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Healthy Spaghetti And Meatballs
Healthy Spaghetti And Meatballs, Desi Style!
I know that when a lot of people read this recipe for meatballs, they may be sceptical. What could be healthy about a meatball? And if they were "healthy," would they be any good? As it turns out, the answer is yes. I have developed a killer meatball recipe for you and if I hadn’t known, I never would have guessed they were healthy. This recipe is truly satisfying with no sacrifice to the flavour … and best of all, these meatballs are made with a little Desi twist!
This is how I have made meatballs healthy. To cut the saturated fat, this recipe opts for extra-lean ground turkey breast, which is 99% lean. Typical meatball recipes call for breadcrumbs or rice, but this recipe uses a whole-grain version (whole-wheat breadcrumbs) to add fibre and nutrients.
Lastly, these delicious meatballs will be served with sides like polenta, brown rice or whole-wheat pasta. Almost every major brand of pasta at the supermarket offers a whole-wheat or whole-grain option. Whole-wheat and whole-grain pasta has up to twice the fibre of white-flour pasta, and it retains some of the trace minerals that aren't added back to enriched white-flour pasta during the enrichment process.
Give this recipe a try and I'm sure that this will be your favourite go-to healthy dinner! Enjoy!
Healthy Indian Spaghetti and Meatballs
INGREDIENTS
Meatballs:
1 pound lean ground turkey
2 tbsp onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tbsp parsley, roughly chopped
2 green chilies, seeded and chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp whole-wheat bread crumbs
1 egg
salt and pepper, to taste
Sauce:
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, chopped
crushed red chili flakes, to taste
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 can crushed tomatoes (no salt added)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
Base:
Use whole-wheat spaghetti or quinoa spaghetti or cooked polenta.
METHOD
Meatballs:
1. In a food processor, add the onion, garlic, parsley and green chilies. Whiz it up so you have a fine paste. In a large bowl, add the ground turkey, onion paste, bread crumbs, egg, salt and pepper. Mix together well and divide the mixture into golf-ball sized spheres.
2. In a large skillet, add the olive oil and let it heat up over medium-high heat. Add your meatballs and cook them for 6–8 minutes on all sides so that they're fully brown on all sides and almost cooked through. Take them out and place on a paper towel.
Sauce:
1. Heat oil. Add the 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic and chopped onion to the skillet. Let cook for about 1–2 minutes, until transparent.
2. Add red chili flakes, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp oregano, and 1/2 tsp garam masala. Cook for 1 minute or so, until the raw spices are cooked.
3. Add 1 can of crushed tomatoes and mix well. Let it come to a boil and lower the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until the sauce cooks down (about 20–30 minutes) and most of the water evaporates from the tomatoes.
4. Add the meatballs to the sauce and mix well to coat each meatball in sauce. Add water if the sauce is too thick and cook.
Pasta or Polenta:
Make spaghetti or polenta according to package directions. Top with meatballs and sauce, garnish with parsley and enjoy!
Feature Image Courtesy of Blogger
Pooja Rao
Author
A self-taught home-cook with a passion for what cooking really stands for…Pooja believes that food really feeds the soul not just the stomach. Realtor by profession but a foodie at heart, Pooja’s love for food earned her a spot as one of the Top100 on MasterChef Canada. Follow h...
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