Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

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Adapted From New York Times

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• 1 ½ pounds ground turkey
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, plain bread crumbs, or oats
• ¼ cup onion, minced (like to grate the onions or cook them until soft)
• ¼ cup chives or basil, chopped (I use Italian parsley)
• 2 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane or minced
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
•  Pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or more as needed to sauté)
• 3 cups marinara sauce (see recipe for Simple Delicious Tomato Sauce)

1. In a large bowl, combine cheese, bread crumbs, onion, chives, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes.
2. Add turkey and egg and blend well. Form into 28 meatballs, each about 1 1/4-inches in diameter.
3. Pan fry (see step 4) or place on a sheet pan, brush with a bit of olive oil, and bake at 400 for 25 minutes).
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large sauté pan. When hot, add enough of the meatballs to fit in one layer without crowding, and brown on all sides, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from pan, add another tablespoon of olive oil, and brown another batch of meatballs. Repeat until all meatballs are browned, adding more oil as needed.
5. Remove the last batch of meatballs and add the marinara sauce to pan; bring to a simmer, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
6. Return meatballs and their juices to pan, shake pan to cover the meatballs with sauce, and lower heat. Partly cover pan and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes.

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Adapted from jennieo.com (this recipe uses the same ingredients as the recipe for Favorite Turkey Meatoaf).

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup onion, minced
• Milk
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan or Pecorino Romano
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
• 1 pound lean ground turkey

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1. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, Add enough milk to the breadcrumbs to moisten them.
3. Pour the onion mixture into a bowl and stir in bread crumbs, parmesan, egg, salt, and pepper; mix well.
4. Add turkey to the bowl and mix well with your hands.
5. Dampen your hands with water and roll meatballs into golf ball sized pieces.
6. Heat a skillet (or use the oven – see Notes) and coat the bottom with a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook the meatballs until browned all over. They fill not be completely cooked through.
7. Pour in crushed tomatoes or use use my recipe for “Simple Delicious Marinara Sauce”. Simmer until the meatballs have cooked through and the sauce has thickened.