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Makes
About 18 meatballs with sauce.
Author Notes
I am half Italian on my mother's side, however have never truly learned to make a simple meatball. A close friend invited me over for dinner one evening, and served her father-in-law's favorite recipe; "Harry's Meatballs and Sauce." What follows is my version of Harry's original recipe; I tweaked the breadcrumbs and sautéed the meatballs, however the simple procedure for an easy weeknight dinner remains. With any luck, there will be enough meatballs left over for subs wrapped up for school lunch boxes the next day. Thank you, Harry. —Nantucket Cook
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Ingredients
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1 pound
Ground Turkey
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1
Egg
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1 cup
Parmesan cheese, finely grated
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1 cup
Panko bread crumbs - I used Ian's Gluten Free
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1/2 tablespoon
Oregano, divided
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1/8
Red pepper
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2 tablespoons
Butter
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1 tablespoon
Olive Oil
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3/4 cup
Chopped Flat Leaf parsley, divided.
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Salt and ground pepper to taste
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3
Cloves garlic
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1/4 cup
Red onion or shallot
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2 to three cans of diced tomatoes
Directions
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Mix first six ingredients, using 1/2 the oregano and 1/2 cup of chopped parsley, together into balls approximately 2 inches in diameter. Melt the butter and 1 Tablespoon of the oil in a large stock pot to be used for the sauce later on. Saute the meatballs over medium low heat until lightly browned and firm, being careful not to brown the butter and olive oil. Remove and set aside.
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To make the sauce, sauté the garlic and onion over medium heat until fragrant. Add diced tomatoes, remaining oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. As an aside, Harry uses Hunt's tomatoes in winter, and fresh tomatoes (4 cups, diced), in summer. Harry believes Hunt's is the best...safer packaging standards - I used fresh farm stand tomatoes with great results.
Add the meatballs to the sauce for 3 hours over the lowest flame. Serve over pasta with a sprinkling of parsley and more grated cheese.
Thank you, Harry.
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