There’s really nothing more comforting than a pot or skillet of homemade simple marinara sauce bubbling on your stove top. The sweet smell of tomatoes along with fragrant herbs gently lingers and makes it’s way through your house pulling you into the kitchen. Well I want my comfort foods and my veggies all in one, so I love to make this delicious Hearty Spinach Marinara with Turkey Meatballs for a tasty family dinner!
Marinara sauce is simple and I think that’s the what makes it so great. It’s also so easy to make. You’ll wonder why you’ve been buying sauce out of a jar all of these years.
In the summer months, I prefer to use fresh tomatoes from my garden, but a good can of crushed tomatoes works excellent in this recipe too.
This recipe takes under an hour to make and it’s perfect for Sunday Supper!
I start by making the turkey meatballs. I know a lot of people like to use ground turkey in place of ground beef to save fat and calories. The truth is, is that if you are going to do that, you need to make sure that your ground turkey is ground turkey breast or 93% lean.
If you want a tasty turkey meatball, you’ll have to season them well and keep them moist.
I like to use milk soaked bread instead of breadcrumbs along with a little Italian seasoning, parsley, salt and pepper and of course some freshly grated Parmesan cheese in these meatballs. Yum!
I always roll up my sleeves and gently mix the meat mixture together with my hands being careful not to over mix it. Sometimes getting your hands dirty is just worth it!
After gently shaping the meat into balls, I bake them in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.
While that’s cooking, you can get started on your sauce.
Saute a little onion and garlic in a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, add your crushed tomatoes, a freshly grated carrot for sweetness, a little basil, a package of squeezed dry spinach and a bay leaf. Stir, Stir, Stir….
Then let the marinara sauce simmer over low heat, stirring frequently as it lightly bubbles. This sauce thickens up so nicely.
When the meatballs are done baking, add them to your marinara sauce, wiggle them into the sauce and continue simmering for 15 minutes or so.
Oh, these are so good!
This is an excellent recipe to use if you are watching your carb or pasta intake because the sauce and meatballs itself is so satisfying.
When serving this for Sunday Supper, I like to toss it well with penne pasta and serve it with more freshly grated Parmesan.
This also freezes very well! Make a batch on a rainy weekend and you’ll have a tasty sauce ready to go on a busy evening stored right in your own freezer!
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- For the Meatballs:
- 1 lb. 93% lean ground turkey or ground turkey breast
- 1 large piece of white bread tore into small pieces
- 1/4 cup milk (poured over bread to soften)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp, dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning (optional)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- For the Marinara:
- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 large carrot finely grated
- 2 (28 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 Tbsp. dried basil
- 1 (10 oz.) package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the meatball ingredients gently with your hands being careful not to over mix.
- Gently roll or shape into a 2 inch ball and place into a 9 x 13 baking dish.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, start your marinara sauce.
- In a large pot or skillet, heat your extra virgin olive oil over medium heat and saute the onion and garlic until fragrant.
- Slowly add you tomatoes and remaining ingredients.
- Stir well over low heat as the sauce thickens and begins to bubble.
- When the meatballs are done baking, add then to the sauce and cover them with the sauce.
- Continue simmering for 15 minutes or so.
- Serve over penne or spaghetti for a delicious family meal!
- Serves 6.
- Enjoy!
- *To freeze, cook as usual, cool completely and store in containers or mason jars, making sure to leave and inch of room at the top of the jar. To defrost, leave overnight in the refrigerator, then heat in a saucepan.
You May Also Enjoy:
Mmmm. Totally drooling over the turkey meatballs.
James Graham recently posted…Binary Options Pro Signals