Recipe from Gaby Dalkin, personal chef, and talented student at the Westlake Culinary Institute. She is working on pursuing her dream of being a professional Chef, and as evidenced by her delicious recipes, she will certainly achieve even more than she's dreamed! You can view more of Gaby's great recipes at www.whatsgabycooking.
com.
Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatballs
Serves 4-6
Ingredients for Sauce:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6 oz pancetta, diced
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/2 cup Romano cheese
In a large skillet add the olive oil and heat over medium high. Add the pancetta and cook for 6 minutes until browned. Remove the pancetta from the pan and let sit while you continue cooking. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, and then add the garlic, tomatoes, salt, pepper and the cooked pancetta. Simmer, uncovered, over low heat until the sauce thickens, approximately 15-20 minutes. Once the sauce has thickened, stir in the cheese and add additional salt and pepper if needed.
Ingredients for Meatballs:
- 1 yellow onion - grated
- 1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- 2/3 cups Parmesan Cheese
- 1/3 cup bread crumbs
- 1 large egg
- 3 cloves of garlic - minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into bite sized cubes
- 1 pound of pasta
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl combine the onion, parsley, parmesan, bread crumbs, egg, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix those ingredients together with a large spoon and then add the meat and continue to combine the ingredients. Form meatballs with a large spoon or your hands that are about the size of a golf ball. Once you have made all the meatballs place them on a baking sheet that you have lined with parchment paper. Then with your thumb, make a small indentation into each meatball and put a cube of the mozzarella cheese into the indentation. Reform the meatball being sure to cover the cheese. Cook for 15 minutes.
While the meatballs are cooking, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook your pasta according to the directions on the box, drain and place into a large serving bowl. Once the meatballs are done baking in the oven add to the serving bowl and top with the sauce. Garnish with extra chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese. | 