How yummy does this bowl brimming with mini meatballs and mini wagon wheels covered in sauce look? Not only will kids find this irresistible but moms and dads will love it too. These gently flavored meatballs have some carrots tucked inside which is another way to get your kids to eat more vegetables. And of course, it's hard to resist a fun pasta shape like wagon wheels...just ask my husband, it's his favorite shape.
Ingredients for Kid-Friendly Turkey Meatballs and Mini Wagon Wheels:
1 pound mini wagon wheels
1 pound ground turkey
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs, 2-3 slices of Italian bread
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
dash nutmeg
1 tablespoon finely grated onion
2 tablespoons finely grated carrots
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
7-8 cups marinara sauce, Click HERE for our Everyday Tomato Sauce recipe
Time-Saving Tip: The meatballs and sauce can be made in advance. The meatballs and sauce can be kept in gt refrigerator for a couple of days. Also, feel free to use prepared tomato sauce. It will still be delicious.
Let's see what we need.
Let's make our Kid- Friendly Turkey Meatballs and Mimi Wagon Wheels.
Place oil, grated onion, grated carrot and minced garlic in a pan. Saute over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes. Do not brown. Set aside. When grating the onion and the carrot be sure to use the smallest holes on the grater. This way the vegetables will "disappear" into the meatballs when cooked.
It is easy to make fresh breadcrumbs. For this recipe use a few pieces of sliced Italian bread. I like to cut off most of the crust. Place in a mini food processor and process about 30 seconds until you can see fluffy crumbs. I have the Cuisinart Mini-Prep Processor and love it. Click HERE to learn more about it.
In a small bowl combine the breadcrumbs and milk. Stir and let sit for about ten minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the meat, vegetable mixture, breadcrumb mixture, parsley, lightly beaten egg, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Once thoroughly combined shape into approximately 40 meatballs. If the mixture seems soft place in the refrigerator for a little while and then proceed with making the meatballs.
Bake meatballs for 15 minutes.
Add the cooked meatballs directly to the sauce. Coo for about 30 minutes.
In the meanwhile cook the wagon wheels according to package directions. Drain and return to the pot. By now the sauce should be ready. Add the sauce and meatballs to the pasta. At this point do not over sauce the pasta. Save some of the sauce to serve on the side.
It's ready! Yay...the entire family will love these meatballs and wagon wheels. And if you're lucky enough to have any leftovers pack them for lunch the next day. #bestschoollunchever
Enjoy!