Comfort food, part one

Feeling kind of burned out not too far into the semester.  A friend asked for spaghetti and meatballs and doesn't eat red meat.  I was more than happy to oblige.  This sauce is a little more developed than the previous recipe I listed.

Turkey meatballs and homemade marinara 

For the meatballs:

-2 lbs. ground turkey breast 

-1 tbsp. dried oregano

-8-9 leaves fresh sweet basil

-6 sprigs fresh parsley (flat-leaf/Italian or curly is okay, whatever you have)

-1/2 cup freshly grated parmiggiano-reggiano

-2 eggs, beaten

-Freshly ground pepper 

For the sauce:

-3 lbs. whole tomatoes, stems removed and coarsely chopped

-1 can tomato paste 

-4 cloves garlic, minced

-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

-1/4 cup dry red wine, such as Chianti 

-5-6 leaves fresh sweet basil 

-2 tbsp. dried oregano

-Salt and pepper  

-1 sweet onion, skin off but left whole

For the sauce, heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium.  Add garlic and cook until brown.  Add tomatoes and cook mixture until it boils.  Add onion, tomato paste, wine, oregano and salt and pepper and turn down to low.  Let mixture simmer for at least two hours to let all of the flavors combine.  Add basil to sauce when you add the meatballs.  Remove onion before serving.

Heat oven to broil and line two cookie sheets with aluminum foil.  Combine all of the ingredients for the meatballs (chiffonade the basil and finely chop the parsley first) in a large bowl.  Using your hands, mix just until herbs, egg and cheese are incorporated into the turkey.  Roll mixture into golf ball-sized balls, and place on cookie sheets.  Broil for about 7-8 minutes, until outside is cooked but inside is still raw.  Remove from oven and drop into boiling sauce.  When they float to the top, they're done.  Enjoy over whole wheat pasta.