Turkey Meatballs

I was sitting at work last week, my mind was wondering and I started thinking about what we were having for dinner.  I was planning on making pan seared chicken with....oh crap, I forgot to defrost the chicken!  I really did not want to order take out but I did not want to break the bank buying ingredients for a week night meal.  Ah-ha, homemade meatballs!  I usually have all of the ingredients for this dish on hand with the exception of turkey and it's a quick and easy meal to prepare.  I got the base for this recipe from Giada de Laurentiis' Food Network show.  I really enjoy her cookbooks and her show.  These meatballs do not taste like a quick meal, they are extremely moist, crisp on the outside and the taste of the cheese, turkey and breadcrumbs are a perfect combination! 

If I don't have time to make my own sauce, I cheat and use a store bought sauce.  I have found a store bought sauce that I absolutly love!  HT Traders Tomato Basil Marinaria, sauce from Harris Teeter is the best store bought sauce that I have ever tasted.  It has the texture and taste that perfectly complements these meatballs. 

Ingredients:

1 small onion grated (this is easy to do with a food processor)
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 large egg
1/4 cup of Italian bread crumbs
3 tablespoons of ketchup
1/4 cup of chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan
1/4 cup of Pecorino Romano
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound of ground dark turkey meat
2 jars of high quality store bought sauce or your favorite homemade sauce
1 package of pasta (cooked according to the package directions)

Combine the onion, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, parsley, Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, salt and pepper and a large mixing bowl.  Take off all your rings unless you want turkey stuck in your jewlery, then add the turkey and mix by hand until the ingredients are well integrated. 

Shape the turkey mixture into golf ball sized meatballs and place on a greased rimmed baking pan.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the meatballs are browned and cooked through.  While the meatballs are cooking, heat up the sauce and cook the pasta.  When the meatballs are cooked, remove from the oven and place them in the sauce.  Mix the the meatballs with the sauce until the meatballs are coated in sauce. 

Plate the pasta with the meatballs and sauce, top with some extra Pecorino Romano cheese, put on some Sinatra, and dig in!