chicken, basil, and ricotta meatballs
Since moving from Texas, I've tried to be a little more conscientious about how much food I'm purchasing. No, I'm not talking about going out to eat. I'm talking about my ability to squirrel away food.
When we were packing up the house, I cleaned out my deep freezer...and I was astonished that there were pounds of freezer-burned meat, vegetables, and frozen treats. I was horrified at myself. Not only because I pride myself on being fairly organized, but I was incredibly disappointed at how wasteful I'd been.
One of my goals since moving is not to hoard food like I'm about to be shipped off to diet camp. Since meat is a little more expensive in Pittsburgh than it was in Texas, I'm perfectly happy to buy a lot when I can catch it on sale...the new catch is to cook it within a month or two after freezing it.
The great thing about this recipe is that it's pretty versatile. Though I used chicken, it's because it's what I had in my freezer. You could use lean ground turkey or ground beef just as easily (if you use ground pork, be sure to cut it with another meat, as it can get pretty fatty).
chicken, basil, and ricotta meatballs
toasty meatballs
prep time: 30 minutes | cook time: 20 minutes
experience level: easy peasy | specialty: main courses
- 1 pound lean ground chicken (can substitute turkey or lean beef)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
- 2-3 tbsp low fat milk
- 1/2 cup low fat ricotta cheese
- 3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups pasta sauce of your choice (I like pomodoro or marinara)
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella -OR- ricotta cheese (for dolloping)
Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit / 190° Celsius.
Mix ground meat, egg, bread crumbs, ricotta cheese, basil, garlic, and spices in a large bowl. You can use your hands or a large spoon. I used the spoon this time because the ground chicken was super cold. Stir until all of the ingredients are well mixed.
Heat olive oil in a large, oven safe skillet. Form the meat mixture into golf-ball sized meatballs. Working in batches, brown the meatballs on each side until they're nicely seared. They won't be done on the inside, so don't pop one into your mouth unless contracting salmonella is your thing. Set aside batches of meatballs until you're finished searing all of them.
Return all of the meatballs to the skillet (making sure the most recent batch isn't stuck to the bottom). Remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour the pasta sauce on top. I say carefully, as it can and will make a damn mess if you're not careful.
Top with cheese and place in the oven for 20 minutes until the sauce is all bubbly. Serve over pasta, zoodles, or on sandwiches.
on top of spaghettiiii, all covered with cheeeeeeze
