Spinach and Turkey Meatballs with Chunky Tomato Sauce

This recipe is inspired by one of my best friends Jenna. Jenna is my twin. We work out together, we cook together and most importantly, we eat together. Jenna is alway the one to show me a new work out routine or a new diet trend and she always keeps me motivated to work out harder and improve myself. I can always count on her for advice and the honest truth.

Whenever I want to make a meal, I always call Jenna to come over and eat with me and try my recipes. We typically like to work out together and then stuff our face with delicious home cooked meals (good/bad). She also loves to cook. A lot of the recipes that I make are inspired by her own recipes. It is so great to have a friend that accepts the passion that I have for food and actually "gets it". 

Last week I went over to Jenna's house to have dinner with her and her mom and she made the most amazing greek turkey burgers with homemade tzazki sauce and sweet potato fries (right up my alley). I couldn't keep my fork down because it was so delicious and flavorful. I kept on telling her that I was going to copy the recipe and blog about it. 

Tonight I had a family dinner with my roommates and decided that I was going to make a version of her turkey burgers. Instead of making burgers though, I made meatballs and changed the recipe to make it more of my style. The meatballs were so flavorful and moist and everyone cleared their plates (Always a good sign). It was a success! 

Here is how I did it:

Spinach and Turkey Meatballs with Chunky Tomato Sauce 

Spinach and Turkey Meatballs:
- 1 package of frozen spinach (defrosted)
- 1/2 large onion (grated)
- 1.5 pound lean ground turkey
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 tbs almond milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes
- 4 tbs olive oil

Chunky Tomato Sauce:
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 tbs chopped garlic
- 1 1/2 cans of diced tomato
- 1 1/2 tbs tomato paste
-1/4 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 tbs almond milk
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped black olives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine defrosted spinach (drain the excess water out with a paper towel), grated onion, turkey, and the rest of the ingredients besides the olive oil. Once your ingredients are mixed, spoon the meatball mixture into 2 inch balls and place on a baking sheet.

When your meatballs are made, heat a large skillet up with 2 tbs of olive oil and sear half of your meatballs. Make sure you sear the meatballs on each side so you get color on each side. Use the rest of the olive oil to sear the other half of your meatballs.

Place your seared meatballs on a baking dish and bake for 10 minutes until the center is fully cooked. Let them rest while you make your sauce.

For the sauce, chop up onion and garlic and sauté in 2 tbs of olive oil. Add the diced tomato, tomato paste, chili flakes, salt, pepper and oregano. Cook for 5-7 minutes until your sauce has reduced a little. Take it off the heat and add almond milk and black olives.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil with salt and olive oil and cook whatever type of pasta you would like. I made whole wheat pasta but you can use regular angel hair pasta or gluten free pasta. If you don't want pasta, make spaghetti squash.

I garnished the dish with some parmesan cheese and fresh basil. I believe that it is important to make your dish as bright and colorful as possible. It makes the meal a little bit more special.

Here is a picture of Jenna and me at the Philadelphia Marathon Expo this past November. I ran the full and she ran the half (both our first times). This dish would have been the perfect meal to make the night before the race! CARBO LOAD! 

Anne