Spaghetti with Turkey-Pesto Meatballs

Name: Spaghetti with Turkey-Pesto Meatballs
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds, 93 percent lean ground turkey; 1 (7-ounce) container, basil pesto (⅔ cup); 2/3 cup, panko bread crumbs; 1/2 teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon, table salt, divided, plus salt for cooking pasta; 1/4 teaspoon, pepper; 3 (14.5 ounce) cans, diced tomatoes, divided; 1 tablespoon, extra-virgin olive oil; 1 , onion, chopped fine; 4 , garlic cloves, minced; Pinch , red pepper flakes; 1 pound, spaghetti; 3 tablespoons, chopped fresh basil

Instructions

Cook:1h

An easy and family-friendly take on a classic. 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.

Updated at: Mon, 21 Apr 2025 20:22:24 GMT