Meatballs w/ Polenta

My girlfriend Rachel loves pasta so I decided to make one of the pasta dishes featured in Cook This Not That. This dish turned out to be very flavorful and filling.  Check out how great the pictures came out!  Can't wait to get a real camera of my own.


Meatballs w/ Polenta


Ingredients

• 8 oz ground Sirloin
• 8 oz ground Turkey
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh Parsley, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 tsp Fennel Seeds
• Salt & Black Pepper
• 1 slice White Bread, torn into small pieces and briefly  soaked in milk
• 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 small Onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 can (28 oz) Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 cup dried Polenta, prepared according to package instructions

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Combine the sirloin, turkey, egg parsley, Parmesan, fennel seeds, & 3/4 teaspoon salt in a large mixing bowl.  Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and add to the bowl.  Use your (clean clean clean!) hands to gently mix the ingredients together.  Form meatballs the size of golf balls, about 1" diameter, being careful not to overwork the meat.  Place the meatballs in a baking dish and bake for 25 minutes, until nicely browned all over.
3. While the meatballs bake, heat the oil in a large saute' pan over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic, and pepper flakes and cook for about 3 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.  Add the tomatoes, plus salt and pepper to taste, and simmer while meatballs finish cooking.
4. Transfer the meatballs straight from the oven to the sauce.  Cook for at least 10 minutes (preferably 20-30), turning the meatballs so that all parts have a chance to simmer in the sauce.  Serve the meatballs and sauce over soft polenta, topped w/ a bit of chopped parsley and grated Parmesan.

*Instead of using polenta I used Whole Grain Spaghetti.  Also, I made homemade garlic bread using a Whole Grain Demi French Baguette from Whole Foods.

*Makes 4 servings

*380 cals, 14g fat (4.5 saturated), 1,010mg sodium

*Cost per serving: $2.99

*Compare to: Romano's Macaroni Grill Spaghetti & Meatballs Bolognese, 880 cals, 37g fat (14g saturated), 2,400mg sodium, $10.99