120ml(1/2 cup) chicken or vegetable stockwater plus half a stock cube is fine
2medium-sized courgettes (zucchini)spiralized
To Serve:
freshly grated parmesan
black pepper
small bunch flat leaf parsleyroughly chopped
Instructions
In a large bowl, place the turkey mince, 1 tbsp of olive oil, parmesan, egg, half of the chopped onion, the grated bread, salt, and pepper.
500 g (1.1 lb) turkey thigh mince, 3 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese, 1 medium egg, 1 large onion, ½ slice of wholemeal bread, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Mix together with your hands and form into meatballs – about the size of a walnut. You should get around 20-24 meatballs.
Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of oil in a very large, non-stick frying pan.
3 tbsp olive oil
Add the meatballs and lightly brown on all sides. This should take around 6-8 minutes. Be careful when turning the meatballs over, as they’re quite delicate.
Move the meatballs to one side of the pan, then in the space, add the remaining onion, celery and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes until the onion starts to soften.
2 celery stalks, 2 cloves garlic
Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, thyme, honey, and stock. Stir everything together, bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 10 minutes.
400 g (14 oz) tin of chopped tomatoes, 2 tbsp tomato puree, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp honey, 120 ml (1/2 cup) chicken or vegetable stock
Add the spiralized courgetti (I like to add this to one side of the pan). Gently stir into the sauce and place a lid or some foil on the pan. Cook for a further 3 minutes until the courgette has softened.
2 medium-sized courgettes (zucchini)
Serve the courgetti and meatballs topped with freshly grated parmesan, black pepper, and chopped parsley.
freshly grated parmesan, black pepper, small bunch flat leaf parsley
Video
Notes
Can I make it ahead?You can make the meatballs and sauce ahead, but I wouldn't recommend adding the courgetti until you come to reheat the dish.Make the meatballs and tomato sauce, then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to two days. Reheat with a lid or foil on the pan (add the courgetti at this point) on a low-medium heat until piping hot throughout - this will likely take 12-15 minutes.Can I freeze it?Yes, but I would recemmend leaving out the courgetti until you come to reheat it. Make the meatballs and tomato sauce, then cool, cover and freeze. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat with a lid or foil on the pan (add the courgetti at this point) on a low-medium heat until piping hot throughout - this will likely take 12-15 minutes.How to scale up or scale down this recipeYou can halve this recipe (to serve 2 people) using the same ratio of ingredients. Just halve all of the ingredients and cook in the same way. It would be difficult to double the recipe, as it's unlikely you'll have a frying pan (skillet) big enough for all of the meatballs. So you make have to make in two pans. Therefore you would double all of the recipe ingredients, but make it in two pan.Can I make it in the slow cooker?Yes. Make as per the recipe, then at the end of step 6 - just as it comes to the boil, transfer to the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours. Add the courgetti for the last 15 minutes of cooking.Nutritional Information is per serving, excluding toppings.