Monday, February 9, 2009

Pasta with Mini Chicken Meatballs

I have been looking forward to making this dish again, so I could share it here. It is a great, one-meal dish that is simply delicious. It calls for several ingredients that are just for this meal, and that doesn't help my grocery budget, but we really enjoy this meal and it reheats great, so my husband gets some lunches out of the leftovers.

*from Giada's Kitchen cookbook*
Orecchiette with Mini Chicken Meatballs
1 l.b orecchiette pasta (I used medium shells)
1/4 c plain bread crumbs
1/4 c chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp. whole milk
1 Tbsp. ketchup
3/4 c freshly grated Romano cheese (I used Parmesan)
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. black pepper
1 lb. ground chicken (I used ground turkey)
1/4 c olive oil
1 1/2 c chicken broth
4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces bocconcini (small mozzarella balls), halved
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Boil the pasta according to the instructions. Set aside

In a medium bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, milk, ketchup,
Romano cheese, salt, and pepper. Add the ground meat and combine well.
Scoop up the mixture, I used a tablespoon, and roll into small meatballs.
Cook the meatballs in olive oil in a skillet on medium- high heat.
Cook for 2 minutes, then turn the meatballs, and cook 2-3 minutes longer.
Add the tomatoes and chicken broth, bring to a boil. Using a wooden spoon, scrape all the bits on the bottom of the pan (yum!)
Reduce the heat, and simmer until the tomatoes are soft and the meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Drain the pasta and transfer to a large serving bowl, add 1/2 c of parmesan and toss to coat.Add the meatball and tomatoes,

then add the mozzarella and 1/2 c of the basil. CombineTop with rest of parmesan and basil leaves. Serve immediately

I hope you try this! This is a really fresh tasting dish, thanks to all the fresh herbs and mozzarella. I really like the how the heat of the pasta and meatballs melts the mozzarella and you get strings of mozzarella when you pull a bite away with your fork. YUM!!!

3 comments:

jennifer said...

My kiddos love pasta and Kennan is a huge fan of meatballs! Might have to give this one a try!

Deasha said...

I have made this and it is awesome! I actually used beef for the meatballs because that is what I had but it was good!

SnoWhite said...

We just made this last night -- we loved it! Thanks.