Baked Turkey Meatballs with Creamy Polenta and Marinara
Adapted from Foodiecrush
SERVES: SERVES 4, MAKES ABOUT 16 MEATBALLS
Ingredients
- 2 large handful spinach leaves
- ¼ cup roughly chopped parsley
- 8 large basil leaves
- 4 fresh sage leaves
- 2 – 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 egg
- ½ cup dried Italian breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
- 1 25.25 ounce jar of your favorite Marinara save
- 3 tablespoons Olive oil
- 1 9.2 ounce box Polenta
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Combine the spinach, parsley, basil, sage, garlic, fennel seeds, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped. Set aside.
- Place ground turkey and egg in a large mixing bowl and use your hands to gently combine the turkey and egg but be careful not to overwork. Add the finely chopped spinach and herb mixture, breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined then shape into golf ball-sized meatballs and place on a baking sheet.
- Mix 2 tablespoons tomato sauce with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and baste each of the meatballs.
5. Bake the meatballs for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown.
6. Meanwhile, heat the jar of marinara sauce in a large pot over medium heat and prepare the instant polenta according to package directions. If you prefer your polenta thick and chunky the polenta is done. For a creamier polenta, whisk in ½ cup milk at a time until the polenta is of desired consistency. Season the polenta with kosher salt to taste.
Transfer the cooked meatballs to the warmed marinara sauce and cook for 3-5 minutes. Serve over the cooked polenta and more Parmesan cheese.
