Turkey Meatballs with Spicy Tomato Sauce

A while back I was feeling like trying out something new and, since I had never made tomato sauce from scratch, I thought I would attempt to make meatballs and sauce from scratch.

I found a recipe here (by the way, I have made several of Ellie Krieger's recipies with ground turkey and all have been wonderful)

But then I had to modify it as I went, because here in the Bennett household LOTS of sauce is a must have. So I added a bit more tomato sauce and paste than in the original recipe (and some extra garlic!!)

So here is the Bennett version...

Ingredients

Sauce:
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste*
• 2 8-ounce can tomato sauce*
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, liquid included
• 1 teaspoon finely minced canned chipotle en adobo and sauce, or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• Salt
• 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves

*Depending on how much sauce you want, add or subtract some amount of these two items.

Meatballs:
• Cooking spray
• 1 pound ground turkey meat
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoons parsley leaves,
• 1 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 box (16 ounces) spaghetti

Directions
Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil for pasta.

Make Sauce:
In a 4-quart saucepan heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions until translucent, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add tomato paste, tomatoes, chipotles, oregano, and salt. Bring all the ingredients to a low boil, reduce heat and cook for approximately 15 minutes, until liquid has evaporated slightly. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. While sauce is cooking, make meatballs.

Meatballs:
Preheat the broiler. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine the turkey with all other ingredients in a large work bowl. Form into 2 1/2 -inch balls and place on a baking sheet. Broil for 10 minutes, or until browned and almost entirely cooked through.

Add the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and cook additional 10 minutes, or until sauce has slightly thickened and meatballs have absorbed some of the sauce. While the meatballs are cooking, cook the spaghetti according to package directions.