Weight Watchers Spaghetti and Meatballs

This weekend I redid my brandy snifter of recipes and put all the low calorie recipes in it.  The first recipe I picked out of the snifter was this Weight Watchers Spaghetti and Meatballs. 

I'm not usually a huge fan of ground turkey because the texture gets a little wonky to me. This recipe uses ground turkey with ground pork - so the texture is just fine for me.

As usual, I made a few "adjustments" to the recipe. Turkey, also, notoriously has not so much flavor. For that reason I tossed in some McCormick's Grill Seasoning.  I think it really made a difference.

This recipe makes a TON.  I most likely will do this for a Sunday dinner in the near future because of how much it makes. 

Best part about this recipe is it's 319 calories.  I used whole wheat pasta for the spaghetti.  You really can't tell the difference.

Photo courtesy of WW.com

Weight Watchers Spaghetti and Meatballs
Courtesy of WW Take Out Tonight cookbook
Serves 10

1 T olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground, skinless turkey breast (for the record, I didn't know they had ground turkey that included the skin.)
1/2 lb ground pork (10% or less fat)
1/2 c Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
2 egg whites
1/4 c fat-free milk
2  tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp (each) salt and pepper
28oz can of crushed tomatoes
2T chopped fresh oregano
3/4 lb spaghetti  [JW - I doubt 3/4 lb spaghetti will serve 10 people, so use your best judgment on how much spaghetti to make for yourself.]

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 10X15 inch jelly-roll pan with nonstick spray; set aside.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl in the oil, then add the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally; until golden, 7-10 minutes.
combine the turkey, pork, bread crumbs, grated Parmesan, egg, egg whites, milk, W sauce, salt, pepper and half of the cooked onions/garlic in a large bowl. Sharpe into 20 meat balls and place in a single layer without touching each other on the jelly-roll pan. Bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

[JW note - this meatball mixture was very wet.  When I make this again, I would fore go the two egg whites.  With the milk in it, you just don't need the extra wet.]

Bring the tomatoes and the remaining half of the cooked onions and garlic to a boil in a large sauce pan; add the meatballs. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the meatballs are cooked through, 18-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti. Toss the spaghetti, meatballs and sauce together. Or, if you're like me, the sauce goes on top the spaghetti and you sing, "On top of spaghetti, call covered with cheese. I lost my poor meatball, when somebody sneezed."

Ahem.

Things I changed with the sauce are:
1. I tossed in a can of petite diced tomatoes. I like a bit more texture in my tomato sauce.
2. I put in about a tsp of sugar.  Tomatoes are acidic and the sugar helps cut that back some.
3. I put in about a 28oz can of water - I like more sauce than meatballs.  Plus this marinara will freeze real well.