TURKEY MEATBALLS

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This is an easy family mid-week meal that uses turkey mince as it’s a healthier alternative to beef. We have used a shop bought passata or pasta sauce to keep this quick and hassle free! The meatball is a mysterious staple in food history, as no one really knows where and how the first meatball originated. Meatballs come in all sizes and are found in cultures across the world, from the Swedish kottbullar (the giant meatballs popularised by Ikea) and Chinese lion’s heads balls to Spanish albondigas and Vietnamese pho bo vien (noodle soup with meatballs).

Ingredients

25ml Olive oil
3 Garlic cloves (finely chopped)
30g Shallot (finely chopped)
250g Turkey mince
1 Egg
20g Tomato purée
1g Oregano
2g Basil
10g Parsley (chopped)
35g Grana Padano
20g Whole wheat breadcrumbs
Pinch of salt and pepper
1 jar Tomato passata or pasta sauce
Parsley (handful of chopped for garnish)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 7/190C/375F/170C Fan

2. Heat a large pan over a medium heat then add 20ml of olive oil, shallot and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until soft

3. Add the turkey mince and cook for a further 5 minutes until the turkey reaches core temperature

4. Remove from the heat and allow to cool

5. Chop all the herbs and grate the Grana Padano

6. In a bowl mix the turkey, egg, 1 tsp of olive oil, tomato purée, parsley, basil, oregano, Grana Padano, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper and mix until combined

7. Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized bowl

8. Use a spoon to scoop out balls of mixture then carefully form into balls and arrange on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes

9. Remove meatballs from oven ready for service

10. Serve 3 meatballs with cooked spaghetti or your favourite pasta, topped with a large spoon of warm tomato pasta sauce

11. Finish with chopped parsley

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