Ingredients

The tomato sauce

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
• 200ml of red wine
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp of dried basil
• 1 big handful of fresh basil 
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp of tomato puree
• 1/2 tsp of sugar / honey
• Toasted pine nuts to serve

The meatballs

• 1 lb of turkey mince
• 1 tsp of cumin seeds
• 100g feta (leave this out if you want them dairy free)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 egg
• 35g of panko bread crumbs
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

The tomato sauce

1. Finely chop the garlic and onion and add to a deep saucepan or frying pan with the olive oil and cook on a low heat until translucent
2. Once the garlic and onion are cooked through, add in your tomato puree and dried basil and fry for a further minute
3. Now add in your red wine and continue to cook down for 2 minutes or until reduced, then add in your chopped tomatoes
4. Season your sauce with salt, pepper and add in sugar to taste
5. Leave this to simmer on a low heat and reduce while you make your meatballs, stirring occasionally – you may need to add a little water during this process if it gets too thick

I prefer a smoother sauce so I like to blend mine before serving.

The meatballs

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius 
2. Line a large baking tray with bake proof paper and set aside
3. In a large bowl, combine the turkey mince with the cumin seeds, crumbled feta and finely chopped garlic, followed by the breadcrumbs
4. Whisk the egg in a separate bowl and then add to the turkey mince, and combine until it starts to thicken and gloop together
5. Roll the mixture into 15-20 even balls and place on the baking tray with small even spaces between them
6. Pop these into the oven for roughly 20-25 minutes until slightly golden brown and cooked through
7. Once cooked, remove from the oven and place into your sauce along with a handful of fresh basil leaves.
8. Allow to simmer together for a further 5-10 minutes, while you prepare your pasta/courgetti and toast your pine nuts 
9. If serving with courgetti, I like to lightly warm mine in a pan or blast in the microwave for 30 seconds – don’t cook it or it will go wet and soggy. If using pasta, cook to instructions
10. Serve your meatballs with shaved parmesan, some toasted pine nuts and a few leaves of fresh basil