It's not that I've abandoned my cooking, but I wanted meatballs. But with no pasta. I wanted salad with my meatballs. The husband did not. He wanted pasta.
Solution, make the one and only box of Kraft dinner in our house. For the record I did not buy it, my mother did. She thinks the husband needs treats. I think anything with day-glo orange cheese should not be consumed by anyone. My mother disagrees.
But in this moment of weakness, I made the pasta, which is the same colour as a plastic road cone, for the husband. And he ate all of it.
I did make my meatballs though. They are amazing and shockingly easy. They taste as if they are covered in cheese, but have absolutely none in them. They are excellent on their own for a main course, but could also be served with spaghetti or made mini and used as an appetizer. Sliders anyone?
Baked turkey meatballs
[ adapted from smitten kitchen ]
3 slices italian bread, torn up into small pieces
1/3 cup milk
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 egg
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 pound ground turkey *
Place torn bread in a small bowl, pour milk over and let sit to absorb milk, about 4 minutes.
Meanwhile in a medium saucepan heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat, cook onion and garlic with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper until onions are translucent and soft, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Drain bread thoroughly and discard any extra milk. In a large bowl mix together egg, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, turkey, onion and bread. I used my hands, works best.
In a glass Pyrex dish or any four sided pan, form 12 meatballs about 1/2 inch apart. In a small bowl, mix together remaining tablespoon of tomato paste and olive oil. Mix together as best as you can, it doesn't really mix well and spoon over each meatball.
Bake meatballs at 400 degrees for about 25 - 30 minutes or until just cooked.
* look for ground turkey that has some thigh in it. It has a higher fat content which makes the meat much juicier. Could also be labeled as 80/20 blend.
