better.

Garlicky Meatball Pasta

Ingredients
9 ounces refrigerated fettuccine
12 ounces ground sirloin
1/2 cup panko
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 3/4 cups lower-sodium marinara sauce
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated

Preparation
1. Cook the pasta per directions. Drain over a bowl, and reserve 1/3 cup pasta water.
2. While pasta cooks, combine beef and next 6 ingredients (through egg); shape mixture into 16 meatballs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add marinara and 1/3 cup pasta water. Cover and cook 11 minutes or until meatballs are done. Divide the pasta evenly among 4 plates; top evenly with sauce, meatballs, and cheese.

Robin Bashinsky, Cooking Light
APRIL 2012

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