Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with Fresh Pasta

Tomato Sauce
1/2 Cup onions, diced
2 Large cloves garlic, sliced thin
1/8 Cup EVOO, plus more to finish the sauce
4 TBS tomato paste
2 28 OZ cans of San Marzano tomatoes, seeded
Salt
Fresh basil

Turkey Meatballs
1 LB ground turkey
1 Egg
1/2 Cup panko breadcrumbs
1 TBS chopped onions
1/4 TSP salt
1/8 TSP black pepper
1 TBS pesto

Fresh homemade pasta

It only seemed fitting to make fresh tomato sauce and homemade meatballs to go with my pasta. It's a lot of work for such a simple meal, but the end result is totally worth it (especially if you make your own pasta). I wanted to keep the sauce very traditional, but I lightened up the meatballs by using ground turkey and baking in the oven.

Heat oil in a pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Let cook until translucent, but not browned. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more. Stir in the tomato paste and let cook until it darkens slightly. Add the tomatoes and a pinch more of salt. Let simmer, uncovered for 45 minutes. To finish the sauce, add a drizzle of EVOO and torn fresh basil leaves.

While the sauce is cooking, make the meatballs. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. combine the turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, onion, salt, pepper and pesto in a large bowl. Roll about a tablespoon on the mixture into balls and place on an oiled baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until no longer pink in the middle.

Once the sauce was finished, I set some aside for another day. Then I refrigerated half the cooked meatballs. I added the other half of the meatballs to the remaining sauce, to let them heat up. Cook you pasta, then toss in the pot with the sauce and meatballs. Serve with Parmesan cheese for the perfect Sunday dinner.