This meatball recipe is made with turkey mince as it's lower in fat than pork or beef mince.
We also suggest serving this with courgetti. If you don’t have a spiralizer at home, you can buy ready prepared courgetti in most supermarkets. Alternatively, use a Y-shaped peeler to peel the courgettes into ribbons, then slice them into thinner lengths.
jar roasted peppers (about 200g/7oz drained weight), drained and finely chopped
2 x 400 g tins chopped tomatoes
4Tbsp.
rolled oats
1tsp.
fennel seeds
400g
(14oz) turkey thigh mince
Zest of 1 lemon
3Tbsp.
finely grated Parmesan, plus extra, to serve
4
large courgettes, spiralized
Directions
Step 1
First make the sauce: in a medium pan heat 1tbsp oil and fry the onion until softened, about 5-8min. Add half the garlic and all the peppers and fry for 3min, then stir in the tomatoes. Season well, bring to the boil, and then simmer gently for 20-25min, stirring often.
Step 2
Meanwhile, make the meatballs: in a small food processor whiz the oats, remaining garlic and fennel seeds until finely chopped (alternatively chop together on a board). Tip the mixture into a large bowl and add the turkey mince, lemon zest and Parmesan. Season generously, mix well, and then divide into 20 meatballs.
Step 3
Heat the remaining 2tbsp oil in a large frying pan. Fry the meatballs over a medium-high heat, turning, until golden and cooked through, about 15-18min. With a slotted spoon, add the meatballs to the tomato sauce, leaving the oil behind in the pan. Return the frying pan to the heat, and fry the spiralized courgettes for 3-5min until tender and warm. Serve the courgetti topped with the meatballs and a little extra Parmesan, if you like.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
