The main dish for the South Arm Cooking Club for Seniors was Beef Turkey Meatballs with Tomato Sauce on Pasta. We also made a Pesto Sauce with Walnut to go with the pasta which I will blog later.
The difference in this meatball recipe is the incorporation of ground turkey. The lean ground turkey makes these meatballs more healthy. Turkey meat has fewer calories, less fat, less cholesterol, but high in protein compared with other meat.
Most of the fats in turkey is within the skin and most of the fat within the meat is the dark meat. The white meat with skin removed is a good food source for people on low fat diet.
The turkey meat fiber is easier to digest than other types of meat, which makes it a good choice for individual who may have digestive problems.
Turkey is an excellent source of several important vitamins and nutrients such as iron, niacin, zinc, potassium, and B vitamins.
The Canada food guide recommends 2 to 3 servings of meat, fish or poultry per day for individual 50 years and up. A serving of any type of cooked meat is equal to 3 ounces and is about the size of a deck of cards.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1/2 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 pound lean ground turkey
- 1/4 cup chopped onions
- 1/4 cup chopped celery
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup dry whole wheat bread crumbs
Yields 4 servings
Tomato Sauce
- 1 can plum tomatoes
- 1 can tomato puree
- 1 medium sized onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
- grated Parmesan cheese
- pinch of sugar
Yields 6 to 8 servings
Source: unknown via Marian
Instructions
 To make the meatballs, preheat the oven to 350F. In a large bowl, whisk the egg. Add bread crumbs, onions and milk.
Season with Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. |
 Add celery and meat. Mix to combine well. |
 Gently shape mixture into 1 1/2 inch meat balls. Make sure the meatballs are of the same size. |
 Arrange the meatballs on a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake in a 350F preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are browned and no longer pink inside. Drain fat on paper towels. |
 To make the tomato sauce, empty the plum tomato into a bowl. Break up the tomatoes with a potato masher into smaller pieces.Heat oil in a sauce pan. Add onion, garlic, plum tomato and tomato puree. Season with salt, ground pepper and sugar. Stir occasionally until it boils. Turn the heat down and simmer for another 20 to 30 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. |
 Pour the sauce over the meatballs. |
 Garnish with chopped basil. Serve with your favourite pasta. |