Sweet Pepper Meatballs

This is a fabulous recipe for meatballs. I make them all the time. We all love them, especially my daughter. My goal is to incorporate some kind of vegetable into the meat and make the dish more healthy.

In this case, I took a jar of fire roasted peppers and processed them. I added the puree into the meat. It gave the meatballs a delicious, sweet flavor and a soft texture.

A typical meatball recipe usually includes white bread soaked in milk. I have added breadcrumbs to bind the meat in the past. This time I decided to soak the breadcrumbs in milk and added it to the meat. It made the meatballs extremely soft and delicious.

I cooked the meatballs in homemade marinara sauce and the result was amazing. We had my daughter’s friend over for dinner and everyone enjoyed the meal.

Try these next time you feel like eating meatballs…

• 1½ pounds ground turkey (dark meat)

• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Heat a small frying pan. Add the oil, onions and garlic. Saute on medium heat till the onions become translucent- about 3 to 4 minutes. Keep aside.

• ½ cup fire roasted red and yellow peppers (Trader Joes)

Add the peppers and the onion mixture to a food processor and process till smooth.
Take the mixture out into a medium bowl.

• ½ cup panko crumbs
• ¼ cup milk

Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for 15 minutes.

• 1 egg
• ½ cup Pecorino, shredded
• ½ cup parsley, chopped
• 2 teaspoons salt

Add the soaked breadcrumbs, egg, cheese, parsley and salt into the pepper mixture. Mix well and add to the ground turkey. Mix with both hands. Keep aside.

Marinara Sauce

• 1 can (28 oz) cherry tomatoes (or any other)- put through the food mill
• 1 small yellow onion, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• A pinch of sugar

Heat a heavy, wide saucepan with the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, thyme, basil, salt and sugar. Mix well and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook for at least 20 minutes.

In the meantime form meatballs (the mixture makes about 20 meatballs). Drop the meatballs into the simmering sauce as you form them. Once all the meatballs are in the saucepan, simmer covered for 15 minutes. Check for seasonings and serve with spaghetti.

• 1 pound spaghetti, cooked al dente
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 2 teaspoons salt

Once the pasta is done, drain it well and place it back into the pan. Add the oil, basil and salt. Mix well and keep ready for the meatballs.

Serve the meatballs on top of the seasoned spaghetti.