Turkey Meatballs with Courgetti and Tomato Sauce

Turkey mince is lean, which is why turkey meatballs are so often dry. Two things fix that here: ground almonds and Parmesan in the mix, and finishing the meatballs in the sauce rather than baking them all the way through. The courgetti goes in at the very end and barely cooks.

Dinner

Serves 4 (makes 20 meatballs)

Turkey meatballs in tomato sauce on a bed of courgette noodles, topped with basil and grated Parmesan

Ingredients

For the meatballs
500g lean turkey mince (5% fat)
30g ground almonds
1 egg
30g Parmesan, finely grated, plus a little extra to serve
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp dried oregano, half a tsp salt and black pepper
For the sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
700g passata
A pinch of chilli flakes
A handful of basil leaves
For the courgetti
4 medium courgettes (about 800g), spiralised or cut into ribbons with a peeler

Method

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan) and line a baking tray.
Put all the meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix with your hands until just combined. Do not overwork it, or the meatballs turn dense. Wet your hands and roll into 20 balls, about the size of a walnut.
Bake for 12 minutes, until browned on the outside. They will not be cooked through yet.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, deep pan over a medium heat. Cook the onion for 8 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and chilli for 1 minute.
Pour in the passata, season and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the meatballs to the sauce, cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes, until cooked through, with no pink in the middle and the juices running clear. Tear in most of the basil.
Put the courgetti in a colander and pour a kettle of just-boiled water over it, or toss it in a hot dry pan for 1 to 2 minutes. Do not cook it longer, or it goes soft and watery. Pat dry with kitchen paper.
Divide the courgetti between bowls, spoon the meatballs and sauce over the top, and finish with the rest of the basil and a little extra Parmesan.

Why it works

A serving has about 38g of protein for under 400 calories. That ratio is what makes it useful if you are trying to lose fat while keeping muscle. Lean turkey, egg, almonds and Parmesan provide the protein.

Courgetti cuts the carbohydrate to about 15g a serving, compared with over 50g in a normal 75g portion of dried spaghetti on its own. It also makes this one of the biggest bowls of food on the site for the calories. That is why it is tagged for blood sugar.

On heavy training days, you may want the carbohydrate back. Carbohydrate refuels the glycogen your muscles use for hard exercise. Add 60g of wholewheat spaghetti per person, cooked and mixed with the courgetti. That adds about 200 calories and 37g of carbohydrate a serving.

The sauce counts towards your 5 a day, and cooked tomatoes are one of the best sources of lycopene, which the body absorbs more easily when tomatoes are cooked with a little oil.

For women around menopause, enough protein at each meal, together with strength training, helps protect muscle and bone: see strength training in midlife. For another turkey dinner, try the turkey, sweet potato and tart cherry traybake.

Check the ground almonds and passata labels if you need the dish to be strictly gluten-free. Almonds are a tree nut, so swap them for 30g of gluten-free oats if anyone eating has a nut allergy.

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