TURKEY & TOMATO MEATBALLS

Since turkey is a lean meat, it’s often recommended to people when they need to trim down a bit. So I guess we should all make friends with turkey, right? The oats give a lovely texture to these turkey meatballs and pack in a bit of extra nutrition too.

SERVES 4

PREP TIME: 10 MIN

COOK TIME: 40 MIN

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and finely sliced

4 garlic cloves, crushed

½ chilli, finely chopped

2 × 400g tins of chopped tomatoes

600g wholewheat or spelt spaghetti

a handful of herbs, chopped (parsley, coriander and dill work well)

FOR THE MEATBALLS

500g turkey mince

5 tbsp porridge oats

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 egg

salt and pepper

PROTEIN 49G

FAT (SATURATED) 19.1G (4.2G)

CARB 52G

FIBRE 11G

CAL 605

Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4 minutes, until softened. Add the carrot, fennel, garlic and chilli and cook for about 6 minutes, until softened. Stir frequently and add a splash of water if the pan gets dry. Stir in the tomatoes and leave the sauce to simmer, uncovered, while you prepare the meatballs.

Place all of the ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl and mix thoroughly with a spatula. Using wet hands, roll the mixture into 20 small meatballs. Wash your hands thoroughly. Gently stir the meatballs into the tomato sauce and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the package. Divide the cooked spaghetti between warmed serving bowls. Ladle the meatballs and tomato sauce on top. Sprinkle over the herbs and serve.