Crock-Pot, Italian Turkey Meatballs and Homemade Sauce
Ingredients
Ingredients for Meatballs:
- ½ cup whole wheat bread crumbs made from ¾ of a piece of whole wheat or whole grain bread, see step 1
- 1.25 pound package ground turkey breast (20 ounces) 93% lean
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
Ingredients for Sauce:
- 2 cups onions, diced
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1½ tablespoons garlic, minced
- 2 (28 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- ¾ teaspoon salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (add ⅛ teaspoon more if you like a bit of kick)
Instructions
- To make the bread crumbs: Toast bread. Place in blender and grind into crumbs.
- In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, bread crumbs, cheese, egg, garlic, salt, and pepper. Using clean hands, mix all the ingredients and form 24 small meatballs, about ⅛ cup each (2 tablespoons).
- To cook onions: cook in microwave for 3 minutes to soften.
- In a small, nonstick pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until lightly golden but not burned.
- Pour into crock-pot garlic and oil, crushed tomatoes, softened onions, sugar, oregano, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Mix well. Drop meatballs into sauce, press them down to cover completely with sauce. Set crock-pot to LOW heat for about 6 hours or HIGH heat for about 3 hours.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 267kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 25gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 356mgFiber: 5gSugar: 2gBlue Smart Points: 7Green Smart Points: 7Plus Points: 7