Mexican-Style Spaghetti and Meatballs

It's your classic Italian entree with a Mexican kick! The crumbled corn tostadas, chili powders, chili peppers, and chipotle peppers are the difference from your run-of-the-mill meatballs and sauce. The lean turkey makes it very healthy!

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins
• Calories: 595 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• ¼ cup bread crumbs
• ½ onion, diced
• 1 (16 ounce) package spaghetti
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix
• 1 (24 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoons Mexican-style chili Powder
• 1 teaspoon guajillo chile powder
• ½ Anaheim (New Mexico) chile pepper, seeded and minced
• 2 tostada shells, crushed into fine crumbs

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place a sheet of aluminum foil onto a baking sheet, and lightly grease with cooking spray.

Step 2

Place the ground turkey into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with the Mexican chili powder, guajillo chile powder, salt, black pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Add the egg, olive oil, chopped onion, jalapeno pepper, and Anaheim pepper. Mix well with your hands until evenly blended, then sprinkle with the tostada crumbs and bread crumbs. Mix again until the bread crumbs are incorporated. Form the meatball mixture into 1-inch balls and place onto the prepared baking sheet.

Step 3

Bake in the preheated oven until the meatballs have lightly browned and are no longer pink in the center, about 40 minutes. Turn the meatballs over after 20 minutes to ensure even cooking.

Step 4

Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the spaghetti and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.

Step 5

After you have flipped the meatballs, stir together the diced tomatoes, diced onion, chipotle chile, spaghetti sauce, and taco seasoning in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes until the onion is tender.

Step 6

Once the meatballs are ready, stir them into the sauce, and cook 5 minutes longer. Spoon the meatballs and sauce over the spaghetti to serve.