MMMM Turkey meatballs w/ whole wheat spaghetti, spinach & ricotta cheese

YUMMY...tonight's Eat Clean & Feingold friendly dinner was complements of my new Eating Clean cookbook.  It was good & refreshing and I added some Trader Joe's frozen grilled asparagus and there you go a good healthy dinner.

Turkey Meatballs w/ Whole Wheat Spaghetti, Spinach & Ricotta
Serves 4


INGREDIENTS:
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 lb extra-lean ground turkey
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh oregano
1/2 cup whole-grain bread crumbs
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 egg
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
8oz whole-wheat spaghetti
4 cups baby spinach
3/4 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
juice and zest of 1 lemon

INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft but not browned, three to five minutes.

2) In a large bowl, place turkey, onion-garlic mixture,basil, oregano,breadcrumbs, tomato paste, egg, salt and pepper. Using your hands or a large spoon, gently mix together until combined.

3) Using a small ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, portion out turkey mixture in golf ball sized increments. Use clean hands to roll mixture into 20 meatballs and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned and cooked through, about 20 minutes.

4) Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions, until al dente reserving 1/2 cup pasta water
Five: In a large serving bowl, add spaghetti, spinach, cheese,lemon zest and juice, and quarter-cup reserved pasta water. Gently toss to combine, allowing heat of spaghetti to wilt spinach and cooking water to melt ricotta to a creamy sauce. Add more reserved water if necessary.to reach desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Add meatballs and serve immediately..

VERDICT: this was nice, light & refreshing.  Next time I will actually saute the spinach with some EVOO and heat the ricotta so the sauce is warm (our sauce was cold) but we liked it and I loved the lemon with it as it adds a freshness to it.
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*NOTE: just remember if you are following FG then to make sure you use approved ingredients...in this recipe I made fresh bread crumbs from approved bread, used 100% natural turkey, approved tomato sauce (remember that's ST2) and approved ricotta