Turkey Meatballs in Spaghetti Nests

This was SO MUCH fun to make... then we were delighted to realize they tasted wonderful, too. I based this recipe on one from emilybites.com (Spaghetti & Meatball Cups) -- I definitely recommend her blog.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. lean ground turkey
  • 8 oz. whole wheat thin spaghetti (can use other kinds too)
  • 3 egg whites
  • 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
  • 1.5  cups of marinara sauce, plus 3 tablespoons. You can enhance this with a chopped onion, chopped broccoli, carrot shreds, mushrooms, or whatever you prefer.
  • Fresh chopped herbs such as parsley or basil
  • Shredded carrots

Instructions

Nests:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, adding a pinch of salt.  Break up spaghetti into small pieces, 2-4 inches long. Consult the package to see how long to boil the noodles. When done, strain them and rinse with cool water in a colander.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the 3 egg whites and then add the cooled pasta. Add in the Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses and 3 tablespoons of the marinara sauce. Mix well.
  4. Coat two cupcake tins with cooking spray. With your fingers, form little nests with the spaghetti mixture inside in each cup, pushing down in the middle and up the sides. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes or slightly longer, until the nests begin to brown slightly. Keep an eye on them.
  5. While the nests are baking, make meatballs:

Meatballs:

  1. Cut the pound of ground turkey into cubes right in the unwrapped package. Each cube can be rolled into a ball, about 1-1.5 inches in diameter.
  2. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray, then add the meatballs in a single layer and cook, turning frequently, until browned and cooked through. Set pan aside. [This is a good time to explain to the kids why we must wash hands with soap after handling raw meat, and also put our dirty cutting boards, utensils, etc. right into the sink – and use new ones for cooked meat.  It’s never too early to gain a healthy respect for icky bacteria!]
  3. In another skillet, or in the microwave, warm the marinara sauce.  If adding veggies, saute them first until softened, then add sauce and simmer several minutes.
  4. When nests are baked and cooled slightly, use tongs to lift them into serving dishes – we used small bowls. With tongs or a spoon, place a turkey meatball into each one.  Add 1-2 tablespoons of marinara sauce on top.  Add more shredded cheese, chopped parsley, basil or carrot shreds and dig in!

More Information

Our teacher Karen mentioned that these would be fun for a birthday party – the kids could add their favorite sauce and other toppings (olives? mushrooms? toasted bread crumbs?) and make their own spaghetti “sundaes.”  Thumbs up!

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1 thought on “Turkey Meatballs in Spaghetti Nests”

  1. Hey Laura!
    Sup bro?
    I am here to say how wonderful your recipes are. My sisters told me about this website.
    🙂
    Awesome Recipes!!!

    Your awesome fan Chris

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