- 1 lb pasta; I used Orecchiette, but shells or elbows would work well
Pasta with Turkey Spinach Meatballs in a Sundried Tomato Ricotta Sauce
(Serves 4)
For the meatballs:
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 shallot, diced very small
- 1 cup fresh spinach, chopped fine
- 2 Tb fresh thyme leaves
- ¾ cup bread crumbs or rolled oats
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 3 Tb olive oil
To make the sauce:
- 1 lb ricotta
- 1 cup sundried tomatoes, drained of the oil they were packed in
- 6 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 Tb olive oil
- 1 cup grated parmesan, with a little reserved to garnish
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup basil leaves, slivered
To make the meatballs, sauté the shallot in 1 tb of the olive oil until softened, about three minutes. Add the spinach and sauté for an additional minute until it is wilted.
In a bowl, combine the shallot, spinach, ground turkey, breadcrumbs/oats, thyme, parmesan, salt and pepper. Mix everything together with your hands until the ingredients are very well combined.
Next, form your meatballs by rolling a small amount in your hands to form a ball. You want your meatballs to be small, each about an inch around. Continue forming meatballs until all of the meat mixture is used.
In a large skillet, add the remaining olive oil and place your meatballs so that they are not touching each other. Cook over medium to medium-high heat for about five minutes until the bottoms are browned. Carefully turn the meatballs over to the other side and cook for another five minutes or so until they are browned on that side as well. Your meatballs are done when the center registers 165F on a meat thermometer. If you don’t have a thermometer, cut one open to make sure that no pink remains and that the center is hot.
While the meatballs are cooking, make the sauce and cook the pasta according to package directions.
To make the sauce:
- 1 lb ricotta
- 1 cup sundried tomatoes, drained of the oil they were packed in
- 6 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 Tb olive oil
- 1 cup grated parmesan, with a little reserved to garnish
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup basil leaves, slivered
In a small skillet, sauté the garlic in the olive oil for about four minutes over medium heat until golden brown. Add the sundried tomatoes and sauté for a minute to heat through.
In a blender or food processer, combine the ricotta and the garlic sundried tomato mixture with some salt and pepper. Process until smooth.
Drain the pasta and return it to the cooking pot. Toss in the ricotta mixture and heat over medium heat until everything is warmed through. Add most of the parmesan and toss well.
Divide the pasta onto serving plates, arrange the meatballs on top along with the basil leaves. Sprinkle with a bit of parmesan and serve.
