A classic Italian recipe that we have made healthy - using 50% turkey and baking the meatballs instead of frying. You’ll never notice the difference – and it means you can have an extra couple without feeling guilty!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Ingredients

Tomato sauce

Olive oil, onion, garlic, tomatoes, fish sauce, anchovies and chili (optional), fresh or dried herbs, season as needed with salt, pepper, lemon juice, sugar (for longer instructions see our Pasta alla Norma recipe.
The Meatballs

1 pound of ground beef (low fat)
1 pound of ground turkey
1 onion finely chopped
2 - 3 cloves of garlic – crushed
1 egg (add another if mixture is too dry)
2 cups of fresh breadcrumbs made from 2 – 3 slices bread (sour dough or Italian style works well)
Herbs – generous amount of your favorite fresh or dried herbs – fresh chopped thyme works well or dried oregano or marjoram 
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
Red cayenne chili flakes
Splash of Worcestershire sauce
1 – 2 tablespoons of ketchup

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Combine all ingredients in large bowl – mix well.
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These are the main ingredients for the meatballs.
3. Use hands to shape mixture into small balls – about 1 to 1.5” in diameter.
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Size is really up to you - some Italian restaurants serve meatballs as big as plums.
4. Place meatballs in the oven using a flat tray and parchment paper. 
Timing

Your pasta will take about 30 minutes - including time to boil the water and cook the pasta - so you should have the water on by now.

Your tomato sauce will take about 30 minutes to simmer down to a nice consistency - so you should have the onions and the garlic nicely softened and the tomato slurry added by the time the meatballs go in the oven.
5. Cook the meatballs for about 10 – 15 minutes (longer if larger than shown) until done. (Check/sample after about 10 minutes - they must be cooked through.)

6. Serve with your sauce (they call it "gravy" in the East), pasta and top with basil - if you wanna be fancy.