Tender Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Basil Sauce
There's no lengthy cooking times, no baking, and no searing these meatballs. Instead, they are simmered in a simple tomato basil sauce. Have a light touch when mixing and forming the meatballs. Also, when you add them to the sauce, be careful not to stir the sauce for about 10 minutes so the meatballs have a chance to firm up. Once they've cooked and firmed up a bit, you can stir normally. Serve these alone with a dollop of ricotta cheese, over spaghetti, or with rustic bread.
There's no lengthy cooking times, no baking, and no searing these meatballs. Instead, they are simmered in a simple tomato basil sauce. Have a light touch when mixing and forming the meatballs. Also, when you add them to the sauce, be careful not to stir the sauce for about 10 minutes so the meatballs have a chance to firm up. Once they've cooked and firmed up a bit, you can stir normally. Serve these alone with a dollop of ricotta cheese, over spaghetti, or with rustic bread.
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 large basil sprig plus handful ofâ torn basil leaves
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs or regular breadcrumbs
- 1 1/2 ounces parmigiano-reggiano cheese, coarsely grated (gene
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves and tender stems chopped
- 1 pound ground turkey (93% lean)
- Carbohydrate 19.3561842546336 g
- Cholesterol 55.8750000025361 mg
- Fat 6.32557124271853 g
- Fiber 4.59283198392856 g
- Protein 6.54649259179561 g
- Saturated Fat 1.52582857070621 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (393g)
- Sodium 318.676778693468 mg
- Sugar 14.7633522707051 g
- Trans Fat 0.620915120798011 g
- Calories 145 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large skillet with sides and lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the garlic and red pepper flakes then cook 30 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until the color turns from bright red to orange, about 2 minutes.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer.
- Add the basil sprig then taste for seasoning. Adjust with additional salt if needed.
- Continue to simmer while you prepare the meatballs.
- Stir breadcrumbs and milk in a large bowl, and then let sit 5 minutes.
- Add the egg, cheese, parsley, oregano, and the salt. Stir until well blended.
- Add the ground turkey and use a fork or your fingers to gently mix everything together until combined. For the most tender meatballs, try your best not to over mix.
- Wet your hands, and then form the mixture into 1-inch balls. You should get about 24 meatballs.
- Gently drop the meatballs into tomato sauce. (It’s okay if some are not completely covered by the sauce).
- Cover the skillet and cook 20 minutes.
- Gently shimmy the skillet to move the meatballs around a little and then cook another 5 to 10 minutes or until the meatballs are thoroughly cooked.
- Just before serving, scatter torn basil leaves over meatballs and sauce.
Vibrant orange tomato sauce bubbles gently around pale, rounded spheres of poultry, releasing the sharp aroma of toasted garlic and bruised basil. Ground turkey possesses very little intramuscular fat compared to beef or pork, which creates a severe structural vulnerability in the kitchen. Without adequate moisture retention, lean proteins tighten excessively during cooking, yielding dense, rubbery pellets rather than succulent morsels.
Breadcrumbs soaked in milk form a panade that traps moisture inside the meat matrix before cooking begins. Combining this mixture with the ground turkey requires a light touch, using fingers to gently incorporate ingredients without compressing the protein fibers. Dropping raw formed spheres directly into simmering liquid eliminates the drying effects of high-heat browning pans or dry oven heat.
Equipment requirements demand a wide skillet with matching sides and a lid to trap steam efficiently during the 20-minute covered simmer. Cooks lacking a deep skillet can substitute a wide Dutch oven, provided the diameter accommodates a single layer of meatballs without overcrowding. Avoiding initial stirring for the first 10 minutes prevents the raw meat from disintegrating into the liquid before proteins denature and firm up.
Finishing the dish involves scattering torn basil leaves over the surface just before plating. Pairing options include serving these proteins over long strands of spaghetti or alongside rustic, crusty bread designed for soaking up leftover sauce.
