We had these chicken meatballs with a combination of spiralized butternut squash, zucchini, and some real honest-to-goodness pasta all mixed together. And don’t forget the garlic breadcrumbs. They take pasta from 0 to 60 in less than 10 seconds.
The butternut squash pasta was also delicious! Spiralizers are way too fun. It’s like a curling iron for your vegetables.
These chicken meatballs are as simple as it gets. I didn’t want to cram too much into them, since I wanted the flavours that I did choose to shine, and I wanted something that would pair well with any pasta sauce.
Enjoy these meatballs with your favourite sauce, or try out my combination and pair them with butternut squash pasta, roasted red pepper sauce, and garlic bread crumbs.
Baked Chicken Meatballs with Squash Pasta, & Red Pepper Sauce
Print RecipeIngredients
- Chicken Meatballs:
- 1 lb lean ground chicken or turkey
- 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup purple onion diced fine
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
- Pasta:
- ~340g butternut squash spirals, and/or zucchini
- 1 cup cooked pasta or ~3(angel hair or spaghetti) (optional)
- Garlic Bread Crumbs
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 cup bread crumbs (I used Spelt, but you can use panko, or regular)
- 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried basil or oregano
- Roasted Red Pepper Sauce:
- 1 cup hot chicken or vegetable stock
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 small jar roasted red peppers, drained (I used ~1/2 cup roasted peppers)
Instructions
Chicken Meatballs: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix until combined.
Wet your hands (this makes the chicken less likely to stick to your hands as you roll), and roll into even sized balls. Place on baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes. I sometimes sautée them in a skillet after to give some colour. Serve with your favourite pasta and sauce!
Pasta: I used spiralized zucchini and butternut squash but you can also use regular pasta as well. If using spiralized butternut squash, toss the spirals on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 5-10 minutes or until softened but not mushy. I use the spiralized zucchini raw and mix the two together after the squash is cooked.
Bread Crumbs: in a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter, add the minced garlic, sautée for 1 minute before adding the breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. Cook stirring for a few minutes or until starting to brown. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce: combine all the ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. The sauce will thicken as it sits. Add more hot stock to dilute if necessary.
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