Baked turkey meatballs and spaghetti with red pepper sauce.

Red pepper sauce instead of tomato sauce? It’s an interesting variation. We eat TONS AND TONS of pasta in my house because my children love it, and it’s one of the few foods they willingly eat on a consistent basis. It’s also a fantastic way to get them to eat a bunch of vegetables and protein. The kids loved these turkey meatballs and didn’t notice all the vegetables in the sauce.

Print Recipe

Baked turkey meatballs with red pepper spaghetti

Total Time30

Servings: 4

Calories: 500kcal

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti

Meatballs

1 pound ground turkey (93% lean)
½ cup crumbled-up bread chunks
¼ cup skim milk
¼ cup liquid egg whites
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
¾ tsp onion powder
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ tsp dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried marjoram
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Sauce

12 ounce jar of roasted red peppers (drained)
½ cup chicken stock
3 tablespoon flour
1 minced garlic clove
½ cup skim milk
1 ounce parmesan cheese
¼ cup fresh basil

Instructions

Cook spaghetti according to package instructions (omit added salt)
Mix all of the meatball ingredients together in a bowl, then form about 1½ inch balls, and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake the meatballs at 375 °F for about 15 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 °F
Meanwhile, purée the red peppers with a food processor or immersion blender.
In a saucepan, mix the red pepper puree with the ½ cup of chicken stock and 3 tablespoons of flour until it comes to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer over medium-low heat for about 2 minutes. The flour will thicken the liquid up.
Stir in the skim milk
Add the parmesan cheese until fully melted and incorporated into the sauce
Mix the sauce and cooked spaghetti together, then arrange the meatballs on top and garnish with fresh basil.