Meatball Ingredients

  • 1 lb. (450 grams) ground white turkey
  • ½ tsp. dried oregano
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • ⅔ cup plain breadcrumbs
  • ⅔ cup water

Meatball Directions

  1. Make the sauce first. While it is simmering, prepare the meatballs.
  2. Place the turkey in a medium-sized bowl. Gently mix through the oregano, parsley, eggs, and salt.
  3. In a separate small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and water and let it stand for a minute or two. You want it to thicken but still be soft and loose enough to mix into the turkey. If you let it sit too long, it will become too firm.
  4. With your hands, mix the breadcrumb mixture into the turkey mixture so that it is thoroughly combined and there are no large chunks of the crumbs.
  5. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
  6. Roll the mixture into evenly-sized balls. Wetting your hands between every few meatballs will help keep them smooth.
  7. Once the sauce has finished cooking (recipe below), bring it back to a low boil and drop the rolled meatballs in. Use a wide, deep frying pan. The meatball mixture is quite soft and using a deep pot may cause them to fall apart. Return to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Do not move the meatballs around roughly with a spoon while they are cooking, or they may fall apart. Cover the pan and cook 20-30 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through (cut one or two open to check).
  8. Serve with fresh parsley or basil over the top. Goes well with rice.

Spicy Marinara Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 medium-large onion
  • 1 28-oz (800-gram) can whole tomatoes
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 sprig basil
  • 1 red chili pepper (use two for extra heat)
  • 6 cloves garlic, sliced
  • Salt, to taste
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • Optional: 1 tsp. sugar

Directions

  1. Slice the onion into very thin half rounds.
  2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat (do not use a pot). Add the onions and fry until translucent.
  3. Slice the hot pepper and saute with the onions for a couple of minutes to extract the heat.
  4. Add the canned tomatoes, water, oregano, and garlic. Mix so the ingredients are evenly distributed. Place the basil sprig on top.
  5. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 30-45 minutes. Mash the tomatoes and garlic slices with your mixing spoon as they soften.
  6. Remove the basil sprig and discard.
  7. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Salt will help make the other flavors sing, so add a pinch even if you think it doesn’t need it.
  8. Optional: If you feel your sauce is too acidic, add a teaspoon of sugar.
  9. Blend your sauce so that it’s mostly smoothe, but not fully pureed. Return sauce to the pan.