Gwyneth Paltrow's Turkey Meatballs with tomato sauce
Inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow’s favourite turkey meatballs, this recipe is everyone’s favourite. It’s so easy to make and so delicious.
You can serve it gluten free by using gluten free Panko, or keep it leaner by serving with zucchini noodles. Or simply enjoy the meatballs with the sauce all by itself. If you really want to go for it, serve with spaghetti but read Mari’s important note at the end.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil plus 2 additional tablespoons
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 28 oz. can whole San Marzano tomatoes
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (or gluten free panko)
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 pound ground turkey (preferably dark meat)
1 egg
1 pound spaghetti, cooked just before serving
1/4 cup basil leaves, roughly torn
Mari’s addition: 1/4 cup chunk Parmigiano-Reggiano, shaved for serving
Preparation
Start by prepping all ingredients as above.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes, add garlic and fennel seeds cook for 3 more minutes. Add the can of tomatoes by squishing through your hands, reduce heat to medium.
For meatballs, combine panko, lemon zest, parsley, thyme and rosemary with the reserved onion mixture. Add the turkey and egg and mix just until everything is well-combined, don’t over mix. Form the mixture into 1-1/2″ balls. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Making sure not to overcrowd the pan, brown the meatballs (should take about 5 minutes).
Place browned meatballs into simmering tomato sauce and let them cook, shaking the pot occasionally to roll the meatballs around, for about 10 minutes. Taste the sauce and season with salt & pepper. Serve with spaghetti and torn basil.
Mari’s Note: I would cook the spaghetti first to just before al dente stage, then drain reserving 1 cup pasta water. Then add the partially cooked spaghetti with the pasta water to the tomato meatball mixture in the last 5 minutes, and turn up heat to evaporate water, this will make the sauce silky and cling to the pasta. The magic is in the reserved pasta water. And always add Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving.