Chicken Parm Meatballs and Spaghetti

Some of my free time lately has been spend perusing recipes all over the Internet. When I came across this one for Chicken Parm Meatballs and Spaghetti on Rachel Ray's site, I knew I needed to make it soon! The recipe looked good and it did not disappoint.

The main change I made was to use ground turkey because that's what I had on hand. The recipe says to shred the garlic and onion, but I found it easier to finely chop both. I also used chicken stock rather than white wine. I didn't have fresh basil, so I used a tbsp of dried.

We both really enjoyed this dish and will definitely add it to the rotation!

Ingredients

1 lb ground chicken (or turkey)

1 box chopped frozen spinach (defrost and ring dry in towel)

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup milk

1 large egg

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

salt and pepper

3 tbsp tomato paste

3 tbsp olive oil

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup chicken stock (or dry white wine)

2 tbsp butter

1/2 cup basil leaves, torn or shredded

1 lb spaghetti

Directions

1.Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place a piece of parchment paper over a baking sheet (I didn't do this step, but really recommend it as they really stick to the pan otherwise).

2. Place chicken and spinach in bowl. Add 1 clove garlic and 3-4 tbsp onion to the bowl. Combine 1/2 cup of the cheese and breadcrumbs with nutmeg. Add milk to barely moisten- no more than 1/4 cup. Sprinkle the bread-cheese mixture into the chicken mixture then add the egg, parsley, salt and pepper and 2 tbsp tomato paste.

3. Combine 1 tbsp tomato paste with 1 tbsp olive oil in a small bowl. Mix and combine the chicken with breadcrumbs and section the meatball mix into quarters. Shape each section into 3 meatballs. Arrange meatballs on baking sheet as you work. Using a pastry brush, brush meatballs with tomato paste and oil mixture and roast for 18-20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Finely chop 2 cloves of garlic and remainder of the onion. Add the garlic and onion to the olive oil and gently cook for 8-10 minutes. Add tomatoes and stock to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in basil and allow the sauce to reduce while you cook the pasta. Cook the pasta to al dente. Drain pasta and place back in hot pot with butter, remaining cheese and sauce. Toss pasta to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with chicken meatballs.

Enjoy!