Prince Spaghetti Day

So according to my brand new Food Network calendar that I got for Christmas (Thanks Kelli!) today January 4th is National Spaghetti Day. I of course was not prepared with a big delish bowl of macaroni and sauce for the family tonight. (DiGiorno pizza and left over girl scout cookies for us tonight-don't judge!) But does it count that we eat macaroni based meals at least once a week?

My mother in law makes Sunday Gravy with meatballs, sausage, veal and pork and serves it over linguine. It is to die for. It is one of the most comforting meals on earth to me. I have learned how to make a variation on her gravy that works for me. (Tip-the recipe in The Sopranos Family cookbook is an excellent reference point to start with.) I also make a lovely chicken sauteed with mushrooms in a lemon caper sauce that I serve over spaghetti.

Spaghetti is a very versatile food and is easy enough to make and there are many fresh-style varieties available in the grocery store. (If you have access to it try the Mario Batali fresh pasta's-I know they are available at BJ's...) So that said I am going to hook you up with my turkey meatball recipe that goes quite nicely with your spaghetti. My turkey meatballs are by far my best...my beef ones are good just not as tasty (or as healthy) as these are.

mangia!

Turkey Meatballs
1 lb ground turkey
1 egg, lightly beaten
salt & pepper
1/4-1/2 cup bread crumbs-seasoned is preferred
1/3 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
2-3 Tablespoons dried italian herb mix (parsley, basil, oregano)
1 Tablespoon pressed garlic

Mix all above together until the mixture is a bit dry. Experiment with flavors. I almost always add more cheese than this and definitely more garlic but this is a good baseline. (roll a little of the mix into a ball, cook in hot oil and taste it-see what you want more or less of and mix it up)

Roll the mixture into meatballs-we roll ours rather large and get about 15 meatballs per batch. Go whatever size you desire.

We fry our meatballs to develop a bit of crust all the way around then drain on paper towels and simmer in sauce to complete the cook process. For a healthier choice bake them at 350 for 20 minutes on a baking sheet and then simmer in sauce for another 15-20 minutes.