Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Seven ingredients and a from-scratch tomato sauce. The meatballs are 99% lean ground turkey, shaped with wet hands because meat this lean has almost no fat to bind it. A quick simmer of fresh tomatoes, onion, and oregano wraps around whole wheat spaghetti for 600 calories, 35g protein and 10g fiber in 15 minutes.
Seven ingredients and a from-scratch tomato sauce. The meatballs are 99% lean ground turkey, shaped with wet hands because meat this lean has almost no fat to bind it. A quick simmer of fresh tomatoes, onion, and oregano wraps around whole wheat spaghetti for 600 calories, 35g protein and 10g fiber in 15 minutes.
Ingredients
- whole wheat spaghetti 84 g
- onion 0.25
- tomatoes 3
- 99% lean ground turkey breast 84 g
- olive oil 23 ml
- dried oregano 2 g
- water 8 ml
Method
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Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions.
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Finely chop the onion and cut the tomatoes into pieces.
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Mix the lean turkey with salt and pepper. With wet hands, shape the mixture into small meatballs.
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Heat half of the oil in a pan and cook the meatballs for 10-12 minutes until they are golden brown and cooked through.
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Heat the remaining oil in a saucepan and gently sauté the onion. Add the diced tomatoes, oregano, water and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-6 minutes until it turns into a thick sauce. If needed, add a splash more water. Combine the tomato sauce with the meatballs and heat through.
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Drain the spaghetti and mix with the tomato sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Shape the meatballs small and uniform, roughly the size of a walnut. At 99% lean, larger meatballs dry out before the center cooks through.
Behind this recipe
Does the body actually use all 35 grams of protein from a single plate?
Research suggests there is no practical ceiling. A systematic review pooling data from multiple trials showed that protein absorption kept going well past the traditional 20–30g estimate. That number came from measuring only muscle protein synthesis over a few hours. Most of those studies tested younger, trained adults, so the exact threshold for other populations is less clear.
Read the full evidence reviewWhat changes if I swap the whole wheat spaghetti for regular?
Absolutely. Both cook the same way. The main difference is fiber: whole wheat spaghetti contributes most of this meal’s 10 grams. Regular pasta drops that number significantly but keeps the protein and calories roughly the same.
Why do the meatballs need wet hands?
Ground turkey at 99% lean has almost no fat to act as binder. Fat is what usually holds ground meat together during shaping. Wetting your hands prevents the mixture from sticking to your palms and helps the meatballs hold their shape long enough to hit the pan.
