Tasty turkey meatballs

Swap beef mince and breadcrumbs with lean turkey and oats. Serve in a tomato sauce with pasta or potatoes. See the tip to make a vegetarian version – Penne with fennel & Parmesan.

Prep:25 mins
Cook:40 mins

Serves 4
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 322
fat 9g
saturates 2g
carbs 21g
sugars 13g
fibre 7g
protein 38g
salt 0.3g

Ingredients

1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely diced
2 celery sticks, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced, fronds reserved
500g carton tomato passata
500ml reduced-salt chicken stock
2 tbsp chopped parsley
broccoli and potatoes or pasta and salad, to serve
400g pack lean turkey breast mince
4 tbsp porridge oats
1 tsp fennel seed, crushed
1 garlic clove, crushed
spray of oil

Tip

Penne with fennel & Parmesan

Make vegetarian penne with fenne & Parmesan instead. Follow the recipe, above, but omit the meatballs and serve the sauce tossed through 200g wholewheat penne (dry weight) with 50g grated Parmesan (or vegetarian alternative). (Nutrition per serving: 375 kcals, protein 22g, carbs 47g, fat 11g, sat fat 4g, fibre 9g, sugar 15g, salt 0.6g)

Method

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan with a lid, then tip in the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and fennel, and stir well. Cover the pan and cook over a medium heat for 8 mins, stirring every now and then. Pour in the passata and stock, cover and leave to simmer for 20 mins.
Meanwhile, tip the mince into a large bowl. Add the oats, fennel seeds and leaves, the garlic and plenty of black pepper, and mix in with your hands. Lightly shape into 25 meatballs about the size of a walnut. Spray or rub a non-stick pan with a little oil and gently cook the meatballs until they take on a little colour. Give the sauce a stir, then add the meatballs and parsley. Cover and cook for 10 mins until they are cooked through and the veg in the sauce is tender. Serve with broccoli and baby potatoes in their skins, or pasta and salad.