Whole Wheat Spaghetti and Turkey Sausageballs

In the midst of all my healthy cooking, I started to crave one of my favorite comfort foods, Spaghetti and Meatballs. However, since I am trying to eat lighter and spend less time in the kitchen, I wanted to see how I can make this recipe healthier and quick. The answer: Turkey Sausage! In any market today there are a variety of gourmet chicken and turkey sausages. Cosco has an assortment of chicken sausages including feta and spinach, sun-dried tomato and artichoke and garlic pesto. With all the different types of sausages available the recipe creations are infinite!

I noticed that my grocery store had Italian turkey sausage on sale. So I thought to myself, "hmmmm why not make meatballs out of sausage???" It makes perfect sense! All the flavors are already in there, all I have to do is remove the casing and roll out little meatballs. With a few additions to the sausage I created an extremely quick and lip smacking good meal!

Whole Wheat Spaghetti and Turkey Sausageballs

1 Package Hot Italian Turkey Sausage (about 6 links)
1 Jar of Trader Joes Organic Marinara
1 Package Whole Wheat Pasta
1/4 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 Onion Finely Diced
2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Finely Chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
5 Basil Leaves, Chiffonade

1. Take the sausages out of their casings by making a slit down the middle of them, lengthwise. Place a pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.
2. Add Parmesan, onion, parsley and mix well with hands to combine.
3. Create little meatballs and place on an oiled baking sheet.


4. Bake at 450-degrees in a convection oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown on the outside.
5. While the meatballs bake, cook the pasta and warm up the sauce with the garlic and basil in a saucepan.
6. Once the meatballs are a beautiful golden brown, add them to the sauce to finish cooking.
7. When the pasta is al dente, drain, toss with the sauce and add meatballs. Garnish with more Parmesan cheese and enjoy... Bellisimo!