Tarragon Turkey Meatballs over Lemon Rigatoni
This easy to make, satisfying meal comes together quickly and packs a ton of flavor. These meatballs would also work with your favorite red sauce or even as a twist on a meatball sub.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Turkey
- 1/3 cup Breadcrumbs Fresh or store-bought are fine. I had Italian on-hand.
- 1 Sweet Onion, Minced
- 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
- 1 Egg
- 2 tsp Dried Tarragon
- 2 tbs Chopped Fresh Parsley
- 1.5 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
- 1 lb Rigatoni Use whatever pasta you love
- Juice of 1 1/2 Lemons
- 3 tbs Butter
- 1/2 cup White Wine
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- Salt & Pepper to Taste
- 1 tbs Olive Oil
- Fresh Grated Parmesan for Topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a large sheet pan with a silpat if you have it - or give the pan a quick spray of cooking oil.
- Get a large pot of well-salted water going over high heat to get it to a boil for the pasta.
- To make the meatballs, add all of the meatball ingredients (stops at 1 tsp black pepper) to a large bowl and mix together well. I use my hands for this, but a spatula works just fine as well.
- Form the meatballs into 1-inch round balls and place on the baking sheet.
- Cook for 20-30 minutes until lightly browned, or better yet - until the internal temperature is 165 degrees.
- As an additional step for photos (I know, I know) I also browned them quickly in a medium-hot pan on the stovetop. You can skip if you'd like.
- While the meatballs are cooking, you can also cook the pasta. Cook until al dente.
- Also while the meatballs are cooking in the oven, you can start the super simple sauce by first melting the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Then add the white wine and simmer until the wine is reduced by about half.
- Place the drained pasta into the saucepan and add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the tablespoon of olive oil to add a bit more richness and mix the pasta together well. Set aside and wait until the meatballs are ready.
- Once the meatballs are done, serve them up on top of a big bowl of pasta and top with freshly grated parmesan. Voila!