Weekday Pasta - Spaghetti and Turkey Balls

This is a quickie recipe.  I always like to use leftovers in completely different dishes so this spaghetti sauce borrows the turkey burger I mixed up last week and put in the freezer.  We had turkey burgers on buns with lettuce, tomato, onion and bacon.  That way the turkey (healthy?) balances out the bacon (heart attack).

Today I made meatballs with the turkey burger mix which has the same basic ingredients as ground beef meatballs.  I don't know how traditional "polpette di tacchino" are in real Italian cuisine, but meatballs are a tradition in our family and most Italian-American families.

A pound of ground meat (beef, pork, veal, turkey)
A few slices of dry Italian or French bread, moistened with water (when using turkey, less water as the turkey produces a softer concoction)
One small onion, diced
1 or 2 eggs (one for turkey)
1/4 cup or so grated parmesan or romano cheese
Salt, pepper, garlic powder (or use fresh minced garlic)
Chopped fresh or frozen parsley
Chopped fresh or frozen basil leaves
Mix together and make burgers, meatballs or meatloaf.

Any of the above can make an appearance in the tomato sauce if left over.
I had the burger already mixed and thawed so made some turkey meatballs.
Tonight I just opened a jar of prepared marinara spaghetti sauce - that's the weekday part.  I never use prepared meat sauce ... I like to see the meat I'm going to eat... This $1.50 jar of gourmet sauce came from the discount food store, my favorite place.

Added the turkey balls along with half a leftover pork chop and a few chunks of the pot roast we had the other evening - left over pork roast is the absolute best thing to add to your sauce.  It makes for the ideal sweetness and flavor. .  A little more basil and some parmesan cheese. Let it all simmer on low for a while - at least an hour, no more than three.

Serving with whole wheat spaghetti tonight.

Dinner's Ready!