These healthier turkey meatballs are served over spaghetti in an easy tomato pasta sauce. They're a great way to use turkey mince and have an incredible flavour!
Spaghetti and meatballs is the most comforting thing of all 😍
This is truly autumn in a bowl. It's the exact thing I want to be eating every single day from now until April. The meatballs are tender and flavourful, the sauce is cheesy and rich and the spaghetti is...well...just as spaghetti should be.
If I'm making a spaghetti dish with mince I'll often go for a bolognese but when I had this turkey mince in the freezer there was something about meatballs which just sounded so good to me.
Then I realise that the only spaghetti and meatballs I have on the blog is this vegetarian meatballs recipe and it seemed like the perfect thing to make now we're firmly into autumn.
Why we love these turkey meatballs with spaghetti...
Using turkey in the meatballs makes these a healthier alternative to classic beef meatballs.
Even though you're making the meatballs from scratch the whole dish is quick and easy to put together and takes about 30 minutes to make.
This dish is also really comforting and delicious thanks to the cheesy sauce and super flavourful meatballs.
You can switch ingredients in this recipe according to your preferences. Prefer fusilli to spaghetti? Go for it! Want to add some extra veggies to the sauce? Great idea!
Spaghetti and Meatballs Ingredients
Meatball Ingredients: Turkey mince (or ground turkey), egg, panko breadcrumbs, parmesan, garlic and salt and pepper all go into these turkey meatballs to make them moist and flavourful
Pasta Sauce: Olive oil, garlic, passata and goat's cheese are all you need to make this super simple and easy sauce
Spaghetti: Or another pasta of your choice
Basil and Mozzarella: To serve on top of your pasta
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How to make turkey meatballs
Make the meatballs: Mix together all of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Shape into meatballs then heat a drizzle of oil over a medium high heat and fry the meatballs until browned on all sides. Remove to a plate.
Make the sauce: Fry the garlic in the oil then pour in the passata and bring to a simmer. Melt in the goat's cheese.
Finish the dish: Transfer the spaghetti from the cooking water to the sauce then add the meatballs and toss everything together. Serve topped with the mozzarella and basil.
Equipment you need to make this recipe...
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How do you keep meatballs from falling apart?
You need the mixture to bind well into meatballs in your hands. If they're falling apart at this point you may need a little extra liquid to keep them together so try a splash of milk (be very sparing though!). If the mixture feels too sloppy to hold its shape then add a sprinkle more of panko. When you're cooking the meatballs make sure to leave them undisturbed in the oil for a couple of minutes so that they have time to develop a crust. You can then flip them and repeat on all sides until crisp. If you move them too early they're more likely to fall apart so wait until they move easily from the bottom of the pan.
Want more? Try these other pasta recipes!
- Creamy Lemon and Basil Pasta Sauce
- Aubergine Pasta Bake with Balsamic Tomato Sauce
- Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
- Roasted Vegetable Lasagne
- Pesto Pasta Salad with Prawns
- Truffle Mac and Cheese with Gnocchi
Recipe
Turkey Meatballs with Spaghetti
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 500 g Turkey Mince
- 1 Egg
- 25 g Panko
- 30 g Parmesan grated
- ½ teaspoon Garlic crushed
- Salt and Pepper
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 cloves Garlic crushed
- 1 400g tin Passata
- 60 g Goat's Cheese
To serve
- 300 g Spaghetti
- 150 g Mozzarella torn
- Fresh Basil
Instructions
- Put a pot of heavily salted water on to the heat to bring to a boil. Mix the meatball ingredients together in a large bowl. Roll into meatballs. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook until browned, you may need to do this in batches. Remove onto a plate.
- Put the spaghetti into the boiling water and cook according to pack instructions.
- In the same pan you cooked the meatballs in make the sauce. Add the olive oil and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes. Pour in the passata and cook for another 3-5 minutes then crumble in the goat's cheese and stir to melt. Using tongs move the cooked spaghetti from the water to the sauce and toss to coat, add the meatballs and toss again then serve topped with torn mozzarella and basil leaves.
Notes
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Caroline says
That looks like such a tasty, comforting meal. Love that you put some goat's cheese in for a little extra tangy flavor. Yum!
Demeter says
Pasta is always a winning dish and love that this has a healthier twist. So filling!
Sunrita says
This is such a family friendly midweek comfort food! I can see my girls living this. Thanks for the recipe
kim says
What a great recipe! This dinner was so scrumptious and my family gobbled it up!
Alexandra says
Pasta and meatballs are such a delicious comfort meal - and this is lovely. Using turkey is such an excellent idea!