Crock Pot Turkey Meatballs and Sauce
Posted on 9/16/14 by Kiley
Delicious turkey meatballs are tender and full of flavor, and served in an amazing homemade sauce that makes this meal so much healthier and tastier than any store bought!
I hope you enjoyed Efrain’s post for the Daring Cook’s challenge! We are new members, and were so excited to try the sauce recipe! I know that you just got an awesome sauce from Efrain, but I simply could not wait to share this recipe with you. Spaghetti and meatballs has always been one of my favorite meals, ever since I was a child. There are photos of me at about 2 years old with a plate of spaghetti, though truth be told most of the sauce was on me and the table :) Now that I am older, I have finally made my own and I have found ways to make the meatballs and sauce healthier.
I don’t know about you, but as easy as it is to use frozen meatballs and sauce, I am not as much a fan of all of the additives, chemicals and sodium. Being able to make my own meatballs and sauce means that I can enjoy tasty homemade meatballs and sauce without having to worry about all of the negatives associated with prepackaged ones. As an extra bonus, I use a Crock Pot to avoid frying these in oil, so that they are essentially baked and not fried. And by using ground turkey instead of beef, the meatballs are even healthier. I am all about meals that are simple to make, taste great, and are good for you. And having the meal be spaghetti and meatballs certainly doesn’t hurt in my book :)
These meatballs are pretty simple to make. You make a scrumptious sauce and let it simmer while you prepare the meatball ingredients in a bowl.
Once that is done, you form the meatballs and get them ready to go into the Crock Pot for their cooking time.
The meatballs and sauce then become best friends, and you get to have fun layering everything up! Never believe you cannot have fun with your food- otherwise, what’s the point?
When the 4-5 hours is up, you will have delicious meatballs and sauce that are drool worthy. If you need to taste-test one or two (or 5) bites of the sauce, I won’t tell. I will come join you, and bring the pasta. The turkey meatballs are tender and complement the sauce, which is slightly sweet from the sugar. While I would not recommend making the sauce by itself, the combination of the two is phenomenal. Efrain thought that the sauce was just the right taste for the meatballs, since they absorbed the same flavors while cooking in the Crock Pot. The turkey meatballs add a nice texture and tenderness that is able to hold its own against the sauce’s bold and authentic flavors. Serve this meal with a few pieces of garlic bread, and you have a match made in heaven- trust me on this one.
Crock Pot Turkey Meatballs and Sauce
Ingredients:
Sauce:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium/small onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Two 28 ounce cans plum tomatoes
One 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
One 6 ounce can tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil
3-4 dried bay leaves
3-4 tablespoons white granulated sugar
Salt and pepper, to taste
Meatballs:
1.3 pounds ground turkey (standard Shady Brook Farm package)
1 cup breadcrumbs, not Panko (use plain or Italian seasoned)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder (optional)
1 large egg, beaten
Directions:
To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in the garlic and onion, and cook for 4 minutes to let the onion soften.
Add in the three cans of tomatoes and their juices, and stir around. Add in the tomato paste and mix to incorporate. Stir in the red pepper flakes, basil and bay leaves.
Bring the sauce to a simmer, then use a potato masher to crush the plum tomatoes. Stir everything together again, trying to make sure there are no large lumps of plum tomato. Add in the granulated sugar, tablespoon at a time, tasting each time for acidity.
Salt and pepper the sauce to taste, and bring the sauce to a simmer again.
Let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes while you make the meatballs; stir the sauce occasionally.
Break the ground turkey up into smaller pieces in a large bowl. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, dried basil, pepper and onion powder over the turkey.
Add in the beaten egg, and use your hands to gently combine everything together. Over-working the meatballs will cause them to be tougher once cooked.
Roll the combined turkey meatballs into 1 inch balls- I ended up with 30 meatballs. Set the meatballs aside on a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper.
Take the sauce off of the stove and put it near the meatballs. Get the Crock Pot out and put it near the meatballs and sauce.
In the bottom of a Crock Pot, put 2 cups of sauce. Layer as many meatballs as possible on top of the sauce without over-crowding them. Pour an additional 1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce over the meatballs, and then layer the remaining meatballs on top. Cover with the remaining tomato sauce.
Turn the Crock Pot on Low and let cook for 4-5 hours. When you are getting ready to serve, boil a pot of water for pasta and cook pasta according to package directions. Once the pasta is done cooking, serve the meatballs and sauce over the pasta. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese if desired Enjoy!
*This sauce can be frozen in an airtight container and should be used within 3 months if frozen.
**This recipe was based on She Wears Many Hats’ Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs. The recipe as written here and photographs are copyright Rooks to Cooks and may not be used without permission.
