Pork Meatballs

in Tomato Sauce with Turnip Noodles

Hands-on time: 40 minutes // Time from start to finish: 3.5 – 4.5 hours

(Gluten-Free, Lactose/Dairy Free, Diabetes Diet, Low Fat/Low Cholesterol, Cardiac Diet)

Ingredient List: Ground Pork, Pureed Canned Tomatoes (from Italy), Turnips, Yellow Onion, Garlic, Olive Oil, Rosemary, Parsley, Turkish Oregano, Garlic Powder, Salt

This sauce is a great one to make on the weekend, ‘cause it takes a fair amount of hands-off time, but it freezes beautifully for last-minute dinners later in the week or month.

I’m frequently a maximalist when it comes to tomato sauces, but this one is light, bright, and clean.

Start by dicing and sauteing an onion in a splash of olive oil. If you like garlic as much as I do add a few diced cloves when the onions are fragrant and almost translucent.

Dump in a can of pureed tomatoes. Make sure they’re packaged in Italy to avoid additives that don’t need to be labeled.

Add rosemary and Turkish oregano, a sprinkle of salt, and some water. Turn the heat down to low and let simmer for as long as you can (4 hours should be plenty), adding water periodically.

Dump the ground pork into a large bowl, add salt (and pepper, if you don’t have a sensitive palate like Charlie), parsley, Turkish oregano, and garlic powder. Being as gentle with the meat as you can, mix together with your hands, and form into small meatballs—about the size of a spherical nickel.

I air-fried these for about 8 minutes at 400F, but baking or pan searing would work, too. No added oil is necessary, the pork has it all!

Using a veggie noodler, spiralize some turnips. Blanch in boiling water for 30 secs to 1 min. This is less about cooking and more about taking the edge of bitterness off.