Turkey Meatballs & Penne

Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup grated romano cheese
• 1 lb ground turkey, preferably dark meat
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 5 cups simple tomato sauce, recipe on this site
• 1 lb dry penne pasta

Recipe

• 1 in a large bowl add bread crumbs & milk and mix until well combined.
• 2 mix in eggs and 1/2 cup romano cheese and mix well.
• 3 add turkey and gently combine, being careful not to overwork the meat.
• 4 season with salt and pepper.
• 5 shape into golf-size balls.
• 6 in a large skillet heat the oil over medium high heat. when almost smoking, add meatballs and without moving or turning the meat, allow it to brown for about 3 minutes.
• 7 turn meatballs and brown other side. continue to cook until all sides are golden brown, about 8 minutes total.
• 8 add simple tomato sauce and bring to a boil. lower heat and allow meatballs to simmer for 5 minutes.
• 9 turn off heat and keep warm on stove. be careful not to overhandle the meatballs since they are soft and fragile.
• 10 in a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water. add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. drain pasta in a colander. do not rinse pasta with water since you want to retain the pasta natural starches so that the sauce will cling to the penne.
• 11 remove meatballs from sauce and place in serving bowl. pour some tomato sauce over meatballs, but leave about 1 cup of sauce in skillet.
• 12 place the cooked penne into the skillet with the remaining sauce and toss well.
• 13 pour sauced pasta into a large serving bowl. serve alongside the meatballs.