Save this Recipe

Add To Cookbook Clone Add to Grocery List

Share This Recipe

Featured in Cookbooks

Turkey Meatballs with Farfalle, Swiss Chard, and Asparagus

Here's a recipe for turkey meatballs folded into a pasta dish with asparagus, swiss chard, and a light white wine sauce.

What I love about this dish is that the variations are endless. You can use virtually any ground meat or poultry to make the meatballs, any mix of fresh vegetables, and your favorite shape of pasta, short or long. I like to add red pepper flakes for a hint of spice, but it’s up to you. So here’s a great weeknight dinner recipe that can be made in under 30 minutes. Fully flavored yet light, soft and crunchy, spicy but soothing, this dinner is one for kids, boyfriends, or just nights alone with a good book. Enjoy! : )

-Maddy, CookLikeMad.com

Yield: 4 servings

For the Turkey Meatballs:
1
lb ground turkey
1
egg
½
cup breadcrumbs
1
tsp salt
1
tsp oregano, dried
2
tbsp flat leaf parsley, minced
½
tsp coriander, dried
½
tsp black pepper, freshly ground
canola oil, for cooking
For the rest of the recipe:
2
cups farfalle, or another pasta shape
1
lb asparagus, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
1
packed cup fresh swiss chard (frozen can be substituted)
½
cup white wine
¼
cup butter, diced into small pieces
juice of ½ lemon
pinch hot red pepper flakes
salt, to taste

1. Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat with enough canola oil to thinly coat the bottom of the pan. Mix all ingredients for meatballs together and form mixture into 1 ½ inch balls.

2. Once the oil is hot, place ½ the meatballs in the pan, cook for 5 minutes, or until fully cooked inside, turning them as necessary to promote even browning. Transfer cooked meatballs to a plate lined with a double layer of paper towels and repeat this process with the rest of the meatballs. Set cooked meatballs aside while you assemble the rest of the dish.

2. While the meatballs are cooking, cook the pasta in abundant amounts of salted, boiling water. Drain the pasta but reserve ¼ cup pasta water in a separate dish. Do not rise pasta or coat pasta with oil!

3. Add white wine to the unwashed saute pan you cooked the meatballs in and add the asparagus and swiss chard. Once vegetables are just barely cooked and the wine is reduced by half, add the butter, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, reserved pasta water and a pinch of salt to the pan. Swirl and stir the ingredients over medium heat until combined and the butter is melted. Add the pasta and meatballs to the pan and fold ingredients together to ensure all ingredients are warm and evenly coated with the sauce. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Serve immediately and enjoy!