Good Eats

Last night we had a funeral....for the death of summer. Mark started back at school yesterday, just as I was getting used to not sharing the bathroom in the morning. Womp womp.  

My mom was out of town last night and seeing that I was making a "man" dinner, I invited my dad over to join us. I decided to "skinny" these meatballs up a bit by using turkey instead of beef and cooking them in the spaghetti sauce rather then frying them (which would have been awesome). Also, I didn't use half as much cheese as what's pictured below, sorry fellas, this chick's got a bridesmaid dress to squeeze into soon!

I served the pasta with a big salad and a bottle of 2006 Shingleback Shiraz from McLaren Vale. It's a lush, inky red, with flavors of plum and black cherry laced with oak. This drop would accompany a steak perfectly...but turkey meatballs will also do!

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

8 ounces mozzarella cheese
1 large shallot, chopped
1/4 cup (5 to 6) sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
1/3 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound ground turkey
Marinara sauce
Whole wheat spaghetti

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Dice the mozzarella into 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside.

 In a food processor, pulse the shallots, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, shredded mozzarella, parmesan, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until blended. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the turkey and, using hands, stir until combined. Form into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch meatballs. Insert 1 cube mozzarella into the center of each meatball and form the meat around it, enclosing the cheese.
In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, spray the bottom with Pam and pop in your meatballs. Heat over medium-high heat until a crispy brown coating forms.
Once browned, add the pasta sauce and let simmer for about 20 minutes.