turkey meatballs with linguine and fresh tomato sauce

Turkey

Turkey Meatballs with Linguine & Fresh Tomato Sauce

For this healthy turkey meatball recipe, lean ground turkey is mixed with fresh mushrooms, oats, garlic, spices and a little Parmesan cheese for a meatball that's moist, delicious and has more fiber and less saturated fat than a traditional beef and pork version. Serve these tasty meatballs over whole-grain pasta with fresh tomato sauce for a satisfying take on spaghetti and meatballs, and save the leftovers to stuff into sandwiches.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil
3 cups sliced fresh button mushrooms (8 ounces)
1 egg, lightly beaten
⅓ cup quick-cooking rolled oats
⅓ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried italian seasoning, crushed
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
1 ¼ pounds lean ground turkey
1 recipe linguine with fresh tomato sauce (see associated recipes)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a shallow baking pan with foil; coat the foil with cooking spray.
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and all of the liquid has evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a food processor; process until finely chopped.
Combine egg, oats, Parmesan, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the mushrooms and turkey; mix well. On a cutting board, pat the meat mixture into a rectangle and cut into 30 squares. Roll each square into a ball and place the balls 1/2 inch apart in the prepared pan. Bake until the meatballs are no longer pink and their internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, 12 to 15 minutes.
Divide the linguine and sauce between 4 plates or shallow bowls. Top each serving with 6 meatballs. (Reserve the remaining meatballs for another meal; see Note.)