Spaghetti and Meatballs

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• Sea salt and pepper to taste

• 0.5 cup (120 ml) White Sandwich Breadcrumbs

• 0.25 cup (60 ml) coconut milk

• 1 oz (28g) Coconut Milk Cheddar Cheese, grated

• 0.25 cup (60 ml) minced fresh parsley

• 6 garlic cloves, minced

• 16 oz (454g) 93% lean ground turkey

• 3 cans diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz (411g) each

• 0.67 tbsp (10 ml) coconut oil (approx. 2 tsp (10 ml))

• 1 onion, chopped fine

• 0.25 tsp (1.3 ml) red pepper flakes

• 16 oz (454g) Spaghetti Squash, prepared

• 3 tbsp (45 ml) chopped fresh basil

Preparation

1. Mix breadcrumbs, milk, cheese, parsley, 0.33 of the garlic, 0.5 tsp (2.5 ml) sea salt, and 0.5 tsp (2.5 ml) pepper together in a bowl. Add the turkey and mix with hands until evenly combined. Lightly shape the mixture into twelve 1.5-inch meatballs.

2. Pulse two cans of tomatoes—29 oz (822g) total—with their juices in a food processor until mostly smooth, about 10 pulses. Heat the 0.67 tbsp (10 ml) coconut oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Brown the meatballs well on all sides, about 10 minutes; transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

3. Add the onion and 0.125 tsp (0.6 ml) sea salt to the fat left in the skillet, cover, and cook over medium-low heat until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the processed tomatoes and the remaining 14.5 oz (411g) can of diced tomatoes with their juices and simmer for 10 minutes. Return the meatballs to the skillet, cover, and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, about 10 minutes.

4. Place the 16 oz (454g) of spaghetti squash in a bowl and stir in several large spoonfuls of tomato sauce, seasoning with sea salt and pepper to taste. Divide the pasta among individual bowls, top with the meatballs and remaining sauce, and sprinkle with the 3 tbsp (45 ml) basil. Serve.

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Spaghetti and meatballs is the comfort classic, rebuilt here over sweet spaghetti squash strands and a bright, garlicky tomato sauce. The meatballs are turkey-based but far from dry: breadcrumbs soaked in coconut milk and a little grated coconut cheddar keep them tender. Browned first, then gently simmered in sauce, they come out juicy every time.

Pro Tips

• Soak the breadcrumbs in the coconut milk before mixing them into the turkey - that panade is what keeps 93% lean meat from turning tight and dry.
• Mix the meatball base with your hands and stop as soon as it looks even. Overworked turkey makes dense, bouncy meatballs.
• Brown the meatballs well on all sides but do not cook them through in the pan; ten more minutes simmering in the sauce finishes them gently and flavours the sauce at the same time.
• Pulse only two of the three tomato cans - the third stays chunky, which is what gives the sauce texture against the soft meatballs.
• Sauce the spaghetti squash in its own bowl before plating so every strand gets seasoned rather than buried.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I bake these turkey meatballs instead of frying?

Yes - 425°F for about 15 minutes until browned, then add them to the sauce to finish. You will miss some pan flavour but gain hands-off time.

How do I keep turkey meatballs from falling apart?

Chill the shaped meatballs for 20 minutes before browning, and resist moving them until a proper crust has formed. That crust is the glue.

Does spaghetti and meatballs freeze well?

The meatballs and sauce freeze perfectly for three months. Freeze the squash separately or make it fresh - it turns watery once thawed.

Can I use ground chicken instead of turkey?

Yes, in the same quantity. Chicken is even leaner, so keep the coconut milk soak in the panade and pull the meatballs the moment they are cooked through.

Recipe Card

Stav Kogan

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 0.5 cup White Sandwich Breadcrumbs
• 0.25 cup coconut milk
• 1 oz (28g) Coconut Milk Cheddar Cheese, grated
• 0.25 cup minced fresh parsley
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 16 oz (454g) 93% lean ground turkey
• 3 cans diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz (411g) each
• 0.67 tbsp coconut oil (approx. 2 tsp)
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes
• 16 oz (454g) Spaghetti Squash, prepared
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Method

 

1. Mix breadcrumbs, milk, cheese, parsley, 0. 33 of the garlic, 0.5 tsp sea salt, and 0.5 tsp pepper together in a bowl.
2. Add the turkey and mix with hands until evenly combined. Lightly shape the mixture into twelve 1. 5-inch meatballs.
3. Pulse two cans of tomatoes—29 oz (822g) total—with their juices in a food processor until mostly smooth, about 10 pulses.
4. Heat the 0.67 tbsp coconut oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Brown the meatballs well on all sides, about 10 minutes; transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
5. Add the onion and 0.125 tsp sea salt to the fat left in the skillet, cover, and cook over medium-low heat until softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
6. Stir in the remaining garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
7. Stir in the processed tomatoes and the remaining 14.5 oz (411g) can of diced tomatoes with their juices and simmer for 10 minutes. Return the meatballs to the skillet, cover, and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
8. Place the 16 oz (454g) of spaghetti squash in a bowl and stir in several large spoonfuls of tomato sauce, seasoning with sea salt and pepper to taste.
9. Divide the pasta among individual bowls, top with the meatballs and remaining sauce, and sprinkle with the 3 tbsp basil.
10. Serve.

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