Turkey meatballs in tomato sauce
50 min · 38 g protein · 310 cals / serving
Small, tender turkey meatballs simmered in a simple garlic and basil tomato sauce, with a little parmesan in the mix for savour. A modest plate of four or five meatballs and plenty of sauce, good on its own, with a side salad, or over zucchini noodles.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1/3 cup rolled oats, quick or old-fashioned
- 1/4 cup skim milk
- 1 lb 2 oz ground turkey breast (99% lean)
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 3/4 tsp salt
Sauce
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large can (28 oz) canned crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- a handful fresh basil, torn
Steps
- Stir the oats and milk together in a large bowl and let them soak 5 minutes. Add the turkey, egg, parmesan, garlic, oregano and salt and mix gently with your hands until just combined.
- With wet hands, roll into about 18 small meatballs (3 cm / 1 1/4 inches).
- Heat the oil in a wide, deep pan over medium heat. Cook the onion 5 minutes until soft, add the garlic for 30 seconds, then the crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
- Lower the meatballs into the sauce in one layer, cover and simmer gently 18–20 minutes, turning them once, until they reach 165°F in the centre. Stir in the basil and serve.
Good to know
Why soak oats?
Very lean turkey can turn dry. Oats soaked in milk hold moisture inside the meatballs, the same job breadcrumbs do, and you cannot taste them.
Can I brown the meatballs first?
Yes, for more flavour: brown them in a teaspoon of oil for 4–5 minutes before they go into the sauce. Simmering them raw keeps them softer and the dish a little lighter, though it's about the same score.
Make-ahead?
They keep 4 days in the fridge and freeze well in their sauce. Portion them into small containers for quick meals.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 87
- Protein
- (48%)
- 11 g
- Fat
- (24%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (28%)
- 7 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 325 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1240 kcal goes into the pot and 1595 g of ingredients comes out as about 1420 g of food: 87 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.