I’m still here!  Let me tell you guys, planning a wedding is not easy peasy.  Lots of late night research, emails and decisions to be made, and of course most of this was done over a thrown together dinner or pre-prepared meal.  However tonight I was actually able to take a break and get into the kitchen, and make some much needed comfort food.  I also threw up a TikTok video of the process, so if you enjoy watching food get made in 15 seconds to some tunes, give me a follow over there @pastalavista_blondie.   Don’t judge me to harshly yet, I’m still learning how to use it, as you can see from my latest video snafu!

These delicious little meatballs are so much lighter than their red meat counter parts, without sacrificing any of the flavor.   I also love them because you can make a large batch all at once and use them in meal prep or dinners throughout the week!  I really need to get better at measuring instead of pinches and dashes when I cook, but I think I got these pretty close for you below.  For this recipe you will need:

Meatballs

• 454 grams of extra lean ground turkey
• 1 large egg
• 10 small dashes of Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of onion powder
• 2 teaspoon of dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon of seasoning salt
• Sprinkle of black pepper
• 1/4 cup of panko crumbs

Sauce

• 1 cup of canned plain crushed tomatoes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon of avocado or light flavor olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar (I add a wee bit more but I like the strong taste)
• 1 teaspoon of dried basil
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

Extras

• Fresh Mozzarella cheese to top (60 grams or 2/3 cup shredded)
• Parsley to garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Put all the meatball ingredients into a bowl and mix well with your hands.  On a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed with oil, roll and place meatballs, about one to two tablespoons in size.  I made nineteen meatballs.  Pop into the oven and bake for 24 minutes. 

While the meatballs are baking, put all ingredients for your sauce in a small sauce pan on low heat and stir.  Cover with lid and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently.  Make sure to taste test and adjust your flavors as needed! 

Remove meatballs from the oven and place into oven safe serving dish.  Top with sauce and fresh mozzarella and pop into oven for just a few minute to melt the cheese.  Once melted, top with fresh parsley and serve.   I love to serve these with garlicky green beans and some French crusty bread with butter, but they would go great on pasta or potatoes as well!  Just a note, if you plan on making them to serve over pasta, double your sauce recipe, this recipe makes enough for just the meatballs.

Don’t forget to share if you make them and let me know what you thought!