Last Saturday was my monthly pot luck dinner and the theme was Spanish food. The host made a wonderful Paella, but of course, it had lots of chorizo sausage, pork and the obvious carb content from the rice. Since we all had to bring something, my friend Donna suggested I do meatballs-a staple on any Spanish Tapas bar. Searching the Internet for a good recipe to re-engineer, I found about 4 that had elements I thought would be tasty. So, I got ideas from them and added a few things, myself! It’s a really easy recipes to follow.
These were a huge success and the sauce was sopped up with the sliced bread (not by ME, of course!) provided for the cheese wedges served. I think the sauce AND the meatballs would be great mixed into some spaghetti squash, too. The recipe serves a lot. I made about 75 meatballs from this. Perfect for parties!
Spanish Meatballs-A Healthy, Spicy Appetizer
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground turkey
- 4 oz prociutto
- 4 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
- 6 tbsp parmesan cheese
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- 12 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp pine nuts, crushed
- 4 scallions, chopped fine
- 2 tbsp dried thyme
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp turmeric
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cans low sodium diced tomatoes
- 1/2C red wine
- 4 tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 4 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except bottom 4 ingredients.
- Using your hands, shape into small meatballs, about 1 1/2" in diameter.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat.
- Add meatballs and cook, rolling until all are browned.
- Add tomatoes, wine basil and rosemary.
- Stir gently and simmer for another 15-20 minutes until all meatballs are cooked.
- Adjust seasonings accordingly. Serve.
- Actually, I think they're better the day after. Do serve them hot, however. Enjoy!
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