Crockpot Recipe: Turkey Meatballs & Spaghetti

Tomorrow is the 10th of Tevets – A Jewish Fast Day. For those of us who are fasting tomorrow in remembrance of the day on which the siege of Yerushalayim began, (by Nebuchadnetzer, the king of Babalyon,) was the beginning of the whole chain of calamities which finally ended with the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash.

This means tonight for my family, we eat in preparation for the fast day ahead. As we all heard and know, loading up on your carbs, is a great way to get through the next 24hrs of no eating. So out comes my favorite Meatballs & Spaghetti recipe. Because I am also trying to keep things light and healthier for my family – I am trading beef for ground turkey – really a fantastic trade if you spice it right!

Coincidently today is also national Spaghetti day – random I know – But perfect for tonight! And because I am totally getting into this crockpot mania that is sweeping every blog and recipe magazine, I made them this morning and they are currently slow cooking on my counter to savory perfection!

Have an easy fast all!

picture from www.lottieanddoof.com

Turkey Meatballs & Spaghetti

For the tomato sauce

1 large onion, chopped roughly

1  cup canned diced tomatoes

2 1/2 cups tomato sauce

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 clove garlic minced

1 tsp. oregano

1 1/2 tsp. sugar (or 1 pack splenda)

1 tsp. cumin

For the Turkey Meatballs

1 lb ground turkey

1 egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. ground mustard

1 tsp. dried sage

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. lemon rind (or dried lemon peel)

1 lb cooked spaghetti

Directions:

In a small mixing bowl add all the ingredients for the tomato sauce – mix well and pour half of it into the slow cooker.

In a large mixing bowl add all the ingredients for the turkey meatballs. Mix well and shape your meatballs and place them into the slow cooker.

Pour the rest of the tomato sauce over the meatballs. Cover and cook on med-high for 3 1/2  -4 hours.

Serve over the cooked spaghetti, garnish with fresh sage.