Mini Turkey Meatballs Over Linguine

I found this recipe while searching the internet for a good meatball recipe....it was delicious!

The kids loved it and Sam said I could make it anytime I wanted to. I served it over linguine noodles more like spaghetti with meatballs. I have also used the tomato sauce as a marinara sauce and it was awesome, can get a little watery if you use your canned tomatoes, just pour some of the liquid off before or after cooking. Enjoy!

1 small onion, grated

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 large egg

1/4 cup dried bread crumbs

3 TBSP ketchup

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 cup grated Pecoriono Romano (this was pricey so I bought a bag of italian cheese blend that had this kind of cheese in it...it worked fine).

1 tsp of salt (I omitted this)

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 pound ground dark turkey meat ( I used 99% fat free white turkey, worked great but since the fat content is so low they don't stick together as well as higher fat content would.)

3 TBSP olive oil

26 ounces Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought marinara sauce

Directions:

Add the onion, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, parsley, Parmesan, Pecorino, salt and pepper to a large bowl, mix in the turkey. Shape the turkey mixture into 1 1/4 inch diameter meatballs. Place on a large baking sheet.

Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and saute until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Transfer the meatballs to a plate. Pour off any excess oil. Add the marinara sauce, about 3 cups. Return all the meatballs to the pan. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors blend, 15 to 20 minutes. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

SIMPLE TOMATO SAUCE:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

2 (32 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes (I used a quart of my canned tomatoes, drain at least 1/2 of the juice from the tomatoes before adding though)

4-6 basil leaves (I couldn't find this so I used dried basil flakes)

2 dried bay leaves

4 TBSP unsalted butter, optional (I omitted this)

In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil and bay leaves and simmer covered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check the seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 TBSP at a time to round out the flavors.

Add half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Add back to pan with remaining half of sauce.

If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. They will freeze up to 6 months.