Turkey Meatballs

Spaghetti with homemade meatballs is my favorite rainy day comfort food. Whenever its gloomy outside or raining, it always reminds me of one of my favorite meals my mother made growing up.We had spaghetti with homemade meat sauce a lot, and living in Florida sometimes it rained a lot too--so I guess somewhere in my brain the connection between the two was made and its been my rainy day craving ever since. I love the sweet smell of sautéed onions, garlic, and crushed tomatoes simmering away. On dreary days it seems like time stands still, which is perfect for rolling out homemade meatballs. For special occasions I will do a beef and pork blend but for my family I always make turkey meatballs. They are so moist and flavorful and taste just as great. So here is my take on simple rainy day turkey meatballs. 

    

Ingredients

Meatballs (makes about 12 meatballs):

1 lb lean ground turkey

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Sauce:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 cup sweet onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/3 cup red cooking wine

1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 bay leaf

Preparation

In a medium bowl, mix parsley, cheese, bread crumbs, milk, salt & pepper into the turkey meat until just combined. Make sure the ingredients are well incorporated but don't over mix. Using hands roll out mixture into 1 1/2 inch meatballs. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a sauce pan. Add meatballs, browning them for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove meatballs from pan and set aside.

Using the same pan, add chopped onions and cook them over medium heat until translucent. Raise the heat to medium high and add garlic and then the red wine to deglaze the pan-- getting all the brown bits of flavor off the bottom of the pan from cooking the meatballs. Let the wine reduce by cooking it for about 45 seconds. Lower the heat to low and add in crushed tomatoes, seasonings, sugar, and bay leaf. Stir until the onion mixture is blended into the tomatoes. Add the meatballs back into the pain with any juice that has run off. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the meatballs on low for about 45 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano.