Mini Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Zucchini Meatball Orrechiette

By carvalhohm

Ingredients

• 1 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 medium)
• Salt
• 1 egg
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup grated red onion
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1/2 About 1/2 cup pearl mozzarella
• 1 box (1 lb) orecchiette (tiny disk) pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) Muir Glen® organic fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

Details

Servings 8
Cooking time 60mins
Adapted from bettycrocker.com

Preparation

Step 1

1 Heat oven to 400°F. Line sheet pan with cooking parchment paper or silicone nonstick baking mat. Sprinkle grated zucchini lightly with salt; toss to coat. Set aside while preparing other ingredients.

2 Squeeze out as much of the zucchini liquid as you can; there will be a few tablespoons. Discard liquid.

3 In large bowl, gently mix all Meatball ingredients except mozzarella cheese until combined. To make each Meatball, scoop 1 teaspoonful mixture into hand; flatten into a patty. Place 1 mozzarella pearl in center of patty; enclose cheese completely inside mixture. With hands, roll into ball; place in pan. Repeat to make remaining meatballs.

4 Bake in center of oven about 20 minutes or until thermometer inserted in center of meatballs reads 165°F and cheese is melted.

5 Meanwhile, cook pasta to al dente as directed on box.

6 To make Sauce, in 10-inch skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion; cook until translucent. Add chopped garlic; cook 60 seconds longer. Stir in tomatoes with liquid. Simmer until most of liquid has been reduced. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat; stir in basil.

7 Toss cooked pasta, meatballs and sauce. Garnish with additional fresh basil.

You can make the meatballs ahead of time and freeze on a sheet pan in a single layer until frozen solid. Move the frozen meatballs to a resealable freezer plastic bag and freeze for 1 month. Bake the meatballs in a 400°F oven for about 30 minutes.

Serves 8

If you don’t have fresh basil, dried oregano is a great substitution in this pasta dish.

There are many sizes of mozzarella balls available today at most supermarkets. I used the smallest I could find, but use whatever size you like and make meatballs to correspond with your preferred size.