Pasta with meatballs, pickled peppers and ricotta

A delicious, nutritious and comforting meal!

Pickled vegetables can add a great little zing to all kinds of dishes and they really work well here. If you don’t wish to make a batch of my super delicious pickled peppers, you could swap in marinated roasted peppers (available in jars in most grocery stores) or simply add a cup of chopped sweet peppers to the dish when you add the broccolini so they can cook slightly and soften. If you have time, I highly recommend making homemade ricotta to go into this dish – my recipe is virtually foolproof. If I expect we won’t eat the whole batch whenever I make pasta, I always refrigerate a little of the starchy pasta water to use when reheating the leftovers.

Ingredients

1 pound (454 g) ground turkey
Few pinches each salt and pepper
1 small shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup (33 g) Panko or other dry bread crumbs (gluten-free if you wish)
2 tablespoons (7.7 g) minced fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon (5 g) Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon (5 mL) Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg, beaten
1 pound (454 g) orecchiette, bowtie or other pasta
Kosher salt, for cooking pasta
2 tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil
1 cup (250 g) ricotta
1 fresh lemon
Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch (8 oz / 227 g approx.) broccolini, rinsed and cut in uniform bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons (30 mL) white wine, water or chicken broth
1 cup (150 g) pickled peppers, in bite-sized pieces
3/4 cup (70 g) grated Parmesan
Handful fresh basil leaves, chopped

Method

Make meatballs by combining ground turkey, onion, garlic, Panko, basil, Dijon, Worcestershire sauce and egg in a bowl. Shape into small balls (3/4 inch or 2 cm) with a cookie scoop or your hands and place on a parchment-lined baking tray as you make them. Pack them just enough to hold together but not too tightly or they will not be tender. Transfer the baking tray to the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up the meatballs; this will help them hold together as they cook.
After meatballs have been in the freezer for 20 minutes, preheat the oven to 375F.
Drizzle olive oil in a very large skillet (large enough to hold the meat, vegetables, and cooked pasta). Add the turkey meatballs then place the skillet in the preheated oven. Let meatballs cook, jiggling pan occasionally, until browned and internal temperature measures 165F (about 18-20 minutes). If you don’t have a very large oven-safe skillet, you can bake the meatballs on the parchment-lined baking tray.
While meatballs are cooking, whisk together the ricotta, zest and juice of the lemon plus a pinch each of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Also, while meatballs are cooking, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add pasts and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente.
When meatballs are done, remove the skillet from the oven and place on the stove, taking care to remember that the handle of the skillet will be extremely hot.
While pasta cooks, add chopped onions to the pan with the meatballs (and any accumulated cooking juices if you baked the meatballs on a tray) and stir gently. Cook until onions are softened, and translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and a touch more oil if needed, and cook, stirring gently, for another two minutes. Add the broccolini to the pan along with a splash of white wine and cover to steam the broccolini. Check broccolini with the tip of a sharp knife after 4-5 minutes; remove pan from heat and remove lid when broccolini is tender-crisp.
Scoop out 1 cup (250 mL) of the pasta cooking water before draining the pasta and adding it to the skillet with the meatballs and vegetables.
Add the Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup (125 mL) of the starchy pasta water to the meatballs and stir gently to combine. Stir in the pickled peppers and more pasta water as needed to achieve a sauce of the desired consistency.
Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
Scoop into broad bowls; garnish with several dollops of the ricotta mixture and a sprinkle fresh basil on each serving.