Ingredients

  • Olive oil cooking spray
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • Dried red chili flakes
  • 1 cup fat-free reduced sodium chicken stock, such as College Inn Fat-Free Light Sodium
  • 1 1/2 cups red pack tomato puree
  • 1 1/2 cups red pack diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 medium eggplant, halved lengthwise
  • Salt
  • 6 ounces lean ground turkey breast, such as Jennie-O
  • 4 ounces 94-percent fat-free ground beef sirloin, such as Laura's Lean 94-percent
  • 2 ounces extra-lean ground pork, such as Farmer John's
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
  • 1/2 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 2 cups puffed kamut
  • 6 ounces 100-percent kamut spaghetti

Method

  • Spray a large saucepan with 4 sprays of olive oil spray.
  • Add half the garlic and half the onion and a pinch of red chili flakes and cook over medium heat until tender, about 2 minutes.
  • Add half the chicken stock, tomato puree and diced tomatoes and simmer over low heat for an hour.
  • Preheat the broiler.
  • Meanwhile, using the tip of a knife, score the eggplant deeply and sprinkle with salt.
  • Place the eggplant cut-side up and cook under the broiler until lightly browned, about 4 minutes.
  • Remove the eggplant from the broiler and place on a plate and microwave on high until tender, about 2 minutes.
  • Let cool.
  • In a large bowl, add the meats and mix gently to incorporate.
  • Place the egg white, remaining chicken stock, onion, garlic and parsley in the beaker of a blender and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.
  • Add the mixture to the bowl with the meats, add the cheese and crumble the kamut in with your fingers.
  • Sprinkle with salt and chili flakes.
  • Scoop the eggplant pulp out of its skin and let any excess water drip off.
  • Measure out 1/2 cup of the pulp, and then lightly chop and add to the meat mixture, folding in to incorporate.
  • With the use of a tablespoon, measure out 16 even heaping mounds on to a clean work surface and then form into balls with your hands.
  • Spray a large nonstick saute pan with 4 sprays of olive oil spray and heat over medium-high heat.
  • Once the pan is hot, add half of the meatballs and cook until lightly browned on one side, about 1 minute.
  • Roll the meatballs on the other side and brown evenly, about 2 minutes.
  • Remove the browned meatballs from the pan and then spray the pan with 4 more sprays and repeat the browning with the rest of the meatballs.
  • Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer very slowly for an hour.
  • Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts of water to a simmer and then add 1 tablespoon of salt.
  • Drop the pasta in the water and cook per manufacturer's instructions.
  • Place 4 meatballs each on 4 plates, and then add the spaghetti to the remaining sauce in the pan with 1/2 cup of the pasta water and cook until the sauce holds well on the pasta.
  • Evenly distribute the pasta to each of the 4 plates.
  • Cook's Note: Wet your hands with clean cold water while shaping the meatballs, it helps tremendously.