Yesterday, my daughter Mansell sent me a note suggesting I try a “Healthy Choice” with turkey meatballs and roasted spaghetti squash. This recipe came together as I left the Little Kitchen In Sag Harbor after lunch today.

The meatballs include mirepoix, quinoa, eggs, Sofrito and ground turkey. And all of these items are already on my lunch station.

As the meatballs are basically poached, the first thing to do is to start a broth simmering. Combine 1 cup of mirepoix with 2 cups of chicken stock, 1 cup red wine and the juice from one can of whole peeled tomatoes.

Then place the tomatoes (cut into pieces) on a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil. Place in a 300°F oven and roast for 30 minutes.

To make the meatballs, finely dice 1 cup of mirepoix. Combine it in a big bowl with 1 cup of cooked quinoa, 3 eggs, 3 tablespoons Sofrito (which is finely diced red pepper, jalapeño and garlic with lime juice & olive oil in equal parts). And 1 pound of ground turkey. Then mix thoroughly with your hands and roll the meatballs into medium-size balls (slightly larger than a golf ball). Place the meatballs into the poaching stock and simmer for at least an hour.

Next slice a large spaghetti squash in half and remove the seeds. Place cut-side down in a pool of water and olive oil in a roasting pan and place in the oven. You can now remove the tomatoes and turn the oven up to 375° F.

Thinly slice 2 garlic cloves and place in a small saucepan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium flame. Then, add the roasted tomatoes and stir. Now you can add ½ -cup of chopped fresh basil.

To serve, sauté 1 pound of asparagus in a pan with butter and a splash of chicken stock until soft. Place the cooked asparagus spears in 4 bowls. Using the same pan, now add 1/2-cup of mirepoix and add 3 tablespoons of butter. When soft, add the spaghetti squash (hold with a kitchen towel and scoop out the strings from the shell) and stir. Season with salt and pepper and plate on top of the asparagus. Now top each dish of spaghetti squash with 2 or 3 meatballs and finish with a spoonful of tomato sauce. Serve with grated Parmesan.

1 pound ground turkey
3 eggs
1 cup cooked quinoa
4 carrots diced
4 celery stalks diced
2 Spanish onions diced
3 tablespoons Sofrito
Salt & pepper
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup red wine
16-oz can whole peeled tomato
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 cloves fresh garlic
1 large spaghetti squash
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese