Spaghetti with Turkey-Pesto Meatballs
By America's Test KitchenPublished on July 1, 2021
Time
1 hour
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Before You Begin
You can make your own pesto or use your favorite store-bought product from the refrigerated section of the supermarket—refrigerated pesto has a fresher flavor than shelf-stable jarred pesto. Be sure to use ground turkey, not ground turkey breast (sometimes labeled 99 percent fat-free), in this recipe; ground turkey breast will make meatballs that are dry and grainy. You can substitute ground chicken or pork or 90 percent lean ground beef for the ground turkey, if desired. You will need a 12-inch nonstick skillet with at least 2-inch sides to accommodate both the meatballs and the sauce; the skillet will be quite full.
Instructions
- Using your hands, gently mix turkey, pesto, panko, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper in bowl until uniform. Shape mixture into eighteen 1½-inch meatballs.
- Pulse 2 cans tomatoes and their juice in food processor until mostly smooth, about 12 pulses; set aside. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Brown meatballs well on all sides, about 10 minutes; transfer to paper towel–lined plate.
- Add onion and ⅛ teaspoon salt to fat left in skillet and cook over medium heat until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in processed tomatoes and remaining 1 can tomatoes and their juice. Bring to simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Return meatballs to skillet; cover; and simmer gently until meatballs are cooked through, about 10 minutes. (Sauce and meatballs can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
- Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot. Add several large spoonfuls of sauce (without meatballs) to pasta and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and adjust consistency with reserved cooking water as needed. Divide pasta among individual bowls. Top each bowl with remaining sauce and meatballs, sprinkle with basil, and serve.
Time
1 hourYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
For an easy, family-friendly spin on the typical spaghetti and meatballs dinner, we replaced the beef with ground turkey and added pesto to the meatballs for big flavor. The pesto replaces the need for garlic, cheese, and even the egg called for in standard meatball recipes, making these meatballs nearly prep-free—all they need is a sprinkling of salt, pepper, and bread crumbs (we like panko). Processing a portion of the canned diced tomatoes in a food processor gave us a mostly smooth sauce with a few bigger bites of tomato.
Before You Begin
You can make your own pesto or use your favorite store-bought product from the refrigerated section of the supermarket—refrigerated pesto has a fresher flavor than shelf-stable jarred pesto. Be sure to use ground turkey, not ground turkey breast (sometimes labeled 99 percent fat-free), in this recipe; ground turkey breast will make meatballs that are dry and grainy. You can substitute ground chicken or pork or 90 percent lean ground beef for the ground turkey, if desired. You will need a 12-inch nonstick skillet with at least 2-inch sides to accommodate both the meatballs and the sauce; the skillet will be quite full.
Instructions
- Using your hands, gently mix turkey, pesto, panko, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper in bowl until uniform. Shape mixture into eighteen 1½-inch meatballs.
- Pulse 2 cans tomatoes and their juice in food processor until mostly smooth, about 12 pulses; set aside. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Brown meatballs well on all sides, about 10 minutes; transfer to paper towel–lined plate.
- Add onion and ⅛ teaspoon salt to fat left in skillet and cook over medium heat until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in processed tomatoes and remaining 1 can tomatoes and their juice. Bring to simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Return meatballs to skillet; cover; and simmer gently until meatballs are cooked through, about 10 minutes. (Sauce and meatballs can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
- Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot. Add several large spoonfuls of sauce (without meatballs) to pasta and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and adjust consistency with reserved cooking water as needed. Divide pasta among individual bowls. Top each bowl with remaining sauce and meatballs, sprinkle with basil, and serve.
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