Turkey Meatballs in Spicy Tomato Basil Sauce with Burrata

Italian inspired Turkey Meatballs in a spicy tomato basil sauce with creamy Burrata cheese.

I especially love this recipe because it only takes about 30 minutes to throw together. The ground turkey is combined with an egg and the following spices: cumin, garlic salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, a pinch of cayenne, basil, oregano, plus a bit of dijon mustard. Now that may seem like a lot of spices, but it results are drop dead delicious! I baked my meatballs in the oven for 15 minutes then transferred them to a skillet with tomato sauce simmering on medium-low. Then I gently spooned the sauce over the meatballs so that they would continue to soak in the flavor. It did not disappoint.

Ingredients 

For the meatballs:

• 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs (can leave out if GF)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

For the sauce:

• 2 cups tomato sauce or your favorite pasta sauce (marinara works well)
• 4-5 large basil leaves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Optional: 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 4-6 ounces of Burrata cheese, cut into large pieces

Instructions 

❀Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

❀In a large bowl, combine the turkey, bread crumbs, egg, minced basil, garlic salt, oregano, cumin, dijon mustard, black pepper, cayenne, and red pepper flakes. Mix together and roll into 1 inch meatballs. You will end up with anywhere between 16-22 meatballs. 

❀Bake meatballs for 15 minutes. 

❀While the meatballs are baking, make the sauce. Heat a large skillet on medium-low and add tomato sauce and oregano. At this point you can add any herbs or additional ingredients such as mushrooms or red pepper flakes if you desire. Sauce will thicken. 

❀Once meatballs are done baking, add them to the skillet; spoon the tomato sauce generously over the meatballs and add the basil. 

❀Place the Buratta randomly in the tomato sauce and/or over the meatballs; continue cooking on medium-low for 5 more minutes or until the cheese has melted into the sauce. 

❀Serve meatballs over grain or pasta of choice. Would also be great over spaghetti squash.

Source:ambitious kitchen