Sunday Night Italian Meatballs

I had never made meatballs from scratch before. And I might never buy them from the store again. Homemade meatballs are amazing! We meant to make these in the slow cooker like it called for in the original recipe, but got started a little late and just ended up cooking them on the stove top. No matter, they were still utterly delicious. We served them over a tiny bit of pasta, but next time I might try a little polenta instead (the true Italian way, or so I’m told).

Italian Meatballs
adapted from design and dishes

For Meatballs
1.5 pounds lean ground turkey (or any mixture of ground beef or pork if you’re not counting calories)
1/4 cup whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Reggiano Parmigiano cheese, grated
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 egg
1 large clove garlic, crushed
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

For Sauce
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
Salt and fresh pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil or parsley

In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, garlic and cheese. Using hands, mix all the ingredients and form small meatballs, about 1/8 cup each (no more than 2 inches across). Set aside in the fridge for about a half hour.
In a medium sized pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn. Add crushed tomatoes and bay leaf. Cook over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes. Drop meatballs into the sauce, cover and simmer about 25 minutes. When meatballs are ready, adjust salt and pepper to taste and add fresh chopped basil or parsley. Serve over pasta or polenta.