| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 40 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Cook: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup plain dried bread crumbs
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 3/4 cup grated Romano
- 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound ground turkey, preferably dark meat
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 cups tomato sauce
- 1 pound dried penne pasta
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add bread crumbs, eggs, milk, 1/2 cup Romano, parsley, salt and pepper and mix well. Add turkey and gently combine, being careful not to overwork the meat. Shape into golf-size balls.
- In a large skillet heat the oil over medium high heat. When almost smoking, add meatballs and without moving or turning the meat, allow it to brown for about 3 minutes. Turn meatballs and brown other side. Continue to cook until all sides are golden brown, about 8 minutes total. Add tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Lower heat and allow meatballs to simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and keep warm on stove. Be careful not to over handle the meatballs since they are soft and fragile.
- In a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain pasta in a colander. Do not rinse pasta with water since you want to retain the pasta’s natural starches so that the sauce will cling to the penne.
- Remove meatballs from sauce and place in serving bowl. Pour some tomato sauce over meatballs, but leave about 2/3 cup of sauce in skillet. Place the cooked penne into the skillet with the remaining sauce and toss well. Pour sauced pasta in a large serving bowl. Serve alongside the meatballs. Sprinkle remaining Romano on top.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 620 |
| Total Fat | 21 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 73 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 10 g |
| Protein | 37 g |
| Cholesterol | 127 mg |
| Sodium | 1329 mg |
Reviews
Delicious! My go to recipe for sauce and meatballs. The sauce has such great flavor. It must be the carrots. The meatballs are so tender. This makes a great meal!
These are our favorite meatballs! I omit the parsley, and add some dried Italian herbs and a pinch of red pepper flakes. You do have to be very gentle with the meatballs in the pan but they don’t have to be perfect!
So delicious and super easy. I was not in the mood to make dinner tonight, but after I finished making this yummy meal I was glad I did!
These were so simple but so tasty. They stayed together much better than her mini turkey meatball recipe and because they are so simple you can really play with different flavor combos. These will definitely replace my store bouhr turkey meatballs
Absolutely delicious and great each time! I always bake them to cut down on the fat and they come out perfect every time! Just spray them with olive oil and bake at 350 for approx. 20 – 25 minutes. They always turn out very flavorful (suprisingly for turkey and never dry. This is definitely a keeper!
I made these for the first time for my boyfriend on Valentine’s Day. I added fresh minced garlic & onions. I also baked them instead of frying and they turned out fantastic! We both thought they had wonderful flavor, though next time I might add some crushed red pepper for a little kick. Definitely a keeper!
excellent! quick and easy. need the recipe while I’m out of town.
Good stuff. Easy too! I added a few more spices and used panko (had on hand) and baked them. A definite go-to recipe. Thanks Giada!
My husband said these were the best meatballs he’s ever eatten. Great easy and delicious. thank you!
I have made a few adjustments and now this is my go-to turkey meatball recipe, everyone who tries them asks for the recipe. I basically follow the instructions, but I use Progresso Italian style breadcrumbs b/c they are a staple in my pantry and I use 2 or 2-1/2 egg yolks instead of 2 whole eggs. Usually when you buy a package of ground turkey it is a little over a pound… so I add a little bit more of all of the other ingredients to balance it out. They are so tender and flavorful…. and recently discovered that they make the best meatball sandwiches if you have leftovers. Sometimes I used store bought sauce and sometimes I make my own. They turn out much better if using an all-clad stainless pan….I’ve made them at other peoples houses in a crappy non-stick pan & they are still good, but they brown so much better in a good pan.