High proteinHigh carb

Turkey Meatballs in Tomato

Lean mince needs the oil. Do not skip it.

35 min Serves 2 Stove, Frying pan, Saucepan

Per serving

673

kcal

53.8 g

protein

61.1 g

carbs

24.1 g

fat

8 g protein per 100 kcal · 4.8 g fibre. Calculated from the exact weights below using standard food composition data, so they are close estimates rather than lab values.

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Ingredients

For 2 servings.

  • Turkey mince350 g
  • Passata300 g
  • Onion80 g
  • Garlic10 g
  • Olive oil15 g
  • Pasta, dry weight120 g
  • Parmesan(optional)25 g

Method

  1. 1Roll the seasoned mince into balls and brown them all over.
  2. 2Lift out, soften onion and garlic, add passata.
  3. 3Meatballs back in for 15 minutes. Pasta alongside.

New to cooking? Read this first

The techniques and safety points this recipe uses, explained from scratch.

Chicken and turkey: cook it all the way throughShow

Raw poultry often carries campylobacter and salmonella. They are killed by heat, not by washing — so the one rule is: cooked right through, every time.

  1. Do NOT rinse raw chicken under the tap. It does not clean it; it splashes bacteria around your sink, worktop and clothes. Take it straight from the pack to the board or pan.
  2. If it is wet, pat it dry with kitchen paper, bin the paper, then wash your hands.
  3. Check the thickest piece, not the thinnest. Cut into it: there should be no pink meat at all, and the juices should run clear, not pink.
  4. Most reliable: a food thermometer pushed into the thickest part should read at least 75 °C.

Ready when: White all the way through, juices clear, steaming hot — or 75 °C in the thickest part.

Mince, burgers and sausages: no pink in the middleShow

Whole steaks can be served pink because bacteria live on the outside, which gets seared. Mincing mixes the outside into the middle, so minced meat must be cooked right through.

  1. Break mince apart in the pan with a wooden spoon so every bit touches the heat.
  2. Keep cooking until there is no pink or red left anywhere and it looks evenly brown.
  3. For burgers and sausages, cut the thickest one open to check the centre.

Ready when: Brown all the way through, no pink, juices clear and steaming hot.

Crushing or chopping garlicShow

Garlic is added in small pieces so it spreads through the dish. It burns in seconds, which turns it bitter, so it usually goes in after the onion, not before.

  1. Pull one clove off the bulb. Trim off the hard little root end.
  2. Lay the flat of your knife on the clove and press down firmly with the heel of your hand. The skin splits and slips off.
  3. Slice it thinly, then rock the knife back and forth over the slices until the pieces are tiny. Or push the peeled clove through a garlic crusher.
  4. In the pan it needs about 30 seconds to a minute, stirring, until it smells strong — then add the next ingredient.

Ready when: In the pan: fragrant and pale gold. Brown means it has gone too far.

Browning minceShow

Browned mince tastes deeper than grey, boiled-looking mince.

  1. Turn the heat up to medium-high before the mince goes in.
  2. Add it and leave it for a minute or two to colour underneath, then break it into small pieces with a wooden spoon.
  3. Keep stirring and breaking it up until there is no pink left and bits are browning. If lots of liquid appears, keep going until it cooks off.
Cooking pastaShow

Plenty of salty, fast-boiling water and a taste near the end are the whole secret.

  1. Use about 1 litre of water per 100 g of pasta. Bring it to a rolling boil, THEN add salt — about a level teaspoon per litre.
  2. Add the pasta and stir for the first minute so it doesn't stick together. No oil needed.
  3. Start tasting a piece 1–2 minutes before the time on the packet. 'Al dente' means soft but with a slight firm bite in the very middle.
  4. Before draining, scoop out a mug of the cooking water. A splash of it makes sauces glossy and helps them cling.
  5. Drain, don't rinse, and mix with the sauce straight away.

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A standard home version of a well-known dish, written for Solviro. Nutrition is estimated from ingredient weights and will vary with brands and portions.