Linguine with Turkey Meatballs

I found this recipe while blogging a while back, and wrote it down right away and promptly forgot about it. The other day I found the recipe and we tried it last night, and it was delish. I wish I could give credit to where I got it from, but I don't remember, so if this is your dish, thank you!

Turkey Meatballs

3 TBSP olive oil

2 oz pancetta , finely diced

1/2 yellow onion, finely diced

1 lb ground turkey

1/2 C freshly grated Romano cheese

1/4 C fresh flat leaf parsley

1/4 C plain bread crumbs

1/4 C chopped sun-dried tomatoes

2 eggs

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp black pepper

Sauce and Noodles

1lb linguine

1/8 C extra-virgin olive oil

1 can whole tomatoes

2 garlic cloves - smashed

1/4 C chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1 can tomato paste

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp dried basil

First, make the meatballs.

1. Preheat oven to 450

2. Heat olive oil in a medium, heavy skillet over medium heat.

Add the pancetta and cook for 2 minutes. Add the onion and continue to cook until the pancetta is crisp and the onion is soft. Remove from the heat.

3. In a large bowl, combine the pancetta/onion mixture with the rest of the meatball ingredients and stir them all together.

4. Form 2 inch balls and place on foiled and greased baking sheet.

5.Bake them for 20-25 minutes.

Now for the sauce

In a large pan heat up your olive oil. Add the tomatoes, paste, garlic cloves, parsley, basil, salt and pepper and let simmer. (I added a bit more salt, but just keep tasting till it suits you.)

Start boiling your water for the noodles, and add the meatballs to the sauce when they are done. Let that simmer till your noodles are done.

We served ours with homemade rolls, and a little fresh grated Romano cheese over the top. Delish.

NOTE: This recipe calls for pancetta. I HATE pancetta (it's a texture thing.) So we added crumbled bacon and it worked beautifully.